Chapter 9

Mac looked at the injury to his arm. It was a nasty gash and it was bleeding heavily. It wasn't an artery, which was a good thing but it compromised his ability to help Adam, who was sporting a cut on his brow. At least the kid was holding up and he was impressed that he handled the sword he conjured up pretty good. The kid was getting the hang of this. The problem now was that it seemed that Michael was going to pull out his stops.

Mac knew that it was risky to leave Tsura alone with Angela but he was confident that she would be able to do what she could do without help. Having been raised a hunter all his life, he knew that there were things out there and some required an act of faith especially when it was clear that the person didn't have any malicious intent within them. It was why he refused to do business with some arseholes he knew back on his side of the pond and willfully sent creatures and beings to his homeland and to the Emerald Isle for sanctuary.

Mac knew a few tricks to help and used the warding sigils that were tied to his life. The biggest risk of all with that was that if he died, then the spell was broken. That typically was the trouble when it came to spells, particularly protection spells, that were bound to the life force. Most folks didn't do it especially if they were in a dangerous profession like he was. Hell, he was a soldier and a hunter and both had the risk of an early death and it left the person you were trying to protect vulnerable. There were ways around it but Mac was a hunter, not a librarian or witch for that matter and wasn't exactly number one to use alternative means without it blowing up in his face. It was why he cultivated relationships even though in his civilian line of work that was a hard thing to come by.

The warding sigils he left were the strongest he could conjure without any serious repercussion to himself. Like any practioner, Mac knew that there were consequences associated with spells. Some, the risks were not worth the rewards though he was certain that his friend Angela would say different. He had heard through the grapevine about what she had done to save a boy who had been bitten by a werewolf; what she had done to cure him of lycanthropy. It was a pretty much guaranteed death to the person administering it and yet she had beaten the odds.

Mac had always admired his friend for her courage but he often thought she was foolish when she did her all or nothing acts. He couldn't perceive as to why she would do that to herself but he dwelt on it a lot when he was on tour. In the end he came to the conclusion that she did what she did because she had no ties to this world. Even with all the friendships and relationships she had, there was nothing compelling enough for her to stay. It made her seem selfish but in a way he could understand since she had lived a very long life and looked as good as his Nico did. Now that he had seen her again, he noticed that things were different and it made him glad. It was the only reason she would be here in hell. So he would do what he could to help her even if he and Tsura weren't real.

Looking at the injury, Mac cursed. He could barely lift his arm and it was going to be a pain in the arse. He cursed, "Bloody hell."

"Here."

Mac looked up and saw Adam rip a piece of the shirt he was wearing off to wrap around the injury. It wasn't much but it would do and he nodded, "Aye. Will do. Problem is that I think it will weaken the barrier."

Adam looked up from his work and replied, "Then we better finish this."

"Not arguing there, mate but let's face it: we're against a bloody angel that used you to end the world and is bloody pissed at Angie for ruining things."

Adam shook his head. It was rather interesting to hear Mac talk since he wasn't British but Scottish and the accent using the euphemisms… it was something else. "Who isn't pissed at her?"

"Are you?"

Adam looked up to see Mac looking at him and frowned as he retorted, "No."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"Just asking since you and I both know that she initially came here to find Sam." Mac watched Adam's reaction as he continued, "And she really wasn't thinking about you."

Adam paused a moment as he looked around. They only had a brief reprieve from Michael. He could hear the snarling and barking all around and didn't like the fact that dogs were around. He liked them but when Michael decided to get rough, they were not cute puppies but killers and… He sighed and looked back at Mac, "I'll admit I was a little pissed at that but I get it. She probably thought I was dead and… she loves my brother. But I know she means what she says when she says she would fight to the death for both of us."

Mac studied the younger man and nodded. He approved of that. "That's good. I know she's a bit pig headed on a few things but one thing I can say is that she will never walk away from someone who truly needs help and she won't stop trying even if they say no."

"Tell me about it," Adam replied with a grin as he looked around. He then looked at Mac as he tried to move his arm and gestured at it, "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'm fine," Mac replied as he managed to get his arm moving. "It's not the arm that concerns me but the wards I left when came out here."

"What do you mean?"

"The spell I used is tied to my lifeline. But I'm not the best when it comes to executing a spell like that. If there is any weakness…"

Adam knew that they could be in trouble but… "Tsura will figure out something." At Mac's look he added, "Angie said never to fuck with Romani magic."

Mac couldn't help but chuckle. He knew that was the case with Angela and the woman firmly believed in the power of Romani magic. He had heard the stories too and he wasn't going to disrespect something like that. "I'll agree with that."

At that moment a howl rose up. Mac looked up at the same time Adam did and listened. He knew that howl and he cursed, "Fuck."

"What?"

"Hell hounds," Mac replied.

"We're good right? I mean Cerebus will keep them off us."

"It's not us I'm worried about."

Adam looked in the direction of the cave and asked, "What do you mean?"

Mac winced slightly on his arm. He gritted out, "I warded the place before I left to help you. It's tied to my life." At the look Adam was giving him, he explained, "As long as I'm alive, the wards should still be in place. The bad news mate is that I am not very good with a spell like this."

"So Tsura could be in trouble?" Adam looked at Mac who was trying to get to his feet.

"A possibility but Tsura can handle it. Like I said Romani magic and the other wards will hold out as long as they are not ruined." Mac got to his feet and kneeled. He checked his arm and took a couple of breaths. "Look, you make a run for the cave. I'll take care of the dick with wings."

Adam looked at Mac as he gripped the blade that had been conjured and stood ready to head out. He put his hand on Mac's arm. "What about you?"

Mac grinned, "Got it covered mate. I've got no intention of going too soon." He patted Adam's arm and said, "Help Tsura. Remember if anything happens to Angie's body here…"

"She won't have a place to come back to, right." Adam got to his feet and turned in the direction of the cave. "Got it."

"Hey, do what you have to do and…"

"Don't underestimate Romani magic." Adam grinned at that and let out a chuckle.

"I meant not to underestimate Angie."

Adam nodded in agreement. He hadn't known the woman for long but she surprised him at times when he least expected it. She would go one way and then execute a one eighty and head the other way. It had done wonders to keep them a step ahead of Michael and Lucifer. It was a small step but it worked and Adam preferred to look at the positives. He patted Mac on the shoulder to wish him luck and waited for the signal.

Mac knew that he was severely at a disadvantage with a clipped wing but he was a soldier. He was trained to keep going. If he could pick up a weapon and shoot, then he was still fit for duty. It was the one thing that had his Nico scold him for but it was never that bad since she was the same way and that was how they met and bonded.

Standing up he gripped the sword and looked around for Michael. He couldn't see the archangel anywhere so that meant he had to seek him out. That was not something he looked forward to but sometimes you had to do what you had to do to get your man. He held it ready and started making his way forward, slowly and checking his corners. It was awkward without a gun but he made it work and he had to buy Adam time to get to the cave.

He rounded a corner when he was flung off his feet and flung into a rock wall. He grunted from the force but he managed to not drop the sword. He landed on the ground with a thud and put his hand down to right himself up. He looked up to see Michael standing there with a blade in his own hand and looking at him with an impassive look.

Mac got to his feet and wiped the blood from his lip. He chuckled a bit, "Thought I'd find you here."

Michael shook his head at Mac. "I don't understand."

"What do you mean?" Mac didn't have to ask the question but each moment he spent distracting Michael was another moment for Adam to bring Tsura the help she might need against the hell hounds. It was risky since hell hounds were not easily killed. He was confident they would find a way and in turn it would buy time for Angela to wake up and they would continue onward. He looked at Michael with a raised brow.

"I don't understand why you would do anything for her."

"Her?"

"Don't play dumb." Michael retaliated with a swiping gesture. He sent Mac flying back into the wall and watched as the man grunted from the pain and then got up again. "Why would you risk your life for someone who eventually throw you aside? Never see again?"

Mac grunted as he staggered to his feet. That second one hurt twice as much as the first. He really pissed off the angel now but it was all part of the plan. He adjusted his grip on the blade and winced when the pain shot up his arm. There was a purpose to the angel's questions. The obvious was trying to find a means to get to Angela and that was the countermeasure he was trying to achieve. The other reason was that the angel truly didn't understand human behavior.

"Why?"

Mac looked at the angel and took a breath, "Maybe because she's so pretty." He took a couple of gasping breaths and continued, "And maybe that she is more than you give her credit for your limey bastard."

"But why? She's not the kind to stick around. It's save the day, move on and she never hesitates to use a pawn."

"Sounds like you know a lot more than you admit to about her," Mac countered as he straightened up. "And you don't like it that she would risk everything to save one person in spite of the dangers to your greater good." He heaved a slight chuckle as he wiped his lip. It turned into a slight laugh. "Man, you angels really are stupid."

"And you are nothing but a mud monkey."

"Oh that is rich." Mac twirled his blade, "Come on. You know you want to fight me so just get to it." He opened his arms to leave himself wide open. The bandage was clear on his arm but he gave indications that he didn't care even though that wasn't the case.

"You're injured and you still want to fight."

"It's what I am"

The attack came fast. Mac tensed up and brought his blade up to defend himself. This was going to be probably one of the hardest fights he was going to be in. He prayed that he would make it through.

Lucifer looked down at the prostrate body. He nudged it with his toe and took perverse pleasure in knowing that Sam was feeling it where he was at. It was actually going pretty well. Neither had woken up so soon. Rather it seemed that both were stuck there wherever it was, like there was something that needed to be done. He didn't care though. It was giving him more time to do what he wanted to Sam and convince his little pretty to keep coming. But it was boring since there was no reaction.

Being in Sam's head was fun. He knew that he was playing on Sam's worst fears when he made himself look like the younger Winchester and then the touch with her looking so little… so helpless; it was actually satisfying. He knew she was strong in the sense of the word and even more than that. Seeing her as a child brought out a different side. At least he saw that with Sam, the way he reacted to her. It was confirmed when he held onto the little girl and then like nothing snapped her neck.

Sam reacted as expected. He always liked that fire in Sam's belly, how angry he would get. This was what he wanted when he taunted the younger Winchester in Carthage and then later when he removed the gag. Of course anything Lucifer had done to Angela was met with the most violent and fierce responses Lucifer had seen from him. Of course it was to be expected since he knew more than what anyone suspected the real reason.

As much as it was tempting to kill her and kill Sam, Lucifer knew that it was only going to serve the purpose of pissing off Michael. He couldn't forget how big brother told him to stop even though he almost did the same thing to her. Then again she was not as weak as they thought she was. She surprised him at times at least from the whispers from Azazel and his gang. The fact that she got herself free from Michael and then how she set everything up so she was here…

Looking down at Sam's body Lucifer grinned at it and said, "You have no idea what a treasure you have do you? No idea of the beauty and power held in that frame."

There was no response and Lucifer didn't expect one. If he wanted one, he needed to go into the place Sam and her mind were at. He toed Sam's body and watched the arms flop around before kneeling over and peeling one of Sam's eyelids open. He watched the pupil react to the light but there was no response as expected.

As he tried to explain to Michael, the last round had been too much and Sam ended up retreating to a place that would protect him. It also had the same effect for her because of the feedback between the pair. So they were both stuck and Michael was out trying to get her body and the other one, the lesser Winchester who wasn't even a Winchester. He just hoped his brother didn't get too carried away and do something that would probably kill her.

"You won't believe what I know about her, Sammy," Lucifer murmured as he let the lid close and opened the other. It was tempting to eye gouge since he would fix it later but there was no point to it. Too messy and too… human though he knew that Angela could do it and in the most gruesome of ways and cement her reputation in the same act. He opened the other lid and watched the pupil react. At least he wasn't comatose or whatever the expression was. "The things she is and still beautiful after all this time."

Lucifer let the lid close and looked at the body. He poked at some of the softer parts just for the hell of it. "She's a lot older than you think. And there are a few things about you."

Lucifer stood up and paced around. He glanced at the prone body and then around the area that served as a prison while he had his fun with Sam. He noted the meat hooks and a bunch of other 'toys' he had used. Maybe it was a little trite and could get boring but he got creative with a few things. And boy did he have fun when he got creative. But he was saving his best for her when she finally made it to him. Then that's when the real fun would begin.

He never doubted that she would come. Her one reason was lying at his feet. While it pissed him off greatly that Sam was her motivation, he still was able to milk the situation for what it was worth. And it was true that he knew more about her than Sam or Dean could possibly know. He knew more than she knew of herself and that was why he wanted her to come to him. By coming to him, she was willingly going to walk through the door and learn a few things. But first he had to get her to come and to do that, he needed to be where the action was. Sighing, he took a breath and went back to work.

The scene was still grubby. Of course it would be. It was one of Sam's most persistent nightmares and while the bogeyman changed depended on if it was related to a past experience or a foretelling of the future, it still had the same effect. It was actually one of Lucifer's favorites because he knew that he could cripple Sam emotionally and mentally with all of the possibilities. Hell, once he had her, that brought a whole new level of torture and he found himself grinning slightly in anticipation of that moment.

Walking around, his feet plopped in puddles in the street left by the rain. He grinned at the fact that the lifeless body of the little girl was still lying on the ground. Sam was trying to get up but couldn't. If this were topside, more likely he was sporting broken ribs and maybe a broken limb. As it were, Lucifer thought Sam got off pretty light despite the fact he was sporting bruises that gave him swollen shut eyes and cuts and bruises that looked worse than what they really were. Off to the side was the adult version.

She hadn't moved after he had thrown her into one of the buildings. He shook his head as he walked over to look at the body. He muttered, "Weak."

"Not weak."

Lucifer turned towards Sam. He watched as Sam struggled to get up from the ground. He chuckled as Sam stumbled slowly getting to his feet. He shook his head slightly at that. "You really don't get it do you?"

"I get that you are trying to get Angie to come to you. She's too smart for that."

Lucifer had to admit that he had always liked Sam. He was the smarter one when it came to doing things though he had to admit when they came charging through his front door that was pretty stupid but her… She was the smart one. She was the one that waited until the last possible moment before launching her plan to have Sam take control. That was the beauty he remembered. It was a pity that she didn't remember.

"She did nothing to get us here."

Lucifer looked at Sam with a piercing look. They might be able to say otherwise but she was the mastermind of the entire thing. She was the one that kept all the cards close to the vest and then sprung her trap. She was the one. "That's where you're wrong, Sam. You know as well as I that she is the one who truly is in control."

It was disturbing to hear Sam chuckle like a mad man. Lucifer looked at the man as he managed to get to his feet. His eyes narrowed as he studied the younger Winchester. He really should do something about the bloody face but then it wouldn't produce enough of the effect that he wanted.

"I beat you. She didn't let me do anything."

"And what makes you think that? Do you really know her?" Lucifer peered at Sam. Having had enough of the bloodied look he snapped his fingers. Instantly Sam was healed. That was better and he could do it all over again later. "What do you really know?"

"That she isn't like that."

Lucifer watched as Sam moved towards the downed body of the adult version. That was interesting. Seemed that Sam accepted that he couldn't do anything for the little one but he could do something for the other one. He repeated his early assessment, "As I thought. Weak."

"She isn't weak."

Lucifer snorted at that, "Of course the real one isn't weak. She is magnificent." He gestured at the moaning body and added, "This one… weak. Not even halfway to its potential."

"What do you mean?"

Lucifer really couldn't believe that Sam asked that question. He should have understood by now what people have been telling him. "You do know that is not her, do you?" He pointed at the moaning body that was starting to wake up and become aware of what was going on.

"She is the part of her that is mine."

It was an automatic response that it had Lucifer believing that he really didn't know what it meant in the larger scheme of things. "Do you even know what that means?"

"No."

"He wouldn't."

Lucifer looked at the one that looked like her. She was back on her feet and she looked like she was ready to fight again. Well at least that made things easier in the long run. He looked at her and said, "And what did you tell him?"

"Exactly what he said."

Lucifer looked at Sam and asked, "And did you know that there is more to this?"

"Probably," Sam replied with a shrug. "Doesn't matter at this point. So why don't you get to it? You healed me up so that means you want to do more."

Lucifer looked at Sam. This was like his kamikaze act when he came to say yes. That meant that there was something more. Well he had something to back that up. He smirked, "Maybe so. But you aren't the only one that is going to have fun with me here." He snapped his fingers and laughed when he saw Sam realize that he was stuck in a cage and being gripped by meat hooks and pulling him taut. The one that looked like her was strung up the exact same way. "Now you just hang there while I make sure one last member of the party is here."

"You sonofabitch!"

Lucifer didn't look back as he continued to walk out. The scenery had changed to a new and improved torture chamber. "Cry all you want Sammy. I'm gonna have both of you and all of you."

A/N: Mac is trying to hold off Michael and Lucifer is bored playing with a comatose body so he goes back to torture Sam's consciousness. Stay tuned for more Over the Edge...