CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The angels are threatening to send Dean back to hell if they don't give them Anna. It was Damon who quickly suggested that they hand her over, then Nyx punched him so hard that it broke his arm — which immediately freaked her out.

Nyx is now sitting with Caroline, waiting to hear back from Ric. Sam's doing research, and Damon's avoiding him so he doesn't hurt him for the way that he's been treating Nyx. Ruby disappeared, and Nyx has no idea where she is — or Dean and Anna for that matter.

Nyx and Caroline are sitting on the floor in the corner of the barn that they're all currently holed up in. Damon hears them stop talking, and he walks over to find them asleep. Nyx is leaning against the blonde vampire with her arm wrapped around Caroline's. So, he puts his jacket over them as best he can.

Nyx sees Dean walking into the barn and her eyebrows furrow, something doesn't feel right to her. She walks over to him, and he looks down at her, but before either of them can say anything, they hear a familiar voice.

"Look at that." Uriel says, and they both turn to face him. He's the angel who's been with Cas since the Samhain hunt. "It's so cute when monkeys wear clothes." He says, and the comment's strange to Nyx, but she chooses to ignore it as she looks around.

"We're dreaming, aren't we?" Nyx asks.

"It's the only way we could chat...since you're hiding like cowards." He tells her.

"Don't normally see you off your leash." Dean speaks up. "Where's your boss?"

"Castiel?" He asks. "Oh, he's, uh... He's not here. See, he has this weakness. He likes you. And he has a special fondness for you." He looks at Nyx. "He's been watching over you and Elena your whole lives."

"Okay... Creepy." She mutters.

"Time's up." Uriel says. "We want the girl."

"Wouldn't try that if I were you." Dean tells him. "See, she got her grace back. A full-blown angel now." He says, and Nyx doesn't react even a little to the lie.

"That would be a neat trick, considering... I have her grace right here." He says as he pulls a chain from under his button up shirt. "We can't let hell get their hooks into her."

"Well, then, why don't you just give her back her angel juice?"

"She committed a serious crime." He says as he tucks the small vial back under his shirt.

"What?" Dean questions. "Thinking for herself?"

"This is our business, not yours. She's not even human... Not technically."

"Yeah, well, I guess I just like being a pain in the ass." He says, and Uriel chuckles.

"No. There's more." The angel says as he walks toward the hunters. He laughs as he looks at Dean. "You cut yourself a slice of...angel food cake. Didn't you?" He asks, and Dean avoids looking at Nyx. "You did."

Nyx clenches her teeth as she closes her eyes. The brunette drops her head as she turns her face away from Dean.

"What do you care?" Dean asks the angel, still not looking at Nycole. "You're junkless down there, right? Like a Ken doll."

Uriel laughs as he turns and walks away from them, amused by the hurt that he sees in Nyx's face. "Well, it's your last chance. Give us the girl, or—"

"Or what?" He questions. "What, you're gonna toss me back in the hole? You're bluffing."

"Try me." Uriel shakes his head. "This is a whole lot bigger than the plans we have for you, Dean. You can be replaced." He says.

Dean hesitates for a second, but he won't budge. "What the hell? Go ahead and do it." He tells him, and Uriel walks over to them again.

Nyx wants to say something, but she knows that can't without breaking down. If she opens her mouth to speak, that'll be it for her.

Uriel shakes his head as he looks down at Dean. "You're just crazy enough to go, aren't you?"

"What can I say? I don't break easy." Dean says, and the angel chuckles.

"Maybe not, but she does." He says as he turns his attention to Nyx. "Look at her. You already broke her."

Nyx looks up at Uriel, her jaw clenched so tight that it physically hurts her. He laughs at the tears he sees welled up in her eyes.

"Nyx—"

"Goodbye, Dean." Uriel says, and then he disappears.

Nyx clears her throat as she sniffs and wipes away what few tears rolled down her cheeks. "Okay, we're alone. Now what?" She asks as she looks up at the angel.

"Tell me where you are. We just want Anna. I won't touch anyone else, I promise. No one will send Dean back into the pit." He tells her, and she grinds her teeth.

—

Nyx and Caroline walk back into the barn, and the others all turn to face them. "Where the hell have you two been?" Damon questions.

"Nyx—"

"Just...don't." She shakes her head as she looks at Dean.

The doors to the barn suddenly blow open, and they turn to see Cas and Uriel walking in. Sam moves to shield Anna, and Caroline and Damon end up on either side of Nyx.

"Hello, Anna." Cas says, and Dean looks over at Nyx. "It's good to see you."

"How?" Sam questions. "How'd you find us?"

Cas looks at Nyx, and she looks down as she moves closer to Caroline. The blonde grabs her hand as everyone else turns to look at Nyx — Caroline's the only one who knows the whole story.

"Nycole? Why?"

"Because they gave her a choice." Anna says. "They either kill me or they kill someone that she loves. I know how their minds work."

"Nyx?" Dean shakes his head, he hasn't told the others about the end of the dream — that Nyx knows that he slept with Anna.

"Tedious little things, aren't they?" Uriel asks. "Human emotions. Fear... Jealousy."

"I gave you what you want." Nyx says as she looks between the two angels. "Now you can both go to hell."

Anna turns to Dean then and kisses him. "You did the best you could." She tells him. "It's okay."

Nyx quickly grabs Damon's arm before he can do anything to Dean, and he wants to kill him.

"Okay." Anna says as she then turns back to Cas. "No more tricks. No more running. I'm ready."

"I'm sorry." Cas says as Nyx lets go of Caroline's hand.

"No. You're not. Not really." The redhead shakes her head. "You don't know the feeling."

"Still, we have a history. It's just—"

"Orders are orders. I know." She says. "Just make it quick."

Caroline's about to run at Uriel — part of hers and Nyx's plan — but then a voice behind them suddenly catches everyone's attention. "Don't you touch a hair on that poor girl's head."

They all turn and see Ruby with three other demons. She's covered in blood and barely able to stand.

Uriel steps forward, and Damon pushes Nyx and Caroline to the side. Sam pulls Anna back, and Dean moves with them.

"How dare you come in this room...you pussing sore?" The angel says as the demons drop Ruby to the ground. She quickly moves away from them.

"Name-calling." The demon who's obviously the leader steps forward. "That hurt my feelings...you sanctimonious, fanatical prick."

"Turn around and walk away now." Cas tells them.

"Sure. Just give us the girl. We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper."

"You know who we are and what we will do." He says as he walks forward. "I won't say it again. Leave now...or we lay you to waste."

"Think I'll take my chances." The demon says, and they start fighting.

Damon pulls Nyx closer to him, keeping her with him. Caroline's watching Uriel as they all duck down, and she sees the vial that Nyx told her about.

"Sorry, kiddo." The leader of the demons says when Cas fails to smite him. "Why don't you go run to Daddy?" He hits him, and Cas ends up on the ground.

Uriel smites one of the other two demons as the one fighting Cas gets his hands around his throat and starts chanting something. Dean looks over and sees that Nyx is safely hidden behind Damon, and then he goes for something to hit the demon that's hurting Cas.

"Dean, Dean, Dean." The demon looks at him. "I am so disappointed. You had such promise." He says and then starts to hurt the two Winchesters.

Caroline runs at Uriel as he's smiting the other demon, and she quickly yanks the chain from his neck. "No!" He yells as she runs back to Anna as fast as she'd run at him.

Anna takes the vial and then slams it down onto the ground, shattering it. A bright blueish-white light surrounds her, and Sam pushes himself off of the ground to quickly pull Caroline toward him. They all watch as the light enters Anna's mouth and then she falls to her hands and knees.

"Shut your eyes." Anna says as she stands up again. "Shut your eyes!"

Sam shields Caroline as he covers his own eyes, Dean quickly puts his arm over his face, and Damon turns to face Nyx. They both close their eyes as they huddle together. A bright flash of light erupts from Anna, and when they all look back she and the last demon are both gone.

Dean looks between Cas and Uriel then. "Well, what are you guys waiting for? Why don't you guys go get Anna?" He asks. "Unless, of course, you're scared."

"This isn't over." Uriel moves toward them, but Cas stops him.

"Oh, it looks over to me, junkless."

Cas looks at Nyx. "I'm sorry." He says, and she scoffs as she shakes her head.

"Stay out of my head, and stay away from me and my family." She tells him. "Whatever you ass-hats think you have planned for me and Elena — it's not gonna happen. Screw you, Castiel." She says through clenched teeth, and the two angels both disappear.

Ruby limps over to them, and Sam looks at her as Nyx leans into Damon's side, feeling hopeless and broken. He takes her hand in his and intertwines their fingers, trying to comfort her. She squeezes his hand as she fights back tears. He has no idea what's wrong, but he knows that she's upset and she's scared.

"You okay?" Sam asks Ruby.

"Not so much." She sighs.

"What took you so long to get back here?" Dean asks, and Nyx looks between the three of them, confused.

"Sorry I'm late with the demon delivery. I was only being tortured." Ruby tells him.

"You guys had a plan?" Nyx questions, and they look at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't know the demons were coming?" Damon asks, and she shakes her head.

"Looks like you were half right, Care. I have been isolated...but it wasn't my doing." She scoffs and pulls on Damon's arm. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here."

"Why did you tell Uriel where we are?" Dean asks, and she looks back at him. "You didn't know that we had a plan, you didn't know we wanted to pit the angels and demons against each other. So, why'd you tell him?"

"That's not your question." She shakes her head. "Be honest, Dean. You want to know if I told him because he told me that you slept with Anna. You wanna know if I wanted her to get killed for it. Well, screw you too." She scoffs.

"Come on." Caroline walks over and ushers her and Damon out of the barn.