ITMCHaN: Chapter 27/30
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Love is War (English Dub) ((Rockleetist))
Gabriel knew immediately that something was wrong. Well okay, even more wrong, considering the circumstances. For one thing, Dean was gone. And Dean wouldn’t have left both his brother and his angel there with Lucifer by choice. And considering they were on a rooftop six stories over the ground, it was a pretty fair assumption that he’d been knocked overboard. Added to this theory was the fact that he’d never seen Castiel look so upset in all their lives. And they’d been alive for pretty much forever.
But however bad he felt about what might have happened to the hunter, or how his brother was taking it, there was no excuse for Lucifer to have his hands all over Castiel. The archangel’s blood boiled, seeing his devil of a brother wrap the younger angel into a hug, the both of them sitting on the roof tile floor.
He pushed past Sam, storming out onto the roof with a growl. "Get the fuck away from him!"
Castiel tilted his head up to look at him, all heartbroken face and shining eyes. "Gabriel…"
Lucifer didn’t look happy for the interruption. Not that anyone could tell from the calm expression he wore. But his eye twitched, and that was enough. "There you are. I was wondering where you two had gotten to. You missed quite the show."
"I said get off him," the archangel hissed, hazel eyes narrowed as he made a grab for his younger brother’s arm.
Lucifer pushed him back with only a thought, and Gabriel tripped backwards, landing a few feet away on his ass. Crowley pulled away from Sam’s hold, which was fairly nonexistent by that time; Lucifer had ordered him to bring the two to the roof, not to restrain them. The demon joined the younger archangel, pulling him up with a hand.
Castiel curled in on himself, refusing to look at the pair of them.
The devil smiled, setting a hand on his shoulder and glancing up at the two new arrivals. "I was just having a little family chat with our brother. I wasn’t doing anything harmful, if that’s what you’re worried about. I know about the importance of family, Gabriel."
"That’s a lie and you know it," the archangel took a step forward, held back by Crowley’s hand on his arm. "Don’t you sit here and lie to him; you know damned well you’d take us both out if the thought struck you. Family loyalty, my ass. You just wanna use him like you used Sam."
Castiel’s eyes widened a bit at the statement. He turned to look at the younger Winchester, who was still by the door with absolutely no expression. It was more than a little creepy for someone like Sam, who always seemed to have some sort of emotion written all over his face.
The last thing Dean saw before falling had been that passive face.
"Such an unfair and completely untrue assumption," Lucifer sighed, fingers reaching to turn the youngest angel’s chin back to face him. "I would never lie to you, brother. I can do all I promised you."
Gabriel scowled. "What are you telling him? You’re making deals with him?!"
He pulled forward, and the demon tightened his grip on the other’s jacket.
"Angel…" Crowley muttered in warning. The plan was to wait until his back was turned and use all the Grace Gabriel had left to attack. If Gabriel got mad and jumped the gun, Lucifer would see it coming a mile away, and they’d have nothing left.
Lucifer smiled, tilting his head. "Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. We’ve been having a nice little layout of terms while you two were playing in the pool."
Gabriel’s eyes turned to Castiel, who was still staring pointedly at the tile. "Cassy, what are you gonna do?"
Castiel tipped his head up, licking his lips as he frowned hard in determination. "I can end this right now, Gabriel."
The shorter angel shook his head. "No, that’s not what you wanna do…"
"It is. I want this to be over. You do as well, that’s why you ran away in the first place." It wasn’t accusing, it was a simple stating of a fact. "I can do that. I can bring back Dean, who shouldn’t have been brought here to begin with. I can save Sam, and Dean can have his little brother back. And I can even keep the two of you safe. Working with Lucifer isn’t such a bad option, considering all the good that would come of it."
Lucifer smiled. Gabriel looked like he’d fall, if Crowley hadn’t had a death grip on his arm at that point.
"You’ll fall if you do this, Cassy…"
The youngest angel huffed, a bitter sort of laugh that Gabriel thought didn’t suit him at all. "I’m already going to fall. At least this way, I can get Dean back."
"That’s not-"
Castiel shot him a glare. "Gabriel, be quiet. I don’t want to hear anything else from you. I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions. I’ve learned a lot about free will since coming here."
The tone surprised Gabriel into silence. Even Crowley raised a brow. Castiel got to his feet, leveling them with a serious frown for a moment before turning his attention to Lucifer. He took the devil’s hand, turning them both to stare over the edge of the roof.
"If I do this, if I make this deal, there’s no going back on your word, correct?"
Lucifer nodded. "I said I would never lie to you, and I meant it, Castiel. You just have to say yes."
"Cas, don’t…"
"Then I suppose I have no other options left to me at this point…" Castiel tightened his grip on his brother’s hand, taking a deep breath.
But what he spoke next wasn’t what anyone was expecting.
"Gabriel, do it now!"
Gabriel jumped in surprise, before Crowley pushed him forward. It was all the reminder he needed. Castiel had turned Lucifer’s back to them, just like they needed. Before Lucifer could turn around, the shorter archangel aimed every bit of Grace he could muster up straight at the devil’s back.
Castiel quickly shook his hand free, falling back as the blast hit his brother. Lucifer fell forward with a sharp cry of pain. The dark- haired angel backed up, closer to Gabriel. Crowley had joined in now, using whatever demonic power he had left to help.
It wasn’t going to be enough, but it could buy them enough time to get away. Castiel left them to handle that; he didn’t have any sort of power to add to the fray. And he knew what he had to do. He had to take care of Sam, as Dean would have wanted. He had to get Sam out of here before Lucifer thought to use his control over the hunter to aid him.
He ran across the roof, using the momentum to slam into the Winchester in the doorway, knocking them both through it and into the stair way. Sam’s face remained expressionless; not even surprised. Without orders from Lucifer, he didn’t do anything. He just let the smaller man knock him over and then prop him up against the wall.
Castiel stared worriedly at the hunter, locking eyes with green that stared right through him. "Sam, come on. If there’s any chance you can hear me in there, you have to listen. You have to fight this, because we need your help. I’m not leaving here without you, and I can’t make you leave while you’re still under his control. So you’ve got to fight, Sam."
He made no indication that he’d heard the angel and Castiel sighed. So long as Lucifer wasn’t ordering him, Sam was dead weight. But they could manage with that better than if he was fighting them.
A second later, they were joined by Gabriel and Crowley, who ran through the door. Both of them looked haggard, and Gabriel looked near fainting once again.
"That’s not going to stop him for much longer, kids, what’s the plan?" Crowley slammed the roof door shut, leaning against it. As if it would help any in the long run.
"Gabriel, how far do you think you could take us with anything you’ve got left?" Castiel glanced up at his brother, who was panting for breath.
Gabriel shook his head, a grimace working across his face. "I’ve got nothin’ left. I might be able to do a few floors, but then someone’s gonna have to drag my ass the rest of the way."
Castiel nodded. "Then do it. We’ll take care of you. Any distance we can make will buy us some time."
He swallowed hard, leaning against Crowley slightly as he swayed on his feet. "Okay. But this isn’t gonna be very impressive."
Crowley held the archangel steady, while Castiel wrapped his arms around Sam’s shoulders. So long as they made it somewhere with all limbs intact, he would be impressed enough. Gabriel grabbed onto Castiel’s jacket, and the next moment, they had left the stairs.
Castiel looked around. A sign in the doorway told them they’d made it to the second floor game room. The walls were lined with dart boards and score keeping whiteboards, as well as posters and other decorations. On one end of the room were a few change machines, while pool tables were spaces out along the other end.
The angel let Sam rest against the wall where he’d landed with Gabriel’s teleport. He reached up, grabbing hold of a pool cue. It wasn’t going to do much good in the long run, but he welcomed any bit of help at this point. He handed one to Crowley and, after a moment’s thought, a barely- standing Gabriel.
"So what now?" Gabriel used the cue more to keep himself balanced than anything else. He was having trouble standing as it was, he didn’t think he’d be any help in a fight. Hell, at the rate he was going, he was just glad to be conscious.
"We’re on the second floor," Castiel replied. "It’s possible we could make it out of here before we run into trouble. Not likely, but possible."
Crowley glanced at Sam. "What about your moose? He’s going to turn on us if he gets the order."
"I don’t know," he said honestly. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to think. He was a soldier. A soldier in Heaven. But he wasn’t high up enough to be in charge. He’d spent his life following orders, not needing to make plans. He was learning free will, as Dean wanted, but it was difficult. How could humans make these decisions knowing that something could happen to those they care about based on them? If he messed this up, then Lucifer would not only have Sam, but Crowley and his brother as well.
"Our best chance is to escape. We’ll have time to recharge and regroup," he replied after a moment’s thought. "We’re taking Sam with us. We’re not leaving him behind. If we need to, we’ll restrain him until he’s free of Lucifer’s influence. But all of us are getting out."
The other two nodded. Then Gabriel swayed on his feet. Crowley grabbed him with his free hand, looping the archangel’s arm over his own shoulder.
"Okay, angel, just try to keep awake here." He glanced at Castiel. "You got the moose, Cas?"
Castiel nodded. Crowley pulled Gabriel toward the door and the angel knelt beside Sam, his pool cue tucked under his arm to hold it. This wasn’t going to be easy, but he would never forgive himself for leaving the younger man there. He grabbed Sam by the arm, trying to pull him up. If he’d had his Grace, this wouldn’t have been a problem; but now he had to rely on his own limited human strength.
Sam wasn’t resisting, but he wasn’t helping either. After a bit of pulling, he managed to get the other to his feet. With the most difficult task accomplished, he pushed at Sam’s back, leading him toward where the others were waiting by the door. The hunter’s steps were slow and forced, but it was better than trying to carry him the whole way. With Sam’s size, that would have been pretty much impossible for Castiel as he was.
He reached for the door to the hall, turning the knob before it opened of its own volition. Expecting the absolute worst, Castiel quickly pushed Sam aside, raising the pool cue and slamming it down as soon as the door was open far enough.
"Son of a bitch, hey cool it!"
Castiel dropped the cue, eyes wide. Dean stood on the other side of the doorway, arms raised over his head to protect from another hit.
"Dean…?"
Once the threat of violence was gone, he uncurled, letting his arms fall. He offered a weak grin. "Hey Cas."
Castiel launched himself forward, and Dean almost expected another attack. Instead he wound up with an armful of angel, hugging him tightly. Surprised, he wrapped his arms around the shorter man. Crowley and Gabriel looked away, suddenly finding the room’s décor more interesting. Sam just stared past everyone.
"How are you here?" Castiel asked against the other’s throat, where his face was currently buried. "You died. I saw you fall…"
Dean shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t occupied. "Hey, you know me; I’m too stubborn for that. I didn’t actually die, I just got brought home. Anna was there, and she helped me get back here to finish this and help you guys."
Castiel’s fingers twisted in the back of Dean’s shirt, clinging as if afraid to let go. This had gone on longer than any normal hug had a right to, but Dean wasn’t concerned. This was Cas. Plus he figured relief of knowing your best friend isn’t dead got you a few extra minutes of hug allowance time.
Crowley arched a brow. "How do we know it’s really you, and not just Luci screwing with our heads?"
Dean blinked at him, face deadpan. "Because fuck you, that’s why."
"That’s him," Gabriel chuckled, leaning against the demon. "Even if I couldn’t sense him, I’d know it just from that."
The older Winchester looked around at the group of them. His gaze lingered on his brother, and Castiel felt his shoulders slump. He tightened his grip on the other in response.
"So what’s the plan?" he asked finally.
"We’re down to pretty much our wit and good looks," Crowley replied. "I’ve got the power of a strong breeze, angel here’s barely standing, and your brother is a walking coma."
"We were going to try and get out to regroup," Castiel added.
Dean couldn’t help but shiver as the angel’s breath hit his throat. He licked his lips, looking around in thought. "Okay. The way I see it, we’ve got two options. The escape plan is good, because we’ve got next to nothing right now. But if we do that, we start all over again. Lucifer’ll have time to get his shit together too. He’ll know he underestimated us, and he’ll be more prepared. He might even take off, and then we’ll have to go looking for him again."
"Are you suggesting we stay and fight?" Crowley gave him a look that clearly screamed his thoughts of insanity apparent in the human.
"That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. If we can find that sword, we can do this. Right now, we’ve got a good bit of that surprise element going for us. He doesn’t know I’m back, and I’m pretty sure he thinks you’ll be running out while you have the chance."
Castiel pulled back a bit, letting some space between himself and Dean, but not quite letting go. "How are we going to find it? This is a very large place, and it could be anywhere."
"I could sense it if I had more of a charge," Gabriel frowned. He looked like he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. "I think if we get close, it’s possible I could feel something."
"If you can stay awake long enough," Crowley grumbled, but there was no bite to it. He pulled the archangel closer.
Dean nodded. "It’s the best thing we’ve got right now. So we can rule out rooms you’ve already been in."
"Top floor would be best to start. We can work our way down, since we started in the basement," Gabriel let his head roll back on the demon’s shoulder. "We’d better hurry though. It’s getting really hard to focus."
"One thing first," the hunter slowly broke away from Castiel, moving to Sam’s side. "He’s still messed up, yeah?"
The angel nodded. "He won’t react unless Lucifer gives him an order. We’ve been lucky so far. I imagine once we deal with our brother, then Sam will return to normal."
Dean frowned. "We don’t have that kinda time. We need all the help we can get, and I can’t stand the thought of Sammy being the devil’s bitch any longer than humanly possible."
"What should we do then? None of us has the power to counteract whatever deal they made."
He rubbed his face, trying to think. There had to be something they could do. Anna seemed to think that they could win this thing as long as Dean went back. That included saving his brother. He grabbed Sam’s arm, turning it over. There was no resistance. On the inside of his wrist was the mark Dean saw while they were fighting. The mark Anna had commented on in the hospital. It had to mean something. The mark had to be part of whatever kept Sam in Lucifer’s control.
If he could just figure out why that symbol seemed so damned familiar…
Gabriel knew immediately that something was wrong. Well okay, even more wrong, considering the circumstances. For one thing, Dean was gone. And Dean wouldn’t have left both his brother and his angel there with Lucifer by choice. And considering they were on a rooftop six stories over the ground, it was a pretty fair assumption that he’d been knocked overboard. Added to this theory was the fact that he’d never seen Castiel look so upset in all their lives. And they’d been alive for pretty much forever.
But however bad he felt about what might have happened to the hunter, or how his brother was taking it, there was no excuse for Lucifer to have his hands all over Castiel. The archangel’s blood boiled, seeing his devil of a brother wrap the younger angel into a hug, the both of them sitting on the roof tile floor.
He pushed past Sam, storming out onto the roof with a growl. "Get the fuck away from him!"
Castiel tilted his head up to look at him, all heartbroken face and shining eyes. "Gabriel…"
Lucifer didn’t look happy for the interruption. Not that anyone could tell from the calm expression he wore. But his eye twitched, and that was enough. "There you are. I was wondering where you two had gotten to. You missed quite the show."
"I said get off him," the archangel hissed, hazel eyes narrowed as he made a grab for his younger brother’s arm.
Lucifer pushed him back with only a thought, and Gabriel tripped backwards, landing a few feet away on his ass. Crowley pulled away from Sam’s hold, which was fairly nonexistent by that time; Lucifer had ordered him to bring the two to the roof, not to restrain them. The demon joined the younger archangel, pulling him up with a hand.
Castiel curled in on himself, refusing to look at the pair of them.
The devil smiled, setting a hand on his shoulder and glancing up at the two new arrivals. "I was just having a little family chat with our brother. I wasn’t doing anything harmful, if that’s what you’re worried about. I know about the importance of family, Gabriel."
"That’s a lie and you know it," the archangel took a step forward, held back by Crowley’s hand on his arm. "Don’t you sit here and lie to him; you know damned well you’d take us both out if the thought struck you. Family loyalty, my ass. You just wanna use him like you used Sam."
Castiel’s eyes widened a bit at the statement. He turned to look at the younger Winchester, who was still by the door with absolutely no expression. It was more than a little creepy for someone like Sam, who always seemed to have some sort of emotion written all over his face.
The last thing Dean saw before falling had been that passive face.
"Such an unfair and completely untrue assumption," Lucifer sighed, fingers reaching to turn the youngest angel’s chin back to face him. "I would never lie to you, brother. I can do all I promised you."
Gabriel scowled. "What are you telling him? You’re making deals with him?!"
He pulled forward, and the demon tightened his grip on the other’s jacket.
"Angel…" Crowley muttered in warning. The plan was to wait until his back was turned and use all the Grace Gabriel had left to attack. If Gabriel got mad and jumped the gun, Lucifer would see it coming a mile away, and they’d have nothing left.
Lucifer smiled, tilting his head. "Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. We’ve been having a nice little layout of terms while you two were playing in the pool."
Gabriel’s eyes turned to Castiel, who was still staring pointedly at the tile. "Cassy, what are you gonna do?"
Castiel tipped his head up, licking his lips as he frowned hard in determination. "I can end this right now, Gabriel."
The shorter angel shook his head. "No, that’s not what you wanna do…"
"It is. I want this to be over. You do as well, that’s why you ran away in the first place." It wasn’t accusing, it was a simple stating of a fact. "I can do that. I can bring back Dean, who shouldn’t have been brought here to begin with. I can save Sam, and Dean can have his little brother back. And I can even keep the two of you safe. Working with Lucifer isn’t such a bad option, considering all the good that would come of it."
Lucifer smiled. Gabriel looked like he’d fall, if Crowley hadn’t had a death grip on his arm at that point.
"You’ll fall if you do this, Cassy…"
The youngest angel huffed, a bitter sort of laugh that Gabriel thought didn’t suit him at all. "I’m already going to fall. At least this way, I can get Dean back."
"That’s not-"
Castiel shot him a glare. "Gabriel, be quiet. I don’t want to hear anything else from you. I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions. I’ve learned a lot about free will since coming here."
The tone surprised Gabriel into silence. Even Crowley raised a brow. Castiel got to his feet, leveling them with a serious frown for a moment before turning his attention to Lucifer. He took the devil’s hand, turning them both to stare over the edge of the roof.
"If I do this, if I make this deal, there’s no going back on your word, correct?"
Lucifer nodded. "I said I would never lie to you, and I meant it, Castiel. You just have to say yes."
"Cas, don’t…"
"Then I suppose I have no other options left to me at this point…" Castiel tightened his grip on his brother’s hand, taking a deep breath.
But what he spoke next wasn’t what anyone was expecting.
"Gabriel, do it now!"
Gabriel jumped in surprise, before Crowley pushed him forward. It was all the reminder he needed. Castiel had turned Lucifer’s back to them, just like they needed. Before Lucifer could turn around, the shorter archangel aimed every bit of Grace he could muster up straight at the devil’s back.
Castiel quickly shook his hand free, falling back as the blast hit his brother. Lucifer fell forward with a sharp cry of pain. The dark- haired angel backed up, closer to Gabriel. Crowley had joined in now, using whatever demonic power he had left to help.
It wasn’t going to be enough, but it could buy them enough time to get away. Castiel left them to handle that; he didn’t have any sort of power to add to the fray. And he knew what he had to do. He had to take care of Sam, as Dean would have wanted. He had to get Sam out of here before Lucifer thought to use his control over the hunter to aid him.
He ran across the roof, using the momentum to slam into the Winchester in the doorway, knocking them both through it and into the stair way. Sam’s face remained expressionless; not even surprised. Without orders from Lucifer, he didn’t do anything. He just let the smaller man knock him over and then prop him up against the wall.
Castiel stared worriedly at the hunter, locking eyes with green that stared right through him. "Sam, come on. If there’s any chance you can hear me in there, you have to listen. You have to fight this, because we need your help. I’m not leaving here without you, and I can’t make you leave while you’re still under his control. So you’ve got to fight, Sam."
He made no indication that he’d heard the angel and Castiel sighed. So long as Lucifer wasn’t ordering him, Sam was dead weight. But they could manage with that better than if he was fighting them.
A second later, they were joined by Gabriel and Crowley, who ran through the door. Both of them looked haggard, and Gabriel looked near fainting once again.
"That’s not going to stop him for much longer, kids, what’s the plan?" Crowley slammed the roof door shut, leaning against it. As if it would help any in the long run.
"Gabriel, how far do you think you could take us with anything you’ve got left?" Castiel glanced up at his brother, who was panting for breath.
Gabriel shook his head, a grimace working across his face. "I’ve got nothin’ left. I might be able to do a few floors, but then someone’s gonna have to drag my ass the rest of the way."
Castiel nodded. "Then do it. We’ll take care of you. Any distance we can make will buy us some time."
He swallowed hard, leaning against Crowley slightly as he swayed on his feet. "Okay. But this isn’t gonna be very impressive."
Crowley held the archangel steady, while Castiel wrapped his arms around Sam’s shoulders. So long as they made it somewhere with all limbs intact, he would be impressed enough. Gabriel grabbed onto Castiel’s jacket, and the next moment, they had left the stairs.
Castiel looked around. A sign in the doorway told them they’d made it to the second floor game room. The walls were lined with dart boards and score keeping whiteboards, as well as posters and other decorations. On one end of the room were a few change machines, while pool tables were spaces out along the other end.
The angel let Sam rest against the wall where he’d landed with Gabriel’s teleport. He reached up, grabbing hold of a pool cue. It wasn’t going to do much good in the long run, but he welcomed any bit of help at this point. He handed one to Crowley and, after a moment’s thought, a barely- standing Gabriel.
"So what now?" Gabriel used the cue more to keep himself balanced than anything else. He was having trouble standing as it was, he didn’t think he’d be any help in a fight. Hell, at the rate he was going, he was just glad to be conscious.
"We’re on the second floor," Castiel replied. "It’s possible we could make it out of here before we run into trouble. Not likely, but possible."
Crowley glanced at Sam. "What about your moose? He’s going to turn on us if he gets the order."
"I don’t know," he said honestly. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to think. He was a soldier. A soldier in Heaven. But he wasn’t high up enough to be in charge. He’d spent his life following orders, not needing to make plans. He was learning free will, as Dean wanted, but it was difficult. How could humans make these decisions knowing that something could happen to those they care about based on them? If he messed this up, then Lucifer would not only have Sam, but Crowley and his brother as well.
"Our best chance is to escape. We’ll have time to recharge and regroup," he replied after a moment’s thought. "We’re taking Sam with us. We’re not leaving him behind. If we need to, we’ll restrain him until he’s free of Lucifer’s influence. But all of us are getting out."
The other two nodded. Then Gabriel swayed on his feet. Crowley grabbed him with his free hand, looping the archangel’s arm over his own shoulder.
"Okay, angel, just try to keep awake here." He glanced at Castiel. "You got the moose, Cas?"
Castiel nodded. Crowley pulled Gabriel toward the door and the angel knelt beside Sam, his pool cue tucked under his arm to hold it. This wasn’t going to be easy, but he would never forgive himself for leaving the younger man there. He grabbed Sam by the arm, trying to pull him up. If he’d had his Grace, this wouldn’t have been a problem; but now he had to rely on his own limited human strength.
Sam wasn’t resisting, but he wasn’t helping either. After a bit of pulling, he managed to get the other to his feet. With the most difficult task accomplished, he pushed at Sam’s back, leading him toward where the others were waiting by the door. The hunter’s steps were slow and forced, but it was better than trying to carry him the whole way. With Sam’s size, that would have been pretty much impossible for Castiel as he was.
He reached for the door to the hall, turning the knob before it opened of its own volition. Expecting the absolute worst, Castiel quickly pushed Sam aside, raising the pool cue and slamming it down as soon as the door was open far enough.
"Son of a bitch, hey cool it!"
Castiel dropped the cue, eyes wide. Dean stood on the other side of the doorway, arms raised over his head to protect from another hit.
"Dean…?"
Once the threat of violence was gone, he uncurled, letting his arms fall. He offered a weak grin. "Hey Cas."
Castiel launched himself forward, and Dean almost expected another attack. Instead he wound up with an armful of angel, hugging him tightly. Surprised, he wrapped his arms around the shorter man. Crowley and Gabriel looked away, suddenly finding the room’s décor more interesting. Sam just stared past everyone.
"How are you here?" Castiel asked against the other’s throat, where his face was currently buried. "You died. I saw you fall…"
Dean shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t occupied. "Hey, you know me; I’m too stubborn for that. I didn’t actually die, I just got brought home. Anna was there, and she helped me get back here to finish this and help you guys."
Castiel’s fingers twisted in the back of Dean’s shirt, clinging as if afraid to let go. This had gone on longer than any normal hug had a right to, but Dean wasn’t concerned. This was Cas. Plus he figured relief of knowing your best friend isn’t dead got you a few extra minutes of hug allowance time.
Crowley arched a brow. "How do we know it’s really you, and not just Luci screwing with our heads?"
Dean blinked at him, face deadpan. "Because fuck you, that’s why."
"That’s him," Gabriel chuckled, leaning against the demon. "Even if I couldn’t sense him, I’d know it just from that."
The older Winchester looked around at the group of them. His gaze lingered on his brother, and Castiel felt his shoulders slump. He tightened his grip on the other in response.
"So what’s the plan?" he asked finally.
"We’re down to pretty much our wit and good looks," Crowley replied. "I’ve got the power of a strong breeze, angel here’s barely standing, and your brother is a walking coma."
"We were going to try and get out to regroup," Castiel added.
Dean couldn’t help but shiver as the angel’s breath hit his throat. He licked his lips, looking around in thought. "Okay. The way I see it, we’ve got two options. The escape plan is good, because we’ve got next to nothing right now. But if we do that, we start all over again. Lucifer’ll have time to get his shit together too. He’ll know he underestimated us, and he’ll be more prepared. He might even take off, and then we’ll have to go looking for him again."
"Are you suggesting we stay and fight?" Crowley gave him a look that clearly screamed his thoughts of insanity apparent in the human.
"That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. If we can find that sword, we can do this. Right now, we’ve got a good bit of that surprise element going for us. He doesn’t know I’m back, and I’m pretty sure he thinks you’ll be running out while you have the chance."
Castiel pulled back a bit, letting some space between himself and Dean, but not quite letting go. "How are we going to find it? This is a very large place, and it could be anywhere."
"I could sense it if I had more of a charge," Gabriel frowned. He looked like he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. "I think if we get close, it’s possible I could feel something."
"If you can stay awake long enough," Crowley grumbled, but there was no bite to it. He pulled the archangel closer.
Dean nodded. "It’s the best thing we’ve got right now. So we can rule out rooms you’ve already been in."
"Top floor would be best to start. We can work our way down, since we started in the basement," Gabriel let his head roll back on the demon’s shoulder. "We’d better hurry though. It’s getting really hard to focus."
"One thing first," the hunter slowly broke away from Castiel, moving to Sam’s side. "He’s still messed up, yeah?"
The angel nodded. "He won’t react unless Lucifer gives him an order. We’ve been lucky so far. I imagine once we deal with our brother, then Sam will return to normal."
Dean frowned. "We don’t have that kinda time. We need all the help we can get, and I can’t stand the thought of Sammy being the devil’s bitch any longer than humanly possible."
"What should we do then? None of us has the power to counteract whatever deal they made."
He rubbed his face, trying to think. There had to be something they could do. Anna seemed to think that they could win this thing as long as Dean went back. That included saving his brother. He grabbed Sam’s arm, turning it over. There was no resistance. On the inside of his wrist was the mark Dean saw while they were fighting. The mark Anna had commented on in the hospital. It had to mean something. The mark had to be part of whatever kept Sam in Lucifer’s control.
If he could just figure out why that symbol seemed so damned familiar…