Chapter 25

"Is this really the plan?" I asked, face in my hands.

This had been the stupidest thing I had heard them come up with in a while, not to mention the most dangerous for Elly. But as I looked around the room and met eyes with everyone, I knew there was no talking them out of it. Sam and Dean had looked pretty content with the idea, Cas was indifferent as always, and Ketch had looked cool and collected after he'd been caught up. I just couldn't believe I'd heard the thing twice.

"Are you ok with this, Elly?" I asked, meeting her eyes.

She'd been looking down at the table, taking a minute to think through what had been said, but when I'd called her attention to me, she'd looked up. Many things were going through her eyes as she looked at me. Fear, latent anger, hope, and hurt just to name a few. I knew she couldn't have liked the idea, but it was the best shot we had right now. We knew Gabe wasn't going to be much help, so Lucifer was our only shot at getting a gate up and running. We couldn't let him just stay in Heaven, things would start to collapse.

"I don't…" She spoke softly, calling the room to her, "I don't think he'll come. I've been asking him, but he doesn't answer anymore."

"You've prayed to him?" Cas asked, appalled, and Dean sat up straighter.

"Dean prays to you, why can't I pray to him?" Elly shot at the angel, crossing her arms. "What if this doesn't work?"

"Then we find another way," Ketch shrugged. He had cleaned up nicely but still looked exhausted. I doubted he wanted to be part of this conversation right now, "I'm sure we will figure something else out if this goes south, but this is the best option at the moment."

"That's positive," Dean grumbled, taking a sip from a beer he'd all but ignored the last hour.

Elly lowered her head to the table. I could almost guess what she was thinking. She had to be afraid that he wasn't going to show, that he didn't care about her. She was just being played with. Nothing more to him than the gems he once created. I wasn't sure if she could handle that if it were true. I knew she cared about him more than she let on, she had been a lot like myself in that way.

Sam gently placed his hand on her shoulder, "It'll be ok." He smiled softly as she looked up at him, "You're one hell of a shot, and we'll be there to back you up. Nothing is going to happen."

"Nothing is what I'm afraid of happening…" She mumbled before excusing herself from the table and leaving the room.

Others were quick to follow after her, Dean saying something about getting ready to leave, Cas walked off towards the library for other supplies, and Sam returned to his computer for more information. What he had told her had been a nice sentiment, but I wasn't sure there was anything other than the fallen angel himself that could help her now. This was just something we had to do.

I shoved a packed duffle into the trunk of my car, taking care not to stab anything through its old material. I looked over Elly, who was leaning against the frame, as I checked the wardings on the fabric lining.

"Elly?" I called. She didn't move. Didn't even seem to register I had said anything. "Elizabeth?" I tried again. Still, she didn't move. Her blue eyes were deep in thought somewhere else. I closed the trunk a little harder than needed, the noise jolting her out of whatever stupor she had been in.

"Did you…say something?" She asked, turning to me finally.

"You do remember the plan, right?" I asked, studying her.

"I'm walking into a vamp den, by myself with only a gun." She nodded slowly, her voice a higher pitch than usual as her nerves got to her. Of course, she was afraid, "You know a gun won't do anything against them right?" Her eyes focused on mine, "Are you sure there's not some Vampire Irradiation Gun, or Anti-Vamp Device, or...or even alternate Kaia's spear lying around?"

I smiled gently at her, "You know it's ok to be scared, right?" She slowly nodded her head, "Good, don't be ashamed of that. Being afraid means you know the real danger here, and you won't be cocky. Though I know you can handle a few vampires."

Elly nodded again, "I know I can," She opened the passenger side door and got into the car, "What I can't handle is if he doesn't show."

We pulled up about a mile from the den location. I had barely turned to car off before Elly had opened the door and jumped out into the rain. I scrambled out of the car to call after her, but she'd already disappeared into the trees. Dean and Sam appeared next to me, all of us already soaked.

"Is she crazy?!" Dean yelled over the storm. "She's going to get herself killed! She was supposed to wait for us."

I wiped wet hair from my face as I stared in the direction she had gone. This was so stupid. What were we doing here? What had she done? What had I done to her?

"Should we go after her and call this off?" Sam asked, his voice tinted with nervousness. "It's kinda like she wants to get hurt."

I shook my head, "Get your gear. We need to get down there before she does get hurt." I ran around my car to the trunk, hastily throwing it open.

I pulled equipment from it as quickly as I could. I slid a vial of dead man's blood into my shirt pocket before holstering a machete and grabbing a second just to be safe. I slammed the trunk down and turned back to my brothers as they came back from Baby.

"Come on boys!" I yelled, "We have a devil to catch."

I started walking towards the trees without another word, the boys on my heels. We came to to top of a hill several minutes later, squatting down close to the mud once we could see the cabin that lay in a clearing not far from it. 

The building itself looked like it had been built half a decade ago, the wood on the outside rotten in some places and covered in green moss in others. The roof looked just as bad, we could even see some spots where holes had been covered with black tarps. Most of the windows were either too grimy to see through clearly or had been covered in newspaper some time ago. An old porch wrapped around the building like a snake slowly choking its prey. 

There were a few lights on inside, shining dull warm light into the darkness. It was just enough light to make out Elly as she made it onto the old porch. I took a few careful steps down the hill, ducking behind a tree as she knocked on the door.

I could barely make out the creak of the door as it opened. But I could make out Elly crying like she had been standing right next to me. The sound was so convincing, it took all my strength to stay put behind that tree.

"I'm so sorry to bother you," Elly acted between sobs, "I was just trying to get home, and my car ran out of gas a little ways down the road. I saw the lights and thought maybe you could help me. Can you?"

"Oh ya?" I could hear the male voice over the rain. There was something deep a primal about it, a cadence only a predator would have, "I'm sure one of us could give you a ride into town. Would you like to come in and get out of the rain?"

"If you don't mind," Elly said before the door closed again.

I rounded the tree, trying to follow her as she walked past one of the less grimy windows, then out of sight. I caught Dean moving through the trees towards the back of the house. A sudden uneasiness came over me as if something was watching me. I turned back towards the dark trees, trying to peer through the darkness and find the prying eyes, but nothing moved or made a sound.

But by then it was too late to realize why the forest had gone silent under the sound of the rain. The pain exploded across the back of my head, and soon I met the soft mud that had been under my feet seconds ago.

"Oh my, oh my." The words came in a sing-songy tone, "We caught the Winchesters. We caught the…"

The voice stopped as an involuntary moan left my mouth as the back of my head throbbed. I opened my eyes as my head was yanked back, sharp claws digging into my scalp. Fuck. I looked up into a brilliant pointed smile. This wasn't good.

Elly. Where's Elly?

"She's awake!" The monster who held me sang.

"Good," Another said from somewhere else in the room, "It would have been boring without her."

My eyes adjusted as the monster threw my head forward again. I made out several forms in the room. I registered five vampires, which matched our intel. I could see the boys tied together in a corner, still unconscious. There was no sign of Elly as I focused on the vampires that stalked the small room.

There was one that sat in a recliner against a wall. She was short, fair-skinned, and had soft green eyes. Her large lips curled around her pointed teeth, stained brown with old blood. Her straight dark brown hair framed her face but didn't exactly hide the birthmark that covered half of it.

Another, stood in the only doorway the room seemed to have. His short, stout frame leaned against it, his deep red skin glistening in the light. I assumed he had been one of the ambushers in the trees. His brown eyes studied my face as I looked him over. Some tattoos branded their way up his arms and across his face, disappearing into his short black hair. 

The third, a white woman with blue eyes stepped out from behind me. She licked fresh blood from her clawed fingers before brushing her hands over her bald head as if she still had beautiful, long hair. Her nose was hooked like it had been broken and never properly reset. 

"Shut up," Another woman said as she pushed past the man in the doorway and made her way over to the woman in the chair. Her tall, muscular frame leaned against it. She looked older than the others, with hollowed cheeks and amber eyes full of experience. Her short brown hair clung to her face as rain dripped from it. "The others are still out."

"And they'll stay that way for now, Jane." The fifth vampire leaned against the wall, just outside my peripheral vision. He was tall and slender. His olive skin glowed under the warm light of the old bulbs. I could feel his hazel eyes on me, the hunger in them digging through my skin. His light brown hair was short and wiry. Something about this man made my pulse quicken more so than the others.

I opened my mouth to retort, but a scream pierced through the air and my eyes searched the room for her. I knew it had been Elly, and every muscle in my body wanted to jump to her rescue. But the ropes I had been bound with held me tight against a chair as I tried to jump to my feet. The room erupted with laughter and the olive-skinned man shook his head.

"That a friend of yours, Winchester?" He asked, his voice smooth as he teased me, "Don't worry. She's just a little snack."

"Fuck you." I hissed through my teeth.

Another round of laughter came from the monsters.

"Fiesty, isn't she?" the hook-nosed woman said.

The olive-skinned man came to my side, squatting next to the chair. His hand took my face and forced it towards him. "She'll be dead soon." His breath stunk of death, "But we'll turn you." His tongue clicked over one of his fangs, "We'll turn all three of you." He smiled like a hyena, "Can you imagine, the Winchesters turned vampires? I think we'd be praised. The great Alexandria as a mindless bloodsucker. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Go to hell." I spat.

He closed his eyes reflexively as my spit hit his cheek. He let go of my face to wipe his face clean, sighing as he did so. He smiled at me as another scream came from another room. I winced at the sound. I had failed her. Again. She was going to die here. Seemed like that damned angel didn't care at all after all.

There were footsteps and another man pushed his way into the small room. He towered above the rest, his dark skin in great contrast to his grey eyes as they looked over the room. He whipped red glistening blood from his mouth, a smile forming across his lips as he caught my stare. 

"Anyone else hungry?" He asked, looking directly at me as he licked the rest of the blood from his lips. 

"My turn!" The green-eyed woman said, jumping from the recliner like a cat and disappearing through the door.

"Don't you dare touch her!" I yelled, "I will kill you all if you touch another hair on her." I wanted them to be intimidated, but my voice trembled slightly, "You get it? I will end every one of you." How had Dean always sounded so collected?

"We'll see about that, darling." The stout man chuckled.

My heart tore as another scream cut through the air. I could hear Elly begging and pleading after this cry. I could hear the tears in her voice as she begged for this to stop. As she begged to be saved.

"I'm coming, Elly!" I shouted. I wanted her to hear, wanted her to know I was here and trying. "Just hold on!"

"Should we turn her first?" The hook-nosed woman suggested, tipping her head to the side like she was a dog with a new toy.

"I think we should make her watch us change her brothers first." the olive-skinned man said, folding his arms over his chest as he stood from beside me. He walked over to Sam and Dean and paced around them before taking Dean's face and slapping it hard. "Time to wake up, sleepy head."

"Stop! Please!" Elly cried.

I felt the rope burn against my wrists as I struggled against it again, and soon it was slick, though I wasn't sure if it was from sweat or blood. I pulled against it regardless, begging silently that somehow it would release me and I would be freed and could help them all. I pleaded inside for something to happen. 

A chuckle came from the amber-eyes woman as she watched me struggle. I looked at her and met her eyes. They teased me harshly. As if they were saying 'Come on, get out. You know you want to.'

There was another scream and I ripped my hand free of the ropes, quickly pushing the rest over my head. I tried to push from the chair, but the tall man was quicker, and his hand was around my neck before I could get far. He pinned me up against the far wall, holding me high above the ground as I started to gasp for air. My lungs burned as I clawed against his hands, but the blood that coated my hands made it impossible to grip anything.

There was a sly grin as he grabbed one of my hands and licked across it. I gagged as the pressure against my neck increased the more of my blood he drank. I kicked my feet as his teeth brushed across my wrist, trying anything to do more than just dangle in front of him. His tongue lashed out across my pulse.

"Alex!" Elly screamed again, but it was softer now. All sound was being drowned out by my heartbeat as it roared in my ears.

"Maybe I should just change you now," The vampire's deep voice was clear through the haze as his teeth grazed my wrist again.

"Get your hands, off of her." A sharp voice said through the haze. I thought it was Sam.

I hit the ground hard as the tall man dropped me quickly. But he just as quickly had a different grip on me, digging his hand into my hair and slamming my head against the wall. I felt my neck pop and my head spin as I connected with the drywall. He released me again and I tumbled to the floor this time, coughing and dizzy.

I watched through tear-filled eyes as he cut his wrists and the brilliant crimson of blood flowed down his arm. He knelt before me and forced my head back. I opened my mouth in reaction to the sudden pain as he held his wrist above it.

"Alex!" I was sure that was Dean.

The tall vampire draped his wrist over my mouth, keeping it forced open with his other hand. I tried to fight against him, but my oxygen-deprived limbs were still weak and flimsy. I struggled through the haze as the blood began to pool, seconds away from being heavy enough for gravity to take over.

I blinked in a flash of utterly blinding light. And the tall man was gone, pushed away from me and screaming against the wall as he burned from the inside out. The man burned to the ground and I stared in shock at the fallen angel that had replaced him before me. How had this stupidly dangerous plan actually worked?

Lucifer turned to the rest of the room, his natural blue eyes already scarlet with his building power. The light bulbs in the room hissed and grew brighter as his power surged through the room. One of them broke in a great show of sparks and popping sounds. 

The hooke-nosed woman ran from the room, leaving the other four behind. The stout man stupidly rushed at Lucifer and was left with a pile of ash as the devil simply stepped to the side and grazed the vampire with a hand.

I pushed myself across the floor to avoid being hit with the debris, then pushed myself to my shaky feet and looked for the boys. There was another flash of light followed by another scream from a vampire as I stumbled over to Dean's side. I dropped to my knees and started to untie them, my bloody hands making it hard to grip the knots.

There was a loud crash and I looked up to find Lucifer locked with the olive-skinned man. The vampire growled and nashed at Lucifer before throwing him across the room. I flinched as they collided with the chair I had been in, turning the thing into splinters of wood.

"Hurry, Alex." Sam urged.

I nodded, finally able to slip the know lose and help Dean rip the rope off of himself and Sam. They scrambled to their feet as a final cry came from the olive-skinned vampire and he too turned to ash. 

I pushed to my feet again, a bit more steady this time, and rushed passed the bleeding archangel, sprinting out of the room and towards the screams that still came from Elly. I rounded a corner to another room and slammed into a locked door.

"Please, stop." Elly whimpered from the other side. She sounded so weak.

I took a step back and kicked my foot at the door, just under the knob. The old wood splintered at the lock as it broke free of the door frame. I took a deep breath and kicked the door again, this time flinging it open wide enough to run inside.

The quick steps into the room led me to find Elly, chained up on the far side of the room, a thick collar around her neck. Blood covered her arms and soaked her shirt. Bite marks and slashes covered her skin. The last two vampires turned to me, each still holding one of her wrists as fresh blood dripped from their chins.

I felt from my machete, of course, it wasn't on my hip anymore. But that didn't matter as the heavy thought of revenge clouded my mind. I rushed for the green-eyed woman, tackling her to the ground with a hard crack as we hit the ground. We rolled across the ground, until she could get her feet between us and kicked me hard in the ribs, sending me off of her. I coughed, clutching myself as she pushed me to the floor, straddling me now. She put her hands around my neck, pushing me hard into the wooden floor.

I lay there, gasping for air again as the woman above me smiled. The smile stayed on her face as the blade of a machete passed through her neck effortlessly. Blood splashed across my face as her grip loosened on my neck and her head rolled across the ground. I whipped it out of my eyes as I caught Dean's green eyes now staring down at me.

There was one final flash of light and a sickening scream as the final vampire burned. Dean extended his hand to me, helping me to my feet as the hook-nosed woman burned. I leaned against him, breathing heavily, body aching and tired. But it was over, and we had done it. It was over, everyone was alive.

"You came," Elly said weakly.

I steadied my breathing as Lucifer marched across the room to her. He cupped her face in his hands and drew her carefully into a beautifully desperate kiss. I felt Dean shake his head as he held me steady.

"Don't you ever fucking scare me like that again," Lucifer growled, placing his forehead against Elly's, "What were you thinking, sunbeam?"

"You're hurt," Elly said, completely ignoring her limbs still bound by chains.

"It's just a few scrapes," He kissed her again, a quick kiss before he stepped back and began untangling her from her bindings.

When she'd been freed, the chain clinking loudly to the ground, she raced to me, taking me up in a tight hug. I groaned in pain, stumbling back away from Dean, but into Sam as he came into the room. I hugged her back tightly as he caught us.

"The rest of the house is…"

"Are you alright?" Elly interrupted Sam. "Did they hurt you? Any of you?" She looked over the boys now, her cuts and bites a mystery to her.

"We're fine, Elly," I replied softly, a dull ache beginning to set into my bones.

"We need to get you bandaged up," Dean said, taking my shoulder, "You too, Elly." He ruffled her hair, "I'm glad you're ok." Elly's smile shone brightly at his concern, "Sam, grab the halo before he takes off again."

Lucifer snorted and rolled his eyes as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Elly pushed away from me and walked back to him, gently pulling one of his hands from his pocket and lacing her fingers with his.

I stared at them, taking in the almost clean angel as he stared at her, and sighed, swallowing my pride. "Thank you, Lucifer." His cocky smile fell as he looked over me, his eyes wanting to question if it was genuine, "I mean it. We would have been dead without you."

"You're uh…" He cleared his throat, "You're welcome."

"Touching," Dean grumbled, "Come on, let's go get you wrapped up."

Dean left the room with those words, his blood-covered machete still tight in his hand. Sam took my shoulder and turned me towards the door. I took a step and gasped as pain shot through my ankle. I grabbed onto Sam as he caught me, biting my lip and closing my eyes.

"Ya, that's broken." I gave a weak laugh.

"I can heal that," Lucifer said from behind me. "If you want."

"I'll be fi…" I stopped as I tried another step. Even with assisted help it burned with pain. I couldn't put any weight on it at all.

I let out a gasp of air as gently hands took my waist and I was swept into Lucifer's arms. It was the last thing I expected, but it was welcome as my ribs screamed against the movement, but quieted again when I was still. A numbness filled my body as I weakly wrapped my arms around his neck and allowed him to carry me from the cabin. Elly was close behind us as we made our way back to the cars, she never let go of the hem of his shirt.

Once we were back, Lucifer gently sat me down on the hood of my car and knelt before me on the muddy forest floor. He pulled my pant leg up just above the bone and then carefully took my boot and sock off. I winced, and Elly slipped her hand into mine.

"Yup, pretty broken." the archangel explained. 

I didn't dare look. I could sew the boys up without a second thought. But one look at my blood or broken bones, and I would be out cold. Instead, I looked up into the dark sky as it threatened to spill more rain. I was hoping it would so it would hide the tears that rolled down my cheeks.

"Please," It was a whispered plea.

Icey cold energy filled my ankle, immediately soothing the burning pain that had been there seconds before. I could feel the bones as they moved sickeningly beneath my skin and reset themselves. There wasn't any horrible pain or snapping sounds, but I knew they shouldn't move in the way that they did. Before I knew it though, it was good as new. My ribs even felt a little better.

I was busy testing the joint when the sound of metal cuffs clicking around Lucifer's wrists brought me back to the task at hand. I looked up just in time to see Sam clasping the second half around Lucifer's other wrist. His eyes rolled again but he seemed to now accept his fate. Elly looked like she wanted to object, but stayed silent as Sam led Lucifer away towards the impala. Dean stood there, with the back door open, waiting. Lucifer got inside the car without a fuss and Dean climbed into the driver's seat without a word.

"We'll meet you back at the bunker," Sam said before he climbed into the passenger seat.

I nodded as Elly handed me my boot. I pulled it back on as they drove away, shoving my sock into my pocket. I slid from the hood and was shocked for a second at how solid my ankle felt. I looked over at Elly, surprised that she seemed to have been healed as well, her bites and scratches nothing more than small pink patches now. We were both still covered in blood as we climbed into my car.

"He came back," I shrugged, trying to gauge her reaction as I started my car and pulled after the boys. 

"Ya, but now he'll be in an angel trap again and it's all my fault." Elly said as she slid her seatbelt on, "And if this is anything like how the show went, we're in for one hell of a ride."

"We'll make sure nothing happens to him," I said, unsure if I could keep that promise or not. 

"He does love me," It was almost a whisper as she said it. "That's what this means, right?"

I laughed at the quick change in her mood. "Ya, Elly. I think that's what it means."