Chapter 17

It had only been an hour. The pacing was starting to not be enough to keep me awake. I could feel the exhaustion pulling at my bones and making my body slow and unreliable. I was moments from giving up and falling back into the recliner to find my way to sleep when a blood-curdling scream shattered the silent night.

My heart jumped into my throat and I raced for the couch where the sound had come from, and where Elly was now squirming and continuing to scream. 

"Elly!" I said, taking her by the shoulders and gently shaking her, "Elisabeth!" She jumped in my arms, eyes shooting open as I pulled her tight to me. Her nails dug into my back, the tears streaming down her face and drenching my shirt. "Shhh…you're ok."

I jumped when I felt a hand on my other shoulder. I looked up at Ketch, I had forgotten that he'd just been in the kitchen. I was thankful for his presence right now. 

"They're mad." Elly gasped, suddenly pulling back from me. Her eyes were wide, fearful, "They know we took Gabe. They're so mad, Alex."

"It was just a nightmare, Elly," I said softly, leaning forward to rest my forehead against hers. I stared deep into her eyes, she looked so terrified. The blue there was shattered with flecks of grey.

"They…they broke my bones…" Her breathing was rapid, "Every bone.."

I gently took her head in my hands. She closed her eyes tightly. "Breathe, Elly," I said, gently wiping the tears from her face. "Elisabeth, take a deep breath." 

"They were using a hammer…" She took a gasping breath, "To break my knees. And they smiled….as they broke my fingers…"

"Breathe, Elly," I instructed again. This time she shakily took in a deep breath and exhailed it again before collapsing into me. "I've got you. I won't let them take you again." 

"Can I help in any way?" Ketch asked quietly.

"She's not going to go back to sleep after that." I sighed. "Can you make coffee? I think there's some in the kitchen."

Ketch nodded and was off. I smiled a little as he left the room, my mind wondering again about thoughts of a normal life with him. Would he be that kind with children? Not like you can have any anyway. The thought was nastier than it needed to be, but it was enough to bring me back to what was real and in front of me.

"Come on," I helped Elly to her feet, still holding onto her. "We'll get you something to drink and you can tell me more about what happened, if you want to."

"Is everything alright?" Cas said, coming up from the basement as we passed by the door. "We heard screaming and…" His blue eyes stopped on Elly, who was still sniffling, "Oh."

I nodded, continuing to lead Elly into the kitchen and to a chair. I sat across from her as Ketch placed a mug in front of her. 

"It won't be the best, instant never is, but it's warm." I tried to smile at her, but Elly was still in the dream. She stared at the dark liquid swirling in the cup. "Elly, It wasn't real."

"It still hurts." She mumbled.

Cas came up next to her, "Would you mind if I…?" I reached a hand toward her, and Elly nodded.

Cas gently placed his hand on her forehead, but quickly pulled it back, as if he'd been burnt. I looked at the angel, as confused as he looked.

"It was a nightmare?" He questioned, placing a hand on her shoulder instead. Elly nodded. "How long have you had them?"

"Since…since I got back from Hell." She stammered.

"But you can feel them?" Elly nodded again. Cas' hand went to his chin as he thought, "Do you mind if I search through your head?"

"Why?" I questioned, sitting up fully.

Elly wrapped her hands around the warm cup in front of her, picking it up and blowing on the liquid to cool it, but putting it back on the table without taking a drink from it. She didn't answer Cas.

"You're sure they never tortured her?" Cas looked at me.

I sighed, "That's what she said."

Cas turned back to Elly, "How long were you in Hell?"

Elly shook her head, "I don't know…it felt like only a few hours…but Alex said…"

"It was three weeks…" I said softly.

Cas' eyebrows furrowed together. "That's quite the difference." The angel looked lost in thought again. "Elisabeth, can I please look into your mind? I want to see if I can find what happened."

Elly nodded hesitantly.

"Is it going to hurt her to pull those memories forward?" Ketch asked as he placed his hand on my shoulder again.

"I won't lie. It's a possibility." Cas sighed, "But it would help explain where these nightmares are coming from and why they're physically hurting her."

I looked from Cas to Elly, waiting for her response. After all, this was her brain and her nightmares, not mine. She looked over Cas for a second, before carefully nodding again.

I held my breath as Cas gently reached towards her and placed a hand on either side of her head. Elly closed her eyes as Cas' grace flared and the golden glow came from his fingers. Cas closed his own eyes and went almost into a trance. I bit my lip when he flinched at something, my hand instinctively going to Ketch' for comfort. 

Elly's face twisted into one of pain, and I moved to get up. But Ketch held me in place, a firm grip on my shoulder keeping me seated.

"Let him work," He whispered, "You know he won't hurt her intentionally, and we can always stop him if it looks like too much."

I nodded, my eyes not leaving Elly's face. She was clenching her jaw shut and I could see tears beginning to roll down her cheeks again. She was gripping the mug in her hands so tightly I feared it would break. I watched for a while longer until one of her hands reached up and pulled at her hair.

"Can I stop them now?" I asked anxiously. But Ketch didn't answer, just simply held me in place.

"Stop! Cas, Stop!" Elly shouted, tears cascading down her face.

I pushed my way from the chair, Ketch releasing me now, and pushed Cas away from Elly. He let go of her quickly and I pulled her to my chest again.

I looked from the sobbing girl to the angel. "What did you see?"

"You don't want to know…" He replied, falling back into a chair as if all his strength was suddenly gone.

"I need to know Cas." I ran a hand through Elly's hair.

"I want Lucy." She sobbed.

"Ok," I whispered, not knowing where else to go, or what else to do. I started leading her from the room.

"That's not a…"

"If I can't help her, the least I can do is make her comfortable." I interrupted Ketch' objection. I turned to the angel as I helped Elly to the basement, "What did you see Cas."

Cas stood to follow, nearly falling over before grabbing the table for support. He took a deep breath before following me. I glanced up the stairs as we passed them, noticing Cael at the top, his arm in a small sling as he recovered. He looked concerned but didn't show any signs of coming down to see what had happened. 

We made a fine parade down the stairs, "Tell me, Cas." I more or less ordered as we hit the concrete at the bottom.

Lucifer stood straight as we came around the corner. "What happened?" He asked, his blue eyes wandering over Elly, worried.

I felt Elly pull from my grasp, and I let her go. She flew into the trap and to Lucifer. She crashed into him, immediately sobbing again. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and hushed her softly. Deep in my bones, I was fighting the feeling to let Elly be that close to him, but if he was only the thing that could help her, then I knew I had to deal with it for now. I would let her have solace in him.

"What's wrong?" Lucifer's voice was pointed now, a silent threat behind those words. The message was clear. 'If she got hurt again I will end you.'

I turned to the angel again as he leaned against the wall, "Cas, please."

Cas looked between Lucifer and I before sighing, "I don't know exactly how to explain it." His voice was deep, raspy. "She's been possessed."

I kept my eyes trained on the angel, taking in every detail of his face, looking for the lie or the joke, even though I knew he never told any. I wasn't sure how to believe him. This was too serious to lie or joke about, I knew he wouldn't. But I couldn't wrap my mind around it being true. There had been nothing wrong with her. She had shown no signs of possession, other than the sudden abandonment of fear around the devil.

I looked to Lucifer, who looked about as shocked as I felt. He hadn't known. He couldn't hide the look on his face, and he never lied either. Just twisted the truth. He wasn't that great of an actor either. This was real.

"I'm what?" Elly's cracked voice said as she turned to face us. She was still gripping tightly to Lucifer, as tightly as he gripped her. "Cas?"

"When she was in Hell." Cas continued, "They did torture her. For weeks. They turned her experience into weeks of torture. Everything they do in her dreams was real." Elly looked as if she was going to scream or throw up. "She's been possessed by a lesser demon who was instructed to make her relive every moment of it, until her end." Elly crumpled to the floor. Lucifer dropped with her, pulling her closer to him protectively. "Or until she goes insane."

"I'm going to be sick…" Elly uttered.

"Torture is enough to endure," Cas stated, moving closer to the angel trap, but not stepping into it. "But adding panic, paranoia, and insomnia to the mix…"

"You should stop talking now." Lucifer's tone was firm, his eyes sharp and cold towards the smaller angel.

"How do we fix it?" I asked, hesitantly approaching the angel's trap.

I took a deep breath and entered the circle, kneeling next to Elly and placing a hand on her back. I could feel the strong currents of guilt pass through me as she shook. I couldn't protect her then, but I would do everything I could now to protect her.

"We could exorcise it," Cas suggested.

"She's said the exorcism before after she got back…I made her practice it. And the thing never flinched." I pointed out, "We could do that, but I don't want to hurt her." I looked up at Lucifer, "She said you make her feel better, how?"

He looked at me confused, "I don't know. I just talk to her until she falls asleep. I don't do anything special."

"It could be afraid of him," Cas thought out loud, "It wouldn't dare hurt her in front of him."

"Lucy?" Elly's broken voice asked through the cold room, "Could you send it away? You were able to do it in the show…"

The room grew very quiet, and I held Lucifer's steady gaze. Would he do that for her? How much grace would he be willing to spend on her?

"I don't have the grace for that, Elisabeth." He rubbed her arms gently. He looked up at Cas, "Got another option? Unless you wanna pony up some grace…"

"You're not getting any of his grace." I hissed in a low voice.

"Oh ya? You got any brighter ideas, doll?" Lucifer shot at me.

"We try the exorcism," Elly whispered, pushing back from his chest and slowly getting to her feet. I stood with her, taking one of her arms.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I want this thing the fuck out of me." Her blue eyes held a fire I hadn't seen in her before. She was determined. But at the same time, I could see the fight there. "Make a trap, tie me up, and do it."

I cleared my throat, "Right. Let's get to work."

It wasn't long before the circle was drawn, and Elly was sitting in the center of it, tied to a folding chair I'd found upstairs. She'd wanted to stay in the basement, so we'd drawn the trap on the other side. Lucifer stood at the edge of his, watching the whole process closely. Elly tapped her fingers against the arms of the chair, a smile trembled on her lips. She nodded, she was ready.

I took a deep breath and started the chant. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundur spiritus," I kept my eyes on her, looking for any sign of discomfort or pain. "Omnis satanica potesas, omnis incursio infermalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica."

A brutal laugh bubbled up from her throat. A sadistic chuckle. My blood ran cold as the sound came from her.

"You're trying to exorcise me?" It wasn't Elly speaking anymore. Her eyes had gone solid black to match the voice. 

"Ergo, omnis legio diabolica, adiuramus te," I continued, watching the demon nervously. My eyes flickered to Lucifer, he was frozen in place, straining against the edges of his trap, his hands clenched in fists. "Cessa decipere humanas creaturas."

"If you don't want me to kill her on the way out, you should probably stop," The demon warned, smiling. "Or she'll be my eternal plaything."

I took a deep breath, swallowing the rage that threatened to burn me. My jaw tightened and I ground my teeth together. There was a thick buzzing in my head.

I swallowed the rage and continued, "Eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare." I flinched as a scream finally came from her throat. Her head jerked back hard, her hair flying around her face. "Vade, satana inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis."

The chair Elly was in slid across the floor, abruptly coming to a stop when it hit the wall of the trap. Elly's head snapped to the left, her skin ghostly white. Blood began to trickle down her lips. Her eyes were dark and lifeless. It made my heart race. I was going to kill her.

"Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribli nomine," I tried to focus on the incantation.

My fingers dug into my palms as I watched the chair drag itself in the opposite direction, another cry coming from Elly. I took a few hasty steps forward but was caught by Cas before I could make it into the circle. Elly coughed as her head was snapped in another direction, and revealed the blood flowing freely from her mouth. It was spilling out over her chest. The same haunting laugh came again, gurgling through the blood.

"She's going to die." The voice tormented, "You'll kill her."

"Quem inferi tremunt." My voice was trembling, trying to continue.

"Stop! Let me help her!" Lucifer said, his voice a command. He went to say something else but was drowned out by another scream.

And more blood.

I fell silent, not daring to speak. Cas released me, and I ran for Elly. Her head lolled to the front and she wheezed for air, the blood still blocking her airway. My hands carefully took her head and tilted it up towards me. Blood streamed from her mouth and nose, painting her a violent crimson. Her eyes stared through me, blank.

"Come back to me, Elly," I whispered, brushing blood-stained hair from her face. The light slowly came into her eyes.

"Alex…" it was less than a whisper as she focused on me again.

"You're so brave," I said softly, "We're going to let Lucifer try something ok?"

"It didn't work…" She coughed, splattering blood across my face, "Did it?"

"Not yet, hun." I ripped at the ropes around her wrists and ankles, pulling her free from them. I held tightly to her as I carried her through the trap, scratching it out with my heel at the edge. 

Her chest rose and fell weakly as I carried her to Lucifer. I had to be careful moving her. Who knew how much damage had been done to her. It bothered me that the demon wasn't showing itself now that she was freed, but I would take my chances with it. I could only hope we'd weakened it.

I passed her to Lucifer once inside his trap and watched him lower her carefully to the ground. I took a shaky breath, running my hand through my hair.

I turned to the stairs as several quick footsteps came down them. I looked at my brothers as they swept into the room, they looked exhausted. They must have driven straight through. They looked from the angel's trap to me.

"We heard screaming.." Sam said, his hazel eyes wandering over my face. I must have looked just as exhausted.

"Did he hurt her?" Dean said, always the one to jump to dark conclusions when the devil was involved.

"I'll explain later." I put a hand up as my older brother took a step forward towards the circle. "It's fine, Dean. He's going to help."

"Grace please, Castiel." Lucifer seemed to be ignoring their presence. 

"Oh, fuck no!" Dean barked, "You are not going to touch him!"

"Stop." I tried to remain stern with him, but I knew he was only acting off of what he knew. "She's possessed. It did that to her. Lucifer thinks he can remove it without killing her. But we need Cas."

"Did you try the exorcism?" Sam asked, stepping closer to me, then looking over my shoulder to the now broken demon trap.

I nodded weakly, the exhaustion hitting anew, "It would've killed her, Sam. I couldn't…"

"It'll still kill her if I don't get it out of her now." Lucifer sounded impatient. I turned back to him, looking at the girl in his arms. She was so pale. Had this been how it had looked when…

I shoved the memories from my mind. This wasn't about then, this was about now. This was about saving her before she ended up like that.

"Cas, please," I said.

"He's not getting Cas' grace." Dean's voice was strong. He sounded ready to defend the angel with his life.

"Dean," Cas spoke up, trying to calm his lion, "We need to save her. I'll give him just enough to do the job, he won't be able to get out of the trap with it."

"What if he's just trying to kill her?" Dean argued.

"He won't," Sam and I said together. We'd seen the same things. After all, Sam never missed a thing when it came to hints of what they had.

"Of course not!" Lucifer shot, a new anger creeping into his tone, "But we're running out of time. Castiel, now."

I looked to Cas, who was already looking at me as if he was waiting for some kind of approval. I nodded and gestured forward. Cas returned the nod and stepped into the circle, no longer listening to his lovers' protests.

Cas smoothly pulled his angel blade from his jacket, twirling it in his fingers before clutching it tightly. I looked at Dean, watching the fight in his eyes. He wanted so badly to stop this, but it looked like a greater part of him knew better. He wouldn't stop this, he would just watch Lucifer as fiercely as he always did.

Lucifer carefully laid Elly on the ground as Cas got closer. When he was close enough, Lucifer stood to meet him. Cas carefully drug the blade across his throat, revealing the blue light of his grace. The whole room held its breath, waiting for the worst that wouldn't come. Lucifer grabbed hold of Cas' tie and pulled him close, leaning into his neck and drinking his grace.

It seemed like a long moment or two before Lucifer pushed Cas away and Cas stumbled back out of the circle. Cas' neck still glowed lightly before he healed himself. The room sighed, Lucifer had kept his word.

"Thanks for the top off, little bro." Lucifer smiled.

Dean went to Cas, worry and anger on his face. He checked the angel over with such gentle hands and hushed words. I would have smiled if the moment still wasn't so dire. 

Sam came to stand beside me, his eyes never leaving the circle. "You're sure he won't hurt her."

"Positive," I confirmed. I was. I had known this angel for far longer than Sam and Dean. I knew his ways, his tricks, his anger, his love. I knew with certainty, he would not harm Elly.

The sick, demented laughter came from her throat again, silencing the room. "They already know you're here." The voice snarled, "And once I'm out of here, she'll remember all of it. Do you want to put her through that?"

"Enough, Asbeel," Lucifer commanded, making his way closer to Elly again. 

Lucifer snapped his fingers. Elly screamed, something between the sound you hear in horror movies and something that gurgled up from the pits of Hell itself. Black smoke poured from her mouth and into the air. In seconds it burned in the air, turning to rich ash as it fell to the floor. I turned to meet Lucifer's blood-red eyes.

He turned to Elly again, dropping to her and waving his hand over her. And she was healed, all new wounds gone. Every speck of blood was gone from her clothes, skin, and hair. She pulled in a breath, gasping for the fresh air. I fought running to her as Lucifer scooped her into his arms. I watched as he held her close, whispering things into her ear.

"Alex." Sam's hand touched my shoulder, bringing me back to him. "If what that demon said is true, we're not safe here anymore."

"We can't move Gabriel again." Cas pointed out.

"I have a small safe house about an hour from here." I snapped to Ketch, when had he come down the stairs? "We can start with Elly and Cael."

"We can't leave Gabe." I stood firm. We couldn't risk it.

"We can move him together Castiel." Lucifer suggested, "Together."

"Not going to happen." Dean pushed Cas behind him, "You've done your share, we can figure the rest out."

"Dean, this could be our only option." Sam was always the mediator in these situations. "And we don't have the time to argue. If they can move Gabe, then we should do it and get going."

"After everything he's done, and you want to just trust him with…"

"He won't do anything to endanger us," Ketch interrupted Dean.

Dean's gaze snapped to Ketch, a silent challenge between the two men. It was to say Ketch was on thin ice. It would never change. I stepped closer and slipped my hand into Ketch', giving my brother a pleading look. Dean sighed.

"How do you know that?" Dean threw out.

I looked over to the trap again, taking in how gently Lucifer held Elly. How she cradled into him as if he wasn't the biggest monster in the world. I wanted to believe it was a lie. Some fun house mirror trick that twisted up my old desires and fed them back to me as if they were an executioner's blade. But it looked genuine. If it was an act, it was a flawless one.

"You always were oblivious to these things, Dean." I looked into his green eyes, "He cares for her too much. As long as we have her, he won't make her situation worse." I watched Dean's face soften, and he turned back to take in Lucifer again. He knew I was right, "We need to go."

"Dean and I will get Cael." Sam offered, heading for the stairs again.

Dean took several quick steps forward, ending at the edge of the circle, his finger pointed at the archangel, "So help me God, if anything goes wrong, anything at all, I will send you back to that god-forsaken cage myself." Before a retort could be made, Dean left for the stairs, calling annoyed 'yeah's up them as Sam called for him.

"Ketch," I turned to look up at him, "Can you get Elly please."

He nodded, and his hand left mine as we parted for the moment, each with a separate job in mind.

I walked to the edge of the trap as he walked through it. I knelt on the ground, pulling a pocket knife out and popping it open, ready to break the trap once Ketch had a hold of Elly.

"Why do you let them blame you?" Elly whispered in a conversation I was meant to hear.

"I can take it." Lucifer whispered back, "It's been that way since the beginning."

"Doesn't mean you should have to."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be ok." Lucifer hushed her.

"It's time to go," Ketch said as he approached them, hands outstretched, ready to take Elly.

I turned back to the trap as he took her, digging my knife into the concrete and breaking the line. There was a flutter of wings, and when I looked up, both angels were gone leaving the three of us alone. 

Ketch had Elly settled against his chest. Her eyes were still dull with pain, but her color was returning to normal. I was sure the memories of her torture were playing behind those eyes. She looked lost like she didn't know where or when she was.

I turned towards the stairs, beginning to walk towards them as Ketch followed. When we reached the top floor I continued into the living room as he took Elly out and to the car. I could see Sam and Dea helping Cael into the impala through one of the windows. It was time to go.

I stopped at the front door, hand frozen on the knob. The door had become an off-white color it it's age, the paint becoming brittle and starting to peel off where it met the sun most. I ran my hand across its surface, memories of running through the door and being greeted by Dad being dragged up. Happy memories. Moments I would never feel again. If they did know about this place, I had no doubt this would be the last time I would see it. 

I took a deep breath, grabbed hold of the knob, and closed it shut behind me. I walked away from it, almost hearing the ghost of my childhood whimper as I turned into the sharp breeze of the early fall air.