In Which Lindsey is Interrogated
Lindsey had no idea what in heaven or hell had grabbed him, but that was the painfullest summoning he had ever endured. Between that, the scars on both his soul and the shape of his meat suit, it wasn't any surprised that he was screaming in pain as he was deposited not so gently on the floor of the Winchester house. He was just barely able to make out where he was before he just closed his eyes and passed back out.
Michael and Alec landed a few minutes later. Michael would have been more than willing to leave of his own accord, but apparently that wasn't good enough for Jessie, which really didn't make the angel in him all that happy. Gritting his teeth slightly, he glanced back over at his son, checking to make sure that they were both in one piece before looking over at Lindsey. He looked to be worse for the wear, but Michael really couldn't be bothered with that at the moment. "What do you want to do with him?"
Alec took a second to think. Lindsey was usually the healer for the demons. But he always wanted to be outside for that. "Uh, take him outside?" And with that he carefully scooped the man up and made for the door. Now did not seem like the time to be anything less than decisive.
"Michael?" Castiel heard his brother's voice and left the library, curious as to why his brother was here. What he found was Alec with someone in his arms and his brother. He frowned. "What is going on?"
Sam had been upstairs at the time when the scream had woken him up. He was downstairs pretty quickly in just his jeans, colt in his hand. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and blinked. "You found him?" he asked as Lindsey lay unmoving in Alec's arms, blood dripping out of the side of his mouth.
"Jessie did," he said softly. "He transported him here. Alec is taking him outside."
"I figure he's got that nature thing going on. Someone get the door?" He wrinkled his nose. "Thought I don't think the first aid kid would go amiss."
"Who is he?" Castiel looked to Michael for guidance. "Brother, please, what is going on?"
Sam walked over to get the door for Alec since he was right there. "That's the demon who sold us out," he told Castiel. He would ask Alec later if this Jessie was the same one that Ben talked about when he called to chat on the phone with Sam.
"Hopefully he'll be able to tell us how to remove that brand from you," Michael nodded, turning to his brother with a small smile. "This will all be over soon."
Alec cut a cautious look at Sam but edged out the door with a nod of thanks. He settled Lindsey carefully on the grass and then crouched there for a minute taking visual stock of his injuries. "Shit." Definitely needed the first aid kit. And some towel along with maybe a couple of gallons of water.
There was a surge of hope in Castiel's chest and he stepped closer towards Michael. Part of him was afraid to believe it he had been trapped as a human for so long but if Michael said it, it must be true. Michael wouldn't lie to him. "What do you need from me? How can I help?"
The earth called to Lindsey the moment he touched it. He missed the feeling of his magical connection to it, and even unconscious his body reacted as his hand flattened to the ground and started to glow softly in a dull orange light as his body pulled what it needed to start the healing process.
"Looks like he can heal himself." Sam crossed his arms, not going too far as he kept his finger on the Colt's trigger. There was no sympathy in his eyes. "When he wakes up, we take him back inside."
"Just a little patience, brother," he said softly, placing a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "For now, I don't think there's much anyone can do but wait for him to recover."
Alec came back in to get the kit himself since no one else was. If figured it wouldn't hurt to move things along. He went past Sam, and gave the gun a cool look. "Dude, seriously? Do he look like this was his idea of fun in the park. I wouldn't friggin' call that 'selling us out'." He went into the kitchen grabbing the massive kit, water and clean towels. "Looks more like torture to me."
Castiel was tempted to say they should let him suffer, but kept quiet. He would be patient like his brother asked, but he ached to be free of the prison his body had become.
"I'm amazed at how forgiving you are being after seeing what his actions did to your own brother and Castiel." Sam didn't waver from Alec's look. "He's a demon. He can live through that."
Cordelia appeared a few minutes later, purposefully putting herself between the Colt and the demon. She knew she could survive a bullet from that gun, so she would play human shield if she needed to. "Hey. What did I say about the smiting Lindsey?"
"Cordelia," Michael warned from his place in the doorway.
"I'm just saying. He's not dying because he got tortured."
Alec's eyes narrowed and his lip curled. "Understand that you're my uncle and I love you, but fuck you. Absolutely. Fuck. You. But because he can take it and live doesn't make it okay, or in any other way acceptable. That's like saying that because I'm tougher than a human and can take all the torture that's happened to me, it's okay because I survived it. And him doing bad shit doesn't excuse it either, because none of us here can stand and say our hands are clean. I'll admit I'm most likely worse than the rest, but get off you high horse. And try and remember your wife was a demon until pretty damned recently." He growled and took a step back. "It's called playing the long game. Buying time. Staying alive, and controlling the damage all at once. But maybe that's only taught to lawyers and child assassins." He turned his back on everyone and went back to Lindsey. If they wanted to talk they could follow him.
Even after the lecture, Castiel felt no pity for the demon on the lawn. He had lived trapped and in pain for weeks now. What the demon had gone through mattered little to him. He was confident that something the demon did had lead to him being tortured in the first place. He had only been trying to answer someone's prayer and been ambushed. The demon could suffer for all he cared.
"As long as he lives to tell us how to free me and who is after us, do what you must."
Sam just tilted his head back a bit, looking down his nose at both Cordelia and Alec. It was a posture he hadn't needed to slip into for months now, but it was the cold, hard exterior that he put on when he was in charge of his army. "First off, I don't answer to you." And yes, he pushed Cordelia out of the way because she annoyed him and he didn't care for her being up in his face. Then the look centered on his nephew. "And you will never speak of Ruby like that again, you got me? We've all paid our dues when it comes to the things we've done to stay alive in this world. But when the long game turns against my family, I know where my alliances are, and you should too."
"But he's not wrong, Sam," Ruby said softly from the door. She had heard the ruckus from her room, and when Sam got upset about her being a demon, she had to say something. Because Alec hadn't insulted her. That wasn't his intention, and maybe because she was the only one uninvested at the moment and wasn't looking at this with angry eyes. "I was a demon. It's a fact."
"And you may not answer to Cordelia, but you do answer to me." His voice was quiet but firm and calm. Michael didn't like pulling rank on his brother but Sam was pushing it and needed to take a step back. "And let's not forget who you were leading for fourteen years."
Alec shook his head a little refusing to look at Sam. It would be a challenge. And while he wasn't afraid of Sam, nor had he ever been, going toe to toe with the man would help nothing. So he just set about cutting what was left of Lindsey's clothes off to fix what he could fix. He had a blanket after to keep the man warm. He shook his head again. He wasn't afraid of Sam, he certainly hadn't insulted Ruby, and he sure as shit didn't need Cas' permission to help someone that needed help. But the arguments going on behind him in the wake of his little temper tantrum told him one thing pretty clearly. He was pretty sure he'd just created to much tension to be welcome in the family home for a long time to come. When this was over he'd have to get out. Maybe ask that his father not be tied to him. Just because he'd have to go didn't mean he needed to drag Dean with him.
Castiel absolutely ignored the chaos going on around him and little fights and family tensions were breaking out. His eyes were on the demon, waiting with almost breathless need for him to make a sign of consciousness. He was already straining against the brand, his hands tightly fisted against the pain. He was going to be free, free. He would have his powers, he would have his wings and the presence of his family with him once again. Things could not move quickly enough for him.
Sam scowled but lowered his head after hearing Ruby and then Michael's authority over him. His pride was hurt more than anything, but before he could say anything Lindsey groaned from his spot on the ground, his non-glowing hand raising to rub at his face.
"Tell me I did not hear someone say Cordelia..." he muttered, his voice hoarse before he started to cough up more blood.
And that, a grin split across her face, before she leaned over him so that he could see her. "I'll be repeating this later, because you probably won't remember it now? But you so owe me."
Ruby moved closer to Sam, sliding her hand into his before starting to pull him away from the group. He needed some space from them, and with Lindsey waking up, she didn't want Sam doing anything reckless.
"Yeah, yeah. Stop oogling the hottie and hack that crap out of your lungs, okay?" Alec carefully rolled Lindsey to his side so he didn't choke.
"What was done to me?" Castiel surged forward. "Free me!"
He didn't even care that his voice was plainly desperate. He needed to be free. Now.
Sam almost pulled away at first until he realized it was Ruby. He didn't want to leave. He needed to know what Lindsey knew, but he was pretty sure his brother would just tell him to back off again. He didn't like hearing that tone in Dean's voice aimed at him, so he let Ruby lead him away.
Lindsey managed to get most of it up before he actually opened his eyes and looked at Cordelia. "What level of hell they let you out of?" he muttered, smirking a bit because he knew she hadn't gone that way, but this was them and old habits from being human were still in place. Then he felt Castiel looming over him and he looked at the man confused. "Hold on a sec... I don't even know what happened..."
"You wish I went to Hell," Cordy smirked back before, crouching down next to him.
Michael reached forward, placing a hand on Castiel's shoulder, keeping him back and out of Lindsey's space. "My brother was branded with a seal that bound his powers. We have reason to believe that you're familiar with the magic."
Alec sighed and gave Dean a grateful look. "I could put most of it together, but I can't figure out how to get it off." He was speaking evenly and calmly because Lindsey looked like he was having enough trouble. "It's. . .your style, but not your power signature. And he's starting to loose his cool."
Castiel stepped back out of respect for Michael, but he still tense, drawn tight with anticipation.
Lindsey tried to focus a moment, then nodded. "The branding. Yeah... he wanted something to trap an archangel so he could torture it. Of course, he was going to test it first. He tests everything first on someone before doing it." He looked down at Alec. "Not stupid. I made it only work for a regular angel. It won't work on an arch."
His fingers were making a design in the dirt. "He had to cast it though. Forged that poker. But it's easy to counteract. Just needs a bit of blood and youthful enthusiasm for magic." He finished the symbol and leaned his head back. "Alec, put that over the brand. I'll give you the incantation when it's done."
Alec watched carefully, noting the order it was drawn in. Alec nodded as he listened to Lindsey's explanation, filing away that who ever was behind all of this they didn't know their magic. Useful to know. He also hoped that he wasn't the only one that noticed that Lindsey had actually been protecting them. But now was not the time to point any of that out. He needed to get Cas free of that binding. "Got it." He stood and moved over to Cas remembering that the brand was in a less than socially comfortable spot. "So, this is not the most awkward thing I've ever had to do, but you know... " He shrugged. "Lets get that binding off." He pulled out his jackknife and made a small cut on his index finger.
He didn't care about what was socially acceptable. He wanted free and so undid the belt and snap of his pants to reveal the mark.
Lindsey waited and watched with black eyes as Alec did design. He knew the kid was a perfectionist and he waited until he was done. "Repeat after me..." he then proceeded to slowly recite the short incantation that reversed the magic woven into the brand, then he closed his eyes because he knew there was going to be a flashshow as the mark should glow and then fade away before the rush of angelic powers would come back to the heavenly host.
Alec dutifully repeated, and hid his eyes in the crook of his elbow as he said the last word. He could feel the rush of power anyway, fur standing on end. He shivered.
Castiel felt a snap and suddenly it all flooded back into him. He threw his head back as his Grace surged free. Heaven came roaring back into his head, welcoming him home with sweet, sweet singing that made tears leak from the corner of his eyes. But with his power restored and his Grace under his control again he surged forward, eager for vengeance on the demon who had helped put him in this situation.
Lindsey couldn't really move, and even so, he opened his eyes and just looked at Castiel almost as if he was waiting for it... a part of him actually welcoming it. Maybe at least he would finally get some peace if the angel did decide to smite him. He couldn't blame the guy after all. But Lindsey was also pretty sure that between Alec and Michael... and whatever Cordelia was now... they would prevent him from doing anything.
Michael quickly stepped in front of his brother, placing a gentle but firm hand on his chest as he stopped him. "That won't get us anywhere. We still need information."
Alec had also stood and was between Lindsey and Cas. "Can we please pretend that I'm not the only adult here!" Yes, he was giving off the attitude of a pissed of teen, but his tolerance was nearing an end. He paused though, and took another deep breath. "You have your Grace back. Can we please just let it go at that?"
He stopped because of his brother. It was ingrained in Castiel to obey Michael, no matter what his own personal wants or desires were. He bowed his head to his brother and stepped back. Michael was the one to lead, Castiel was just a soldier.
"You can't blame the guy for wanting to kill me. I don't." Lindsey closed his eyes and just laid his head back. He was still exhausted and he really did just want to pass back out but he figured that wouldn't be happening if they planned on getting more information out of him. But he thought of something else and looked up at the Winchesters. "Did Ben survive?"
Michael turned back to Alec with an even look. "He has the right to be angry. You can't fault him for that." He wasn't going to let Castiel kill Lindsey, but denying the angel his right to be upset wasn't going to help either. He then turned back to Lindsey. "Barely, but I managed to get to him in time. Who is behind this?" He wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. As far as he was concerned, this was a threat that needed to be terminated, immediately.
Alec looked down away from Michael for a moment, giving in. "Yeah. Pissed is okay, but I'd rather save the violence for the person behind all of this." Alec would cheerfully wipe the fucker off the face of the planet. "And I'm not happy." He suddenly felt the need to explain himself. To his father if no one else. "And it's not okay. None of it's okay. None of what happened is okay. But he tried. And the worst thing would have been for this monster to have God's right hand under lock and key. So, I'd take the lesser of two evils. And I know that seems easy to say as I'm not the one who was hurt? But I know a pattern when I see it. And I'll bet I was on the list and that doesn't change my mind." He bit his lip and then licked the blood off his finger, cat instinct to clean the small wound taking over for a second. "None of this changes the fact that Lindsey was a victim. Even if that does hurt his male pride. And being a victim with choices to make is hard. It's really really hard." He stopped. He was done now.
Oh, if God and Michael allowed him to get vengeance on Adam, Castiel planned to rain the holy wrath of God on him until there was nothing but ash left. Lindsey he was just going to burn back to Hell, which in his opinion was a merciful act. He kept this to himself though, still looking to Michael for cues on what he was allowed to do.
Yeah, Lindsey scowled a bit at Alec's words because he didn't like being called a victim. Even if he was in a position where he couldn't move without pain. "His name is Adam." Lindsey started, leaning his head back as he closed his eyes as he explained to Michael. "He's doing this because he wants to kill the rest of the Winchester line. Especially you and Sam. He probably was human once... but he's not anymore. Not really. Almost reminds me of a ghoul, but he's not a demon either. Just really fucked up in the head."
He opened his eyes and looked at Michael. "He's also, apparently, your brother."
"What?" Sam - who could still hear the conversation from where he was sitting with Ruby - stood up.
Michael straightened, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he studied Lindsey carefully. "How do you know this?"
Alec blinked, just as startled as everyone else. "Oh, man! Is there one in every generation? Is it frickin' genetic?" Which may have been a different response from what people expected.
"I told you that when he prayed, he felt similar to you and Sam," Castiel said to Michael. "Him as a brother is a logical conclusion of that. You cannot fake a blood line."
"The magic he's aiming to do is aimed specifically at bloodlines. That's why he had to take one of your sons for the first part." Lindsey thought. "He's younger than Sam. About ten years at least, but no more than fifteen." He chuckled a bit, then coughed. "He talks way too much. Likes the sound of his own damn voice. He also likes to play with his food. Fuckin' cannibals. He was told as a kid that his father killed his mother and tried to kill him, and whoever it was that raised him rescued him and raised him because his father also killed her children. They hatched this plot years ago, but with boy wonder over there being a king of hell and then you taking on the angelic life, he's had to keep adjusting his plans on how to do it."
Michael took in this information, rubbing the back of his neck and closing his eyes. This wasn't what he needed to hear. But he didn't see why Lindsey would make up this kind of lie, but he needed to be certain. And that meant there was someone that he needed to confer with. He turned to Alec. "Help him heal. I'll be right back." And then in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
".. . .uh oh." Alec though that someone just might be in trouble. And that someone might be his grandfather. Alec turned his attention back to Lindsey.
"Is the boy continuing to work alone, or is the thing that took him still living and helping?" If the instigator and encourager of this insanity was still alive, Castiel would ask for permission to take him down as well.
Lindsey shook his head. "Sam's army took her out. Around the time just before Meg..." Yeah, he didn't like remembering that time anymore than this one. "He really hates Sam because of that."
Sam rolled his eyes a bit, having sat back down, but he was leaning against Ruby a bit, wanting to know where Dean had gone. He had a pretty good idea where, and if he had gone to see their father without him for answers, he would be a bit put out. But otherwise he stayed quiet and just absorbed it all in.
Ruby let him lean into her, rubbing one hand against his shoulder lightly. "You okay?"
Alec looked up at his uncle. He was still angry over some of the stuff that Sam had said, but that in no way stopped him from feeling for the man. This kinda sucked. Especially since Sam was of the opinion that blood was family. Alec thought blood gave you a chance, but it didn't make anything a promise. "I'm sorry." It was sympathy, not apology.
Lindsey didn't bother to speak further until he was asked something directly. Instead he just focused on healing himself.
Sam shook his head at Ruby's question. He wasn't. He could pretend he was but the news was really not something he could even start to digest. A brother. He had a little brother out there they never knew about. One that some demon took and screwed with in a way to come after the rest of his family. Did Dad know? If he did, why hadn't he ever told them? He and Dean had a right to know they had a brother. But what if even Dad didn't know...
It was easy to think of this guy as a monster. But he was blood. He was their blood and he was this way because of who his father and brothers were. Everything done to him as a child was because of the things they had done, or had been told to have done. They... he wasn't the baby in the family. He had a little brother and he wanted to know just what had been done to him to make him this way.
He just rested his eyes against his hands and shook his head. He knew they were going to have to kill this Adam, this brother of theirs. There was no other option. But if they had known sooner... maybe they could have helped him? Stopped all of this before it got to this point?
He barely heard Alec's words, and took a deep breath. "Me too." It was both an acknowledgment and an apology.
Ruby kissed his forehead lightly, trying to keep him close and calm. She knew this was going to be hard on him, but she wasn't sure what else to do. "Your brother will figure it out."
Michael and Alec landed a few minutes later. Michael would have been more than willing to leave of his own accord, but apparently that wasn't good enough for Jessie, which really didn't make the angel in him all that happy. Gritting his teeth slightly, he glanced back over at his son, checking to make sure that they were both in one piece before looking over at Lindsey. He looked to be worse for the wear, but Michael really couldn't be bothered with that at the moment. "What do you want to do with him?"
Alec took a second to think. Lindsey was usually the healer for the demons. But he always wanted to be outside for that. "Uh, take him outside?" And with that he carefully scooped the man up and made for the door. Now did not seem like the time to be anything less than decisive.
"Michael?" Castiel heard his brother's voice and left the library, curious as to why his brother was here. What he found was Alec with someone in his arms and his brother. He frowned. "What is going on?"
Sam had been upstairs at the time when the scream had woken him up. He was downstairs pretty quickly in just his jeans, colt in his hand. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and blinked. "You found him?" he asked as Lindsey lay unmoving in Alec's arms, blood dripping out of the side of his mouth.
"Jessie did," he said softly. "He transported him here. Alec is taking him outside."
"I figure he's got that nature thing going on. Someone get the door?" He wrinkled his nose. "Thought I don't think the first aid kid would go amiss."
"Who is he?" Castiel looked to Michael for guidance. "Brother, please, what is going on?"
Sam walked over to get the door for Alec since he was right there. "That's the demon who sold us out," he told Castiel. He would ask Alec later if this Jessie was the same one that Ben talked about when he called to chat on the phone with Sam.
"Hopefully he'll be able to tell us how to remove that brand from you," Michael nodded, turning to his brother with a small smile. "This will all be over soon."
Alec cut a cautious look at Sam but edged out the door with a nod of thanks. He settled Lindsey carefully on the grass and then crouched there for a minute taking visual stock of his injuries. "Shit." Definitely needed the first aid kit. And some towel along with maybe a couple of gallons of water.
There was a surge of hope in Castiel's chest and he stepped closer towards Michael. Part of him was afraid to believe it he had been trapped as a human for so long but if Michael said it, it must be true. Michael wouldn't lie to him. "What do you need from me? How can I help?"
The earth called to Lindsey the moment he touched it. He missed the feeling of his magical connection to it, and even unconscious his body reacted as his hand flattened to the ground and started to glow softly in a dull orange light as his body pulled what it needed to start the healing process.
"Looks like he can heal himself." Sam crossed his arms, not going too far as he kept his finger on the Colt's trigger. There was no sympathy in his eyes. "When he wakes up, we take him back inside."
"Just a little patience, brother," he said softly, placing a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "For now, I don't think there's much anyone can do but wait for him to recover."
Alec came back in to get the kit himself since no one else was. If figured it wouldn't hurt to move things along. He went past Sam, and gave the gun a cool look. "Dude, seriously? Do he look like this was his idea of fun in the park. I wouldn't friggin' call that 'selling us out'." He went into the kitchen grabbing the massive kit, water and clean towels. "Looks more like torture to me."
Castiel was tempted to say they should let him suffer, but kept quiet. He would be patient like his brother asked, but he ached to be free of the prison his body had become.
"I'm amazed at how forgiving you are being after seeing what his actions did to your own brother and Castiel." Sam didn't waver from Alec's look. "He's a demon. He can live through that."
Cordelia appeared a few minutes later, purposefully putting herself between the Colt and the demon. She knew she could survive a bullet from that gun, so she would play human shield if she needed to. "Hey. What did I say about the smiting Lindsey?"
"Cordelia," Michael warned from his place in the doorway.
"I'm just saying. He's not dying because he got tortured."
Alec's eyes narrowed and his lip curled. "Understand that you're my uncle and I love you, but fuck you. Absolutely. Fuck. You. But because he can take it and live doesn't make it okay, or in any other way acceptable. That's like saying that because I'm tougher than a human and can take all the torture that's happened to me, it's okay because I survived it. And him doing bad shit doesn't excuse it either, because none of us here can stand and say our hands are clean. I'll admit I'm most likely worse than the rest, but get off you high horse. And try and remember your wife was a demon until pretty damned recently." He growled and took a step back. "It's called playing the long game. Buying time. Staying alive, and controlling the damage all at once. But maybe that's only taught to lawyers and child assassins." He turned his back on everyone and went back to Lindsey. If they wanted to talk they could follow him.
Even after the lecture, Castiel felt no pity for the demon on the lawn. He had lived trapped and in pain for weeks now. What the demon had gone through mattered little to him. He was confident that something the demon did had lead to him being tortured in the first place. He had only been trying to answer someone's prayer and been ambushed. The demon could suffer for all he cared.
"As long as he lives to tell us how to free me and who is after us, do what you must."
Sam just tilted his head back a bit, looking down his nose at both Cordelia and Alec. It was a posture he hadn't needed to slip into for months now, but it was the cold, hard exterior that he put on when he was in charge of his army. "First off, I don't answer to you." And yes, he pushed Cordelia out of the way because she annoyed him and he didn't care for her being up in his face. Then the look centered on his nephew. "And you will never speak of Ruby like that again, you got me? We've all paid our dues when it comes to the things we've done to stay alive in this world. But when the long game turns against my family, I know where my alliances are, and you should too."
"But he's not wrong, Sam," Ruby said softly from the door. She had heard the ruckus from her room, and when Sam got upset about her being a demon, she had to say something. Because Alec hadn't insulted her. That wasn't his intention, and maybe because she was the only one uninvested at the moment and wasn't looking at this with angry eyes. "I was a demon. It's a fact."
"And you may not answer to Cordelia, but you do answer to me." His voice was quiet but firm and calm. Michael didn't like pulling rank on his brother but Sam was pushing it and needed to take a step back. "And let's not forget who you were leading for fourteen years."
Alec shook his head a little refusing to look at Sam. It would be a challenge. And while he wasn't afraid of Sam, nor had he ever been, going toe to toe with the man would help nothing. So he just set about cutting what was left of Lindsey's clothes off to fix what he could fix. He had a blanket after to keep the man warm. He shook his head again. He wasn't afraid of Sam, he certainly hadn't insulted Ruby, and he sure as shit didn't need Cas' permission to help someone that needed help. But the arguments going on behind him in the wake of his little temper tantrum told him one thing pretty clearly. He was pretty sure he'd just created to much tension to be welcome in the family home for a long time to come. When this was over he'd have to get out. Maybe ask that his father not be tied to him. Just because he'd have to go didn't mean he needed to drag Dean with him.
Castiel absolutely ignored the chaos going on around him and little fights and family tensions were breaking out. His eyes were on the demon, waiting with almost breathless need for him to make a sign of consciousness. He was already straining against the brand, his hands tightly fisted against the pain. He was going to be free, free. He would have his powers, he would have his wings and the presence of his family with him once again. Things could not move quickly enough for him.
Sam scowled but lowered his head after hearing Ruby and then Michael's authority over him. His pride was hurt more than anything, but before he could say anything Lindsey groaned from his spot on the ground, his non-glowing hand raising to rub at his face.
"Tell me I did not hear someone say Cordelia..." he muttered, his voice hoarse before he started to cough up more blood.
And that, a grin split across her face, before she leaned over him so that he could see her. "I'll be repeating this later, because you probably won't remember it now? But you so owe me."
Ruby moved closer to Sam, sliding her hand into his before starting to pull him away from the group. He needed some space from them, and with Lindsey waking up, she didn't want Sam doing anything reckless.
"Yeah, yeah. Stop oogling the hottie and hack that crap out of your lungs, okay?" Alec carefully rolled Lindsey to his side so he didn't choke.
"What was done to me?" Castiel surged forward. "Free me!"
He didn't even care that his voice was plainly desperate. He needed to be free. Now.
Sam almost pulled away at first until he realized it was Ruby. He didn't want to leave. He needed to know what Lindsey knew, but he was pretty sure his brother would just tell him to back off again. He didn't like hearing that tone in Dean's voice aimed at him, so he let Ruby lead him away.
Lindsey managed to get most of it up before he actually opened his eyes and looked at Cordelia. "What level of hell they let you out of?" he muttered, smirking a bit because he knew she hadn't gone that way, but this was them and old habits from being human were still in place. Then he felt Castiel looming over him and he looked at the man confused. "Hold on a sec... I don't even know what happened..."
"You wish I went to Hell," Cordy smirked back before, crouching down next to him.
Michael reached forward, placing a hand on Castiel's shoulder, keeping him back and out of Lindsey's space. "My brother was branded with a seal that bound his powers. We have reason to believe that you're familiar with the magic."
Alec sighed and gave Dean a grateful look. "I could put most of it together, but I can't figure out how to get it off." He was speaking evenly and calmly because Lindsey looked like he was having enough trouble. "It's. . .your style, but not your power signature. And he's starting to loose his cool."
Castiel stepped back out of respect for Michael, but he still tense, drawn tight with anticipation.
Lindsey tried to focus a moment, then nodded. "The branding. Yeah... he wanted something to trap an archangel so he could torture it. Of course, he was going to test it first. He tests everything first on someone before doing it." He looked down at Alec. "Not stupid. I made it only work for a regular angel. It won't work on an arch."
His fingers were making a design in the dirt. "He had to cast it though. Forged that poker. But it's easy to counteract. Just needs a bit of blood and youthful enthusiasm for magic." He finished the symbol and leaned his head back. "Alec, put that over the brand. I'll give you the incantation when it's done."
Alec watched carefully, noting the order it was drawn in. Alec nodded as he listened to Lindsey's explanation, filing away that who ever was behind all of this they didn't know their magic. Useful to know. He also hoped that he wasn't the only one that noticed that Lindsey had actually been protecting them. But now was not the time to point any of that out. He needed to get Cas free of that binding. "Got it." He stood and moved over to Cas remembering that the brand was in a less than socially comfortable spot. "So, this is not the most awkward thing I've ever had to do, but you know... " He shrugged. "Lets get that binding off." He pulled out his jackknife and made a small cut on his index finger.
He didn't care about what was socially acceptable. He wanted free and so undid the belt and snap of his pants to reveal the mark.
Lindsey waited and watched with black eyes as Alec did design. He knew the kid was a perfectionist and he waited until he was done. "Repeat after me..." he then proceeded to slowly recite the short incantation that reversed the magic woven into the brand, then he closed his eyes because he knew there was going to be a flashshow as the mark should glow and then fade away before the rush of angelic powers would come back to the heavenly host.
Alec dutifully repeated, and hid his eyes in the crook of his elbow as he said the last word. He could feel the rush of power anyway, fur standing on end. He shivered.
Castiel felt a snap and suddenly it all flooded back into him. He threw his head back as his Grace surged free. Heaven came roaring back into his head, welcoming him home with sweet, sweet singing that made tears leak from the corner of his eyes. But with his power restored and his Grace under his control again he surged forward, eager for vengeance on the demon who had helped put him in this situation.
Lindsey couldn't really move, and even so, he opened his eyes and just looked at Castiel almost as if he was waiting for it... a part of him actually welcoming it. Maybe at least he would finally get some peace if the angel did decide to smite him. He couldn't blame the guy after all. But Lindsey was also pretty sure that between Alec and Michael... and whatever Cordelia was now... they would prevent him from doing anything.
Michael quickly stepped in front of his brother, placing a gentle but firm hand on his chest as he stopped him. "That won't get us anywhere. We still need information."
Alec had also stood and was between Lindsey and Cas. "Can we please pretend that I'm not the only adult here!" Yes, he was giving off the attitude of a pissed of teen, but his tolerance was nearing an end. He paused though, and took another deep breath. "You have your Grace back. Can we please just let it go at that?"
He stopped because of his brother. It was ingrained in Castiel to obey Michael, no matter what his own personal wants or desires were. He bowed his head to his brother and stepped back. Michael was the one to lead, Castiel was just a soldier.
"You can't blame the guy for wanting to kill me. I don't." Lindsey closed his eyes and just laid his head back. He was still exhausted and he really did just want to pass back out but he figured that wouldn't be happening if they planned on getting more information out of him. But he thought of something else and looked up at the Winchesters. "Did Ben survive?"
Michael turned back to Alec with an even look. "He has the right to be angry. You can't fault him for that." He wasn't going to let Castiel kill Lindsey, but denying the angel his right to be upset wasn't going to help either. He then turned back to Lindsey. "Barely, but I managed to get to him in time. Who is behind this?" He wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. As far as he was concerned, this was a threat that needed to be terminated, immediately.
Alec looked down away from Michael for a moment, giving in. "Yeah. Pissed is okay, but I'd rather save the violence for the person behind all of this." Alec would cheerfully wipe the fucker off the face of the planet. "And I'm not happy." He suddenly felt the need to explain himself. To his father if no one else. "And it's not okay. None of it's okay. None of what happened is okay. But he tried. And the worst thing would have been for this monster to have God's right hand under lock and key. So, I'd take the lesser of two evils. And I know that seems easy to say as I'm not the one who was hurt? But I know a pattern when I see it. And I'll bet I was on the list and that doesn't change my mind." He bit his lip and then licked the blood off his finger, cat instinct to clean the small wound taking over for a second. "None of this changes the fact that Lindsey was a victim. Even if that does hurt his male pride. And being a victim with choices to make is hard. It's really really hard." He stopped. He was done now.
Oh, if God and Michael allowed him to get vengeance on Adam, Castiel planned to rain the holy wrath of God on him until there was nothing but ash left. Lindsey he was just going to burn back to Hell, which in his opinion was a merciful act. He kept this to himself though, still looking to Michael for cues on what he was allowed to do.
Yeah, Lindsey scowled a bit at Alec's words because he didn't like being called a victim. Even if he was in a position where he couldn't move without pain. "His name is Adam." Lindsey started, leaning his head back as he closed his eyes as he explained to Michael. "He's doing this because he wants to kill the rest of the Winchester line. Especially you and Sam. He probably was human once... but he's not anymore. Not really. Almost reminds me of a ghoul, but he's not a demon either. Just really fucked up in the head."
He opened his eyes and looked at Michael. "He's also, apparently, your brother."
"What?" Sam - who could still hear the conversation from where he was sitting with Ruby - stood up.
Michael straightened, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he studied Lindsey carefully. "How do you know this?"
Alec blinked, just as startled as everyone else. "Oh, man! Is there one in every generation? Is it frickin' genetic?" Which may have been a different response from what people expected.
"I told you that when he prayed, he felt similar to you and Sam," Castiel said to Michael. "Him as a brother is a logical conclusion of that. You cannot fake a blood line."
"The magic he's aiming to do is aimed specifically at bloodlines. That's why he had to take one of your sons for the first part." Lindsey thought. "He's younger than Sam. About ten years at least, but no more than fifteen." He chuckled a bit, then coughed. "He talks way too much. Likes the sound of his own damn voice. He also likes to play with his food. Fuckin' cannibals. He was told as a kid that his father killed his mother and tried to kill him, and whoever it was that raised him rescued him and raised him because his father also killed her children. They hatched this plot years ago, but with boy wonder over there being a king of hell and then you taking on the angelic life, he's had to keep adjusting his plans on how to do it."
Michael took in this information, rubbing the back of his neck and closing his eyes. This wasn't what he needed to hear. But he didn't see why Lindsey would make up this kind of lie, but he needed to be certain. And that meant there was someone that he needed to confer with. He turned to Alec. "Help him heal. I'll be right back." And then in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
".. . .uh oh." Alec though that someone just might be in trouble. And that someone might be his grandfather. Alec turned his attention back to Lindsey.
"Is the boy continuing to work alone, or is the thing that took him still living and helping?" If the instigator and encourager of this insanity was still alive, Castiel would ask for permission to take him down as well.
Lindsey shook his head. "Sam's army took her out. Around the time just before Meg..." Yeah, he didn't like remembering that time anymore than this one. "He really hates Sam because of that."
Sam rolled his eyes a bit, having sat back down, but he was leaning against Ruby a bit, wanting to know where Dean had gone. He had a pretty good idea where, and if he had gone to see their father without him for answers, he would be a bit put out. But otherwise he stayed quiet and just absorbed it all in.
Ruby let him lean into her, rubbing one hand against his shoulder lightly. "You okay?"
Alec looked up at his uncle. He was still angry over some of the stuff that Sam had said, but that in no way stopped him from feeling for the man. This kinda sucked. Especially since Sam was of the opinion that blood was family. Alec thought blood gave you a chance, but it didn't make anything a promise. "I'm sorry." It was sympathy, not apology.
Lindsey didn't bother to speak further until he was asked something directly. Instead he just focused on healing himself.
Sam shook his head at Ruby's question. He wasn't. He could pretend he was but the news was really not something he could even start to digest. A brother. He had a little brother out there they never knew about. One that some demon took and screwed with in a way to come after the rest of his family. Did Dad know? If he did, why hadn't he ever told them? He and Dean had a right to know they had a brother. But what if even Dad didn't know...
It was easy to think of this guy as a monster. But he was blood. He was their blood and he was this way because of who his father and brothers were. Everything done to him as a child was because of the things they had done, or had been told to have done. They... he wasn't the baby in the family. He had a little brother and he wanted to know just what had been done to him to make him this way.
He just rested his eyes against his hands and shook his head. He knew they were going to have to kill this Adam, this brother of theirs. There was no other option. But if they had known sooner... maybe they could have helped him? Stopped all of this before it got to this point?
He barely heard Alec's words, and took a deep breath. "Me too." It was both an acknowledgment and an apology.
Ruby kissed his forehead lightly, trying to keep him close and calm. She knew this was going to be hard on him, but she wasn't sure what else to do. "Your brother will figure it out."