January 2nd, 2016
Lebanon, Kansas

"Because it's crazy, okay!" Dean's shout reverberated throughout the bunker, and Alex paused, her wings drawing in tightly at the Winchester's tone; only one conversation could elicit that tone, and despite her better judgement, Alex's feet carried her down the hall. "And it's not going to happen. How many times do I have to say this is a horrible idea?" A chair creaked loudly as Dean leaned forward in his seat, and Alex paused just outside the doorway, peering in at the sight inside; Dean was sitting across the table from Sam, whose where straight and tense in face of Dean's anger. Hazel eyes flickered onto her, spotting her through the darkness, and Alex reluctantly stepped into the room as Dean's sharp gaze followed.

Sam's posture softened as her presence, and he turned back to Dean. "What else have we got?" he challenged, and Alex's shoulders fell as she recognized the argument she had been dreading all week. "Listen, I'm all ears. Ordinarily I'd agree with you, but the visions only happen when I reach out to God." His eyes turned onto Alex, searching for support, and the angel diverted her gaze. "I asked Him for a way to beat the Darkness and the visions got more specific —" His voice dropped. "And I was in the Cage."

"Yeah, with Lucifer," Dean snapped. "The biggest monster ever hatched. Fan-fucking-tastic."

"You know, Lucifer was the biggest monster ever hatched, until you and I hatched one that's even worse." Dean scoffed, and Sam scowled, his elbows thudding against the table as he leaned forward. "Listen, in the vision, Lucifer touches me and I feel calm ... like everything will be all right." He fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, and Alex felt a shiver in her wings. "And that's not something I would ever come up with," he finally finished. "I mean, that is the last thing I would ever feel. Please, Alex. Tell him."

Two sets of eyes turned onto her, and Alex stopped herself from shying away. "You ... you don't want me participating in this conversation," she muttered. "Neither of you do."

Sam's eyes flashed, and Dean let out a harsh laugh. "Damn straight we don't," he retorted. "You've been buddying up with Lucifer for — for how long?"

Alex's wings snapped out, the broken feathers rattling furiously. "I haven't had anything to do with him for years, Dean! And I don't want Sam walking into the Cage! I — it's —" She clenched her jaw, unsure what to say, and Sam's face darkened.

Dean's chair squealed as he pushed it back, and Alex stepped back to let him through to the far wall where a half-empty bottle of whiskey sat. "Why would God even ask this of you?" he asked, popping open the bottle and pouring himself a drink. "What proof do we have that any of this is actually real?"

He turned back around in time to see Sam's eyes flicker down onto the table. "Yesterday while I was out walking ... was a burning bush," he admitted, his voice barely audible. Dean's eyebrows lifted in surprise, and Sam quietly added, "Like in the Bible."

"You were in the forest." Dean's voice rose as he crossed back over to the table. "There are bushes there and sometimes, they burn!" He dropped back into his seat, slamming his drink down onto the table. "Come on, Alex. Help me out."

Alex hesitated, and Sam immediately stepped in. "Dean, doesn't it makes sense? I mean, Lucifer would know how God ended the Darkness. He was there."

"Alex."

"I don't know!" Alex threw her hands up, and she stalked over to drop down into a chair at the other end of the table. "I — I don't know, okay, Dean? What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to talk him out of it! Tell him — tell him that he's crazy, o-or that it's some crazy leftovers from when he was in hell." Dean slammed down his drink, scowling as he did so. "How do we know this is God?"

"You mean like his hallucinations." Alex forced her voice to be quiet, breathing in through her nose as she willed her body to be calm. "Dean ... Cas got rid of those, what, five years ago now? And I ... I'd be able to tell if Lucifer was in his head again."

"Would you?"

"Yes." No. Alex's breath caught in her throat as the lie left her lips, and she thanked her Father that neither of the brothers could see how her wings trembled. Why was she lying? "I — I think so," she half-corrected. "I would be able to feel it if Lucifer's grace was there."

"Besides," Sam added, taking over the explanation, and Alex pinched at the bridge of her nose. "Why would Lucifer reach out to me? Why — you'd think he'd find someone who didn't hate his guts."

"Like Alex."

"Dean, not helping." Sam snapped.

"See, this is why I didn't want to be a part of this conversation." Alex pushed herself to her feet, her fingers clenched into fists. "He was in my head for a reason, Dean. Doesn't mean I enjoyed it." Another lie, but Alex pushed past it. "I — I just want what's best for Sam. I want him safe, but ... but if Lucifer actually has answers ..."

"I think we should talk with Crowley." Sam mimicked Alex's calming tone, and Dean's lips tightened into a thin line. "Dean, at the very least it's worth looking into. We've got nothing on Amara, and just sitting on our ass ... it's wasting time."

"Fine." Dean threw up his hands in defeat, and he tipped his glass back to drain the last drop. "We'll talk." He pointed at Alex, and the angel's feathers rustled warily, prepared for another dispute. "Get Crowley to meet us tonight."

"I'll see what I can do." Alex glanced at Sam, waiting until he gave a curt nod, and she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "No promises he'll answer, though," she muttered under her breath, and she made her way out of the library. The metal stairs clanged under her feet as she ascended towards the door, and she stepped out of the bunker and into the sun.

It took three rings, but to her surprise, the King of Hell answered her call. "Alex. I didn't think I'd hear your voice any time soon."

"Desperate times. How's the arm?" Alex stepped out onto the road, her wings drawn in close to fight off the morning's bitter winds.

"It's fine, no thanks to you." Crowley's voice was gruff, filled with frustration and disdain. "This isn't a social call. What do you want, kitten?"

"Sam may have found someone who knows something about the Darkness." Alex spoke slowly, carefully choosing her words as she felt her deal tug upon her grace. "It's the only lead that we have, and ... and we need your help. Please," she added when Crowley scoffed. "You have to want Amara gone as much as we do. Just meet with us and hear us out."

Crowley was silent for several seconds, and Alex scuffed at the dirt with the toe of her shoe. "You're not telling me something," he finally said. "What is it?"

"Lucifer?" Crowley's voice boomed through the air as Sam and Dean stepped into the light of the fire, and Alex resisted from wincing at his fury. "You want me to open up the Cage. Are you out of your mind?"

Alex felt the Winchesters' eyes turn onto her, and she distracted herself by turning her gaze out across the surrounding concrete, her wings drawing nervously inwards. The bridge above them stopped the night wind, and barrel fires chased away the cold. Men surrounded each of the fires, hunched over to brace against the winter's chill, but apart from a few odd glances, none seemed interested in Crowley's tirade. "Hey, I'm not happy about it either," she heard Dean retort, "but Sam's had these .... these visions."

"They're from God," Sam insisted when Dean faltered, and Crowley's eyebrow cocked. "They started when I prayed to him, and they — they've been getting more specific. I keep seeing the Cage, and this last one ..." He drew in a deep breath, calming himself before he spoke. "I was in the Cage with Lucifer. And he ... I felt this sense of calmness o-or peace when he touched me. God — he wants me to talk to Lucifer."

"And God assured you of this, did he?" Distrust still darkened Crowley's face, but the anger had dissipated. "I'd say you're making this up, but I never think of you as imaginative."

Sam's lips pursed at the insult, and Dean visibly bristled. "We're not saying it's going to happen," he snapped. "We just want to know if it's possible."

"Theoretically," Alex added, and Crowley's dark eyes turned onto her.

"You would like to know," he quipped, and Alex's wings rose before she quickly pulled them back down, her deal forcing her gaze to the ground in a silent apology. Amusement flickered in the demon's eyes, lasting only long enough to be noticeable before he turned back to the brothers. "The Cage is a can of worms you do not want to open," he warned. "I believe this conversation is over."

He raised his hand, ready to vanish with a snap of his fingers, but Dean stopped him. "Is it?" he challenged. "Crowley, you know that the Darkness is going to pound on everything, and that includes you."

Crowley hesitated, and Sam added, "Yeah. And you had a shot at taking her out when she was with you, but apparently you thought sucking up was the way to go."

"And that didn't work out so well," Dean finished smugly, and Crowley scowled.

"Because she chose you. And you couldn't control your girlfriend." Crowley tugged at the cuffs of his jacket as he spoke, his anger conveyed in how he pulled a little too sharply at the sleeves. "What happened in that room, Dean? Why did she insist on sparing you?" He watched as Sam glanced over at his brother, and he added, "What is she to you?"

Dean hesitated, indecision darkening his face, and Alex narrowed her eyes as the silence lengthened. "Wanna know who she is, Crowley?" he finally said, his voice harsh. "How about God's sister!"

Crowley's eyes widened at the confession, and the fight left his face to be replaced by momentary shock. "God's sister?" he repeated, and when Alex nodded, he scowled. "He has relatives? I had that kind of leverage under my thumb and I let it slip away."

"Can we focus on the bigger picture here, okay?" Dean's arms folded impatiently across his chest. "Can Sam meet with Lucifer or not?"

"In the Cage," Sam added, and Dean's head snapped to the side.

"No, not in the Cage," he corrected sharply. "That's not going to happen." He looked down at Alex, but the angel kept her lips pursed tightly together.

Emboldened by Alex's silence, Sam mimicked his brother by crossing his arms. "Okay, then I don't meet with Lucifer. Dean, we can't let him out."

"You're unusually silent." Crowley spoke quietly, and once again Alex hurriedly dropped her eyes back onto the ground. "I would have expected you to have quite the opinion about Lucifer of all things."

"Well, I guess you'd be mistaken," Alex snapped, and she shoved her hands deep into her pockets. "I ... see the merits to both sides," she finally added. "Sam needs to talk with Lucifer even — even if there's just a small chance that he knows something about the Darkness, but if Sam isn't safe ..." She nudged at a small chunk of discarded concrete as she hesitated. "Sam's safety should come first."

Crowley hummed, a noise of interest, and he turned back to face Sam and Dean. "There may be a way," he finally decided. "Clearly, if Sam entered the Cage, he's gone. And yes," he added, "it's on my bucket list, but now's not the time to be selfish. We need a secure site, a way to neutralize Lucifer's powers."

"In hell?" Sam guessed, and Crowley scoffed.

"Yes, in hell, so we have a modicum of control! You think I want that abomination running amuck upstairs?" His eyes darted over Alex, carefully watching her reaction to the insult, but Alex kept her wings pinned neutrally against her back, staring blankly off into the distance.

"Is it possible to control the situation?" Dean drew Crowley's attention away from her, and Alex let her fists relax — when had she clenched them? "Because if Sam's not safe, it's not happening."

"Goodness, mummy, loosen the grip." Crowley paused, waiting for Dean to scowl before his tone grew stiffer. "Theoretically, it's possible, with challenges. I can arrange for transit into hell. Opening the Cage, that's another matter."

"You're the king of the joint. Don't you have a key?"

Crowley's eyebrows lifted at Dean's accusation. "It was sealed by God Himself!" he retorted. "Of course I don't 'have a key.' " He paused, and Alex glanced over to watch the brothers' reactions; Sam was nodding, but Dean merely rolled his eyes. "The mechanisms is of divine manufacturer," Crowley finally said. "I believe its secrets, along with the spells for warding Sam, were recorded where many such mysteries are found. The Book of the Damned."

"Great." Alex let her wings rise up, shaking out the broken vanes. "Well, we don't exactly have that at the moment."

"But we know who does," Crowley reminded. "And I know where she is. You boys remember my little home away from home in Fall Rivers, right? I'll bring that bitch there. Alex, go with them and make sure that they don't touch anything. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Alex shoved her hands into her pockets, letting her wings unfold slightly in acquiescence.

"Yes, what?"

The angel felt her face flush, and she cast a quick look over at Sam and Dean. "Y-Yes, Crowley," she corrected, thankful for the darkness that helped hide her embarrassment. "I understand."

"Good girl." Crowley's eyes glinted, delighted at her subservience, and Alex dropped her attention onto the ground. "Be there at this time tomorrow. I'll be waiting." He didn't wait for confirmation and, with a snap of his fingers, he vanished into the dark.

Fall Rivers, Massachusetts

The abandoned sanitarium loomed through the darkness, the boarded windows catching in the harsh glow of the Impala's headlights. Alex jumped out of the backseat, her grace stretching outwards as she circled around to the gate. "Hurry up," she called over her shoulder. "We're late." Her grace impatiently undid the thick padlock, and the gate swung open with a heavy creak.

She paused on the other side to wait for Sam and Dean to catch up, her feet tapping at the cracked concrete. She kept three steps ahead of them, her deal pushing her to urge them on. The door swung open beneath her touch, and Alex finally slowed, her impatience falling away. Sam and Dean paused as they stepped over the threshold, unsure which way to go, and Alex's wing twitched. "Crowley's this way."

She led the way down the twisting halls to the arched double doors, its wood and metal carved with intricate turns and swirls. It swung open beneath her touch, revealing the torch-lit throne room beyond. Crowley sat upon the iron throne, a finger tapping impatiently on his chin. He straightened up as they entered, and Alex let out a soft breath of relief as she felt her deal lighten. "About time." The King of Hell motioned Alex forward, and the angel complied, circling around so she could stand behind him. "I was starting to think you weren't coming."

"We hit construction —"

"I don't care." Crowley dismissed the angel's excuse with a wave of his hands. "My demons should be bringing Rowena in here any moment. You should wait over there." He pointed to a door off to his right, and Dean frowned.

"Are you serious?" he challenged. "You want us to wait outside?"

"Dean, Dean, Dean." Crowley shook his head disparagingly. "When will you learn it's all about presentation? More importantly," he added when Dean scowled, "I don't need any more rumors circulating that I'm working with you two. So stay hidden until my men are gone." He shooed them away, and Alex stepped out from beside the throne to follow. "Ah. Alex, stay here."

With a flick of her wings, Alex returned to her spot, her arms folded across her chest. The door closed behind the Winchesters, and the throne room fell quiet, the only sound the faint clicking of Crowley's nails against his iron armrest. "What happened to your eye?" The tapping paused, and Alex scoffed.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she muttered.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the demon smirk. "Actually, I would." He tapped twice on the arm of his chair, and Alex's good eye flickered to the ground.

"Witch. He ... he was the son of one of the witches that was killed when you sent me after Rowena back in Denver. He had an angel blade. Archangel blade," she reluctantly corrected. "That's why I'm not healing like I should." Her feet scuffed at the concrete floor, and after a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Can you ... can you fix it?"

"Maybe." Crowley didn't bother to glance up at her, his voice quiet as he mused. "An archangel blade, you say. I want you to bring that to me as soon as you can."

"You —" Alex swallowed back her anger, grinding her teeth together as she forced her voice back under control, and she folded her hands in front of her as she focused her eye on the far end of the room. "Once things calm down, I'll bring it to you. If — if the Winchesters catch me with an archangel blade, they might get the wrong impression. About our intentions with ... Lucifer."

"Touché." Crowley shifted in his seat, drawing forth a small, slim knife to toy with as he thought. He fell silent, and Alex tucked her arms behind her back as footsteps approached the throne room. The door swung open to reveal three figures; the two on either ends were demons, dressed in black suits and ties. The middle one was female, her head was obscured by a black leather hood, but Alex recognized the woman immediately. Rowena.

Despite the restraints, the witch walked confidently across the floor, only relying on the demons to tell her when to stop. The hood was removed, and Rowena shook out her hair with a dark scowl. "Mother." Crowley straightened up in his seat, and Alex rolled her shoulders back as the demons' eyes flickered onto her. "Good of you to stop by."

"Unhand me, you goons!" Rowena ripped her arms from the demons' grasps, her shackles clattering at the action. Crowley waved a hand, a signal for the demons to leave, and Rowena lifted her chin in defiance, brushing back her red hair the best that she could . "So, Fergus," she began, her voice dripping with malice, "think you've won? Lay a hand on me, and my followers will swoop down on this tin-can palace of yours with all the power of the Book of the Damned!"

Alex glanced over at Crowley, searching for any sign that her intervention was needed, but Crowley merely leaned back in his seat. "Stow it, you lying bitch. If you could do that, you'd have done it. If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done that."

"Not that you haven't tried." Faux betrayal crept into Rowena's voice, and Alex barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

Crowley paused, his finger pressed up against the tip of his knife. "You tried to kill me," he reminded. "Twice."

"What is it they say? Third time's the charm." Rowena's smile was sickly sweet, but it faded as the side door creaked open. Sam and Dean stepped through, and the witch's face paled ever so slightly. "Oh, you're not handing me over to them," she bemoaned, turning back to her son. "It's beneath even you. They're your enemies as well!"

"Alright, Rowena." Dean stopped a few feet into the room, his own displeasure more than evident. "We get it. We're all enemies, okay? But right now we've got bigger fish to fry. Then we can go back to killing each other."

"Ah." The surprise melted away, and Rowena's lips slowly turned up into a smug smile. "The chicken's come home to roost. This ghastly force set free when the Mark was removed."

"So you know?"

Rowena smiled over at Sam. "I've heard whispers," she promised cryptically. "As bad as they say?" She turned back to Dean, and the Winchester's hands dropped back down to his side, his right arm turned to hide where the Mark of Cain had once lay.

"Well, let's just say that everyone in this room might hold a piece to the puzzle to corking it back up," he said.

"Oh, really." Scorn darkened Rowena's face, and Alex lifted her arms to fold them across her chest. "And what happens to me once the danger is past? How do I know that I can trust any of you?"

"You don't." Crowley's words drew everyone's attention onto him. "None of us do. It's a devil's bargain." He slid the tip of his knife under his fingernail, dislodging a small fleck of dirt before he flicked the knife towards the table in the middle of the room. "Sit. All of you."

Rowena tossed her head as she turned, and Alex watched Sam roll his eyes as he moved to join the witch at the wooden table. Dean followed more slowly, displeased at the order, but he was the first to sit down, his arms crossed as he motioned for Rowena to sit across from him.

The action was accompanied by a dark glare in Crowley's direction, and the demon twisted the small knife in his hands. "Alex, why don't you sit down as well," he instructed, gesturing to the small concrete step beside the throne. He held Dean's gaze as Alex complied, carefully sitting down at the feet of the King of Hell. She felt his hand come to rest on the top of her hair, his fingers drumming mindlessly, and she dropped her gaze to the ground as she felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. Out of the corner of her eye, saw Dean's demeanor darken, and her wings twitched violently as Crowley's finger moved to curiously brushed across their bony arch.

The action went unnoticed by Rowena, whose attention was focused completely on Dean. "So, what exactly is it that you boys let out of the bag, hmm?"

"The Darkness." Dean's reply was curt. "A force so powerful that God himself had to lock her away to keep her from destroying everything, which just so happens to be her goal now that's she's back." He glanced over at Sam before he reluctantly added, "And apparently she's God's sister."

"His sister?" Rowena's eyes stretched wide in surprise and amazement, and Alex scowled at the joyful laugh that followed. "Can this be true? In my day we'd all be burned at the stake for even thinking any of this."

"You see then, Mother, the need for urgency," Crowley's hand disappeared from Alex's head to play once again with his knife, and Rowena's amusement died, replaced by cool displeasure.

"Well, if my deciphering of the Book is so pivotal," she said, her chin lifting as her eyes narrowed, "I'd like to know what's in it for me."

"You mean, other than your life?" Dean retorted, and Rowena's face darkened even further at his quip.

With a sigh, Crowley rose to his feet; a single tap on Alex's head told her to stay put, and the angel drew her legs out of the way so the demon could pass. "Speaking of which, I'll make you a little deal, Mommy." He tucked his knife into his pocket as he approached, and Alex leaned sideways to peer around him. "You pitch in like a good girl, I'll call off my assassins. No more looking over your shoulder, for now."

"Your assassins." Rowena sniffed as Crowley circled around the back of her chair. "And what about her, Fergus? I don't doubt that she wouldn't hesitate to kill me, either."

Two sets of eyes turned onto Alex, and the angel's wings twitched disdainfully. "Alex won't touch you." Crowley's fingers dragged across the wooden backing of Rowena's chair. "I give you my word."

"And what makes you so sure you can control her like that?" Rowena held Alex's gaze, her nose lifted in disgust. "I don't see a leash."

Alex quickly dropped her eyes to the ground, flinching as she heard Crowley chuckle. "I can get her a leash if you want," he joked, and Alex couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. "I promise you, she's completely under my control. Alex." He beckoned her forward, and Alex started to push herself to her feet, but the demon clicked his tongue. "Ah. Not like that." He pointed to the ground, and Alex's jaw trembled as she sunk to her knees.

"Alright, that's enough." Dean pushed himself to his feet, his green eyes dark with anger, and Crowley turned back to his mother with a thin smile. "Do we have a deal or not?"

Alex sunk back down onto the concrete as Rowena thought. "I'll need the codex, of course," she finally decided. "And the code-breaker Charlie devised."

Yeah, you'll get limited access," Sam countered, and Rowena sniffed. "Supervised."

He crossed his arms and, when Rowena didn't argue, Dean added, "We need to know exactly this: how to open the Cage and how to protect Sam once it is." Alex felt his eyes flicker across her, but she kept her gaze on the ground, head turned slightly to hide her blind eye from the four in front of her.

"Just what's in this cage that's so dangerous?" Rowena asked, interest thickening her accent, and Alex finally lifted her head.

"Lucifer." She drew her wings in close as she spoke, quickly glancing towards Crowley, but the demon didn't even look her way. "Lucifer is locked up in the cage."

Rowena hesitated, pale disbelief upon her face, but when the angel remained silent, she smiled. "Lucifer?" Alex didn't miss the light of surprise and joy in her eyes, and she leaned against the table as she turned to face Sam and Dean. "The original Dark Prince?"

"Yes," Dean agreed, "an archangel so badass that he was personally dumped into the Cage by God himself."

Rowena looked down into her lap, barely able to contain a squeak of excitement, and Alex managed to catch Crowley's gaze; the demon's face was dark with disgust. "Well, let's get to it, then," Rowena finally said, her voice thin as if it held emotions the witch sought to suppress, and Dean's head lolled back as he rolled his eyes.

"We're going to need the Book of the Damned." Emboldened by Crowley's lack of response, Alex rose to her feet. "Where is it, Rowena?"

"So you can kill me and take it for yourself?" Rowena laughed in scorn. "If you want the Book, you'll have to take me with."

"We don't have time for this!" Dean demanded, but Crowley held up his hand, and the Winchester fell silent.

"Alex, take Rowena and retrieve the Book," he ordered. "Do what you have to." He turned to look down at Sam and Dean, and Alex's wing flicked smugly at Rowena's incredulity. "I'm assuming you had the foresight to bring the codex and the code-breaker. I'll have a room secured for Mother to work."

Alex turned the stolen sedan down the ramp, her left foot thumping against the dead pedal in time with the music. Rowena sat in the passenger seat beside her; the witch's gaze was out the side window, her shoulders stiff with displeasure, and Alex reluctantly reached over to turn the music down. "So ... where's my next turn?"

Rowena's chin lifted as she spoke, her voice regal and crisp. "You'll want to go right," she announced. Her fingers curled into the side handle of the door as Alex turned the car, and once it had straightened out, Rowena once again spoke. "So, we're really looking to open up Lucifer's cage, hmm?"

"Yup. I can't say that I'm looking forward to opening up that can of worms again." Alex dropped her left hand down onto the stick, her nails digging into the faux leather. "Things were bad enough the first time we accidentally opened it up. If we don't do it right this time ..."

"You mean you've met Lucifer before?"

Alex cast the witch a quick look, confused by the breathless words. "You could say that," she quietly agreed. "I ... I have to ask. Why are you so excited about him? He's the devil."

"Oh, just a schoolgirl's curiosity." Some of the tension left Rowena's shoulders as she turned to look at Alex, and the angel rolled her eyes. "So tell me. What is he truly like? Is he evil as everyone says?"

"He's ... I guess it depends who you ask." Alex spoke slowly, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Uh ... some ... some will say he's evil, but he thinks that's he's just misunderstood. No matter what side you take," she quickly added, "I think everyone can agree that he's a bit of an asshole."

Rowena's hum conveyed that she was less than convinced. "Perhaps to you. But I'm sure he's much more agreeable ... to certain people."

"What?" The car jerked as Alex laughed, her foot slamming on the acceleration. "Oh, like you? Because you're a witch and he's your dark overlord?" She scoffed. "Lucifer hates people. He barely tolerated me, and I'm not even human anymore."

"We'll see. I can be quite ... persuasive." The seductive twist to her voice had Alex scowling, and Rowena's eyes turned back out the window. "It's every witch's dream to meet him, you know. At least for the true loyalists."

"Well, I think your affections are misplaced." Was that jealousy in her voice? Alex quickly pushed the feeling away with a shake of her head. "And lucky for all of us, you're not going to have the chance to talk with him. Only Sam is going to get close enough." That time, Alex was confident that it was jealousy that twisted at her stomach.

"Pity." Rowena fell quiet with a sigh. "But I suppose he isn't relationship material." Alex didn't respond, her attention on keeping her wings from rising in anger. They continued on in silence until Rowena sighed again, heavy and dramatic. "You missed your turn, dear."

"You didn't tell me I had to turn," Alex muttered, and she swung the car around on the open road, the tires squealing against the pavement.

Rowena's shackles clinked as she shifted her hands in her lap, and Alex turned the car down the dirt road. "So," Rowena began again, "how exactly did my son get someone like you under his thumb?"

Alex's fingers dug into the steering wheel, her eyes narrowing as she considered a response. "I made a stupid mistake," she finally growled, displeased at the turn of conversastion. "I shouldn't have done it, but there's no point in wishing otherwise. He's normally not that ... authoritative," she added after a second's thought. "He's just pissed at Sam and Dean and he's taking it out on me." The car jostled as the dirt road suddenly turned back into pavement, and Alex scowled out into the darkness. "Where are we even going, Rowena? There's nothing out here."

"We're almost there," the witch promised temperately. "Keep driving."

The car rose up over a hill, and a small home caught in the headlights, standing tall among the flat fields. Alex turned the car into the dirt driveway at Rowena's instructions, her grace stretching out to inspect the property. The passenger door swung open, and Alex jumped out of the car as Rowena stepped out. "Whoa!" she snapped. "Hold up."

"Oh, please." The witch's hair caught in the headlight as she circled around, a halo of fire against the night. "Do you really think I'm going anywhere in this?" She held up her shackled wrists in scorn, and the sequences in her narrow dress shimmered as she moved. "I just want to retrieve the Book as much as you do."

She swept away, moving through the overgrown property with the grace of a queen, and Alex rolled her eyes before following after her. "You're really going to tell me that you hid the fucking Book of the Damned here? It's a dump."

"Language," Rowena chided, and Alex scoffed. "I could hardly keep it with me, between Fergus and the Winchesters." She paused beside the decrepit door, clicking her tongue absent-mindedly. "You'll have to stay out here, dear. No angels or demons inside."

She stepped across the threshold, and Alex's wings flared out in surprise as a wall stopped her from following, a thick tangle of invisible thorns that caught against her grace. Her eyes snapped up to the broken windows to see the blue glow of wardings, and Alex pushed fruitlessly against the thorns. "Rowena! This isn't part of the deal!"

"Oh, ye of little faith." The voice drifted out through the far window, and Alex tore around the side of the building, cursing as buckthorn tore at her clothes. "I'm more than willing to play your game in exchange for the codex and my freedom."

The back of the house was dark, lacking any sort of a door, Alex followed the witch's voice back towards the front door in time to see Rowena step out onto the front step. There was a pause as the witch ran her eyes across Alex's appearance, her clothing wrinkled and slightly torn from the undergrowth, and Alex's fists curled at the amusement that flitted across her pale face. "Well?" she snapped. "Do you have the Book?"

"Aye, I do." Rowena nodded down towards a leather-wrapped parcel tucked in her arms. "Now do you want to leave, or do you mean to go trampling through the brambles some more like a drunk badger?" She turned back to the car, her eyes twinkling with an unusual mirth, and Alex set off after her with a scowl.

The sun was above the horizon by the time Alex and Rowena returned to Needham Asylum. Alex grabbed the Book of the Damned off of the witch's lap, ignoring her sharp protest. "Come on. They're expecting us." She kicked the car door shut behind her and started up the sidewalk, pausing only to make sure that Rowena was following.

Despite the open torches, the inside of the asylum was cold — as per usual — and Alex flicked her grace down the halls as Rowena closed the door behind her. "Come on." She led the way towards the throne room, the Book of the Damned tucked up against her chest. "Crowley?" She called out the demon's name as she rounded the corner, frowning to find it as empty as the hall before. "Where the hell is everyone?"

A door ahead of her creaked open, and Sam peered out; his face, dark with confusion, lit up at the sight of her. "Hey. You're back." His eyes slid past her onto Rowena, and he waved them forward. "Come on. We've got things set up in here."

"Here." Alex handed him the Book of the Damned. "You take care of her. I need to talk with Crowley, let him know what happened." She peered past him into the room, frowning to find that it was empty. "Where's Dean?"

"There was a murder at a church across town — massacre, actually. He went to go check it out. Best case, it's some nut job. Worst case ..." He shrugged, unwilling to speak of the other possibility.

"Amara," Alex finished. "She's still in Fall Rivers?" Sam shrugged again, and she sighed. "Okay, well, you two get to work on finding those spells. I'll be back once I talk with Crowley." She walked away, leaving the Winchester to take of the witch.

The throne room lay just down the hall, the door propped slightly open, and Alex stepped inside to find Crowley standing at the far end of the room. He turned at the sound of her entrance, and the angel couldn't help how her wings unfolded slightly. "Well?" He crossed over to her, his hands deep within his pockets. "How did it go?"

"It went fine. We found the Book at a small house just north of the highway. The building was warded, so I couldn't go inside. Who knows what else she has stashed away in there." Alex circled past Crowley to lean up against the wooden table. "Where is everyone? I thought this place would be teeming with demons."

"I sent them away for the time being." Crowley dismissed her question with a wave of his hand. "How quickly do you think Rowena will be able to read that book? I don't expect that ginger whore to take more than an hour or two, but I decided to err on the side of caution."

"I have absolutely no idea," Alex said with a half-hearted shrug. "We just got back, and I came here first thing." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the door. "Rowena's already in there with Sam."

"And what of Castiel?" The demon wandered closer; he shoved his hands casually in his pocket as he spoke as if to hide the sharp curiosity, and Alex pursed her lips together. "I'm surprised he hasn't swooped in to save the day."

His eyes glinted, and Alex's gaze flickered down onto the ground. "Last I heard, he's in Gaza," she admitted. "He's looking for stuff on the Darkness ... and on how to break my deal." She watched Crowley, searching for any sign of surprise, but the demon remained quiet. "Is there anything else you need me to do?" she finally asked. "Otherwise I'm —"

She cut off at Crowley's smirk, her jaw clamping shut around her question. "You're dismissed for now." He waved her away, and Alex hesitated for only a moment before she quietly left the room. Her wings rose angrily the second she was out of his sight, and the angel squeezed her eyes shut, fists clenched as she reigned in her anger. She pushed down her deal, trying to bury it in her grace, but its hooks only sunk in deeper.

Rowena was already chained to the iron table by the time Alex stepped into the room, her head buried in the Book of the Damned. Sam straddled a chair across from her, and his head lifted in surprise as the door swung closed. "Well?" he asked. "What did Crowley want?"

"Nothing." Alex dropped down into a chair against the far wall, her arms crossed defensively across her chest. "He says the demons are gone for the day, so we don't have to worry about them. Oh, and he doesn't think it should take that long to read that book."

Rowena merely smiled at the angel's pointed words. "I'm as motivated as the rest of you to find this spell," she promised lightly, "but these things take time." She dragged a finger down the page, her painted nails tapping against the yellowed paper. "Ah," she murmured to herself, and her attention dropped back on the book as she turned the page.

"Hey, stay on task," Sam warned, but when Rowena gave no response, he turned in his seat. "How are you holding up?"

"Me?" Alex's eyes narrowed in momentary confusion. "I'm fine, I guess. Eager to get this over and done with, you know?" She watched as Sam glanced back towards the witch, and she added, "You're talking about Crowley, aren't you?"

Sam's cheeks colored slightly, barely visible in the poorly lit room, and his eyes flickered across the walls, looking for a place to rest before they reluctantly landed back on her. "It ... it just seems a bit excessive ..." he started, and he fell silent when Alex rolled her eyes.

"He's dealing with a lot right now," she said. "He's ... well, let's see. He's mad at her for obvious reasons," she began, jerking a thumb towards Rowena, "and he's scared of Amara — again for obvious reasons. And now he's pissed at you and Dean because you want to go talk to Lucifer, who he also should be scared of ..." She ended with a shrug, even as her wings drew in; why was she defending him? "He's just taking it out on me because I'm the only thing in all of this he has to control," she finished. "I'm trying not to take it personally."

The thin frown on Sam's face was enough to display his displeasure, but the ringing of his phone directed his attention downwards. He rose to his feet to answer, and Alex silently moved to take the chair across from Rowena. "Hey, Dean," she heard him say. "Yeah, they're back. Rowena's working on it now." There was a pause, and then Sam nodded. "Yeah. But the stuff we're looking for is definitely in the Book. You find anything at the church?"

Rowena's finger slipped under the heavy pages, and a side-long glance was cast in Sam's direction she peered under the page. "Hey, hey." Alex kicked at the leg of the table, and Rowena quickly straightened up. "No peeking, okay?"

Rowena rolled her eyes, but she turned back to her work and, satisfied by the compliance, Alex's attention returned to Sam. "She's upping her game," he was saying, worry thickening his voice. "She's going past the point where we can deal with her."

Alex lifted her grace to her ears to catch Dean's response. "— you're sure you're okay with this whole deal?"

"No. Not even a little bit," Sam admitted, "but what choice to we have, you know?" Rowena had paused to listen; a quick glare from Alex had her heaving a sigh as she sifted through the pages of the code-breaker. "Right now it's just research, but you got it," Sam promised. "Nothing without you." He hung up, and Alex slid her chair to the side so Sam could drag the second one up to the table.

"You talk about trust." Rowena didn't look up from the Book of the Damned as she spoke, and Alex felt Sam stiffen.

"No," he countered, "I don't."

"You and your blood-thirsty brother say we're partners in this holy war against Amara, and yet —" Rowena lifted her hands sharply, the iron rings of the shackles clacking together in the small room. "Trussed like a chicken."

Sam jammed his finger down onto the iron table. "You're sitting here with the Book of the Damned and the means to read every word, and you think I'm going to set you free?" he snapped, and anger flashed hot in his hazel eyes. "Do I look crazy?"

Rowena lowered her hands back down to the table, her chin raised to meet Sam's anger. "Well," she began, the frustration in her voice traded for calm composure, "you do have unresolved issues with your domineering older brother and the abandonment by your father."

The tightening of Sam's jaw was the only outward show of his anger. "You know what? Just get back to work. Alright? We're running out of time here!" He walked away, pinching the bridge of his nose, only to spin back around when the witch let out a small exclamation of surprise. "What? What now?"

Rowena pushed herself to her feet, her red lips pursed together in a thin, smug smile.
"Well, I'll need some ingredients." She turned her eyes onto Alex, adding, "You may summon Fergus, now. And tell him to bring a hand cart."

"A hand cart?" Alex repeated, and she exchanged a confused glance with Sam Winchester as she rose from her chair.

"We're going to Hell." Rowena straightened the pages of the code-breaker as she spoke, her eyes sparkling in excitement.

"You found a spell that'll work?" Sam hurried back to the table, and the table creaked as he leaned up against it to look down at the array of books and papers.

"Yes, Samuel." The witch's voice was tinged with exasperation, but she kept her composure calm. "We have everything we need to summon Lucifer and keep him contained." Her eyes slid back onto Alex. "Go get Fergus, dear," she repeated, and Alex's feathers ruffled at the demeaning tone. "He'll want to know about this as soon as possible."

Alex hesitated, her jaw clenched at the order, and she stiffly crossed towards the door, moving slowly to show her reluctance. Once outside, she paused, untying the knot in her grace as she looked up towards the ceiling. Cas? She let the prayer hang between them, wings pulled hesitantly in. Where are you?

I'm in Illinois. The response came immediately, and Alex glanced back towards the room that held Sam and Rowena. Dean told me about Sam's visions. That you're looking to speak with Lucifer.

Sam's looking to speak with Lucifer, Alex hastily corrected as she felt Castiel's displeasure. He's the only lead that we have. Cas, you ... Rowena found the right spell in the Book of the Damned. We're on our way to hell right now.

Make them wait, Castiel ordered. I can be there —

I can't make anyone wait. I'm at the bottom of the totem pole here, Cas. Alex scowled as she thought the prayer, and she toed at the smooth stone floor. I'll let you know where the gate is, but I can't buy any time.

No response came, and Alex probed at the prayer only to find the link had been severed. With a sigh, Alex hurried off towards the throne room. "Crowley." She thrust her way through the double doors, her wing flicking as they slammed shut behind her.

The King of Hell sat upon his throne, one arm thrown casually over the armrest as he reclined in the hard seat. His head turned at the angel's violent entrance, and the knife that he was balancing between his fingers stopped its twirling.

The tip dipped downwards, motioning towards the ground, and Alex looked around the empty room, head tipping to one side. "It's ... it's just me here, Crowley. I'm not kneeling." The motion came again, and Alex rolled her shoulders back. "This is important."

The knife flicked once more, a sharper gesture than the others before, and Alex grit her teeth as she felt her deal within her, an unreachable itch to kneel down upon the cold stone floor. She clenched her jaw as she dropped down on one knee, head bowed to hide the rolling of her eyes. She heard Crowley rise to his feet, his dress shoes clicking against the stone as he approached. They came to stop in front of her, and Alex's eyes flickered up before she quickly returned her gaze to the ground. "So." Crowley's voice was languid, and Alex forced her impatience down. "Has Mother found anything of interest yet?"

Alex paused, letting the question hang in the air for a moment before she answered. "That's why I'm here. Rowena's already found the spell we need. We're ready to go to hell."

Fingers gripped her hair, pulling her to her feet, and Alex's wings stretched out to steady herself as she suppressed a squeak of surprise. "What? Why didn't you start with that?"

"You're the one made me bow." Alex planted her feet on the floor as she spoke, rising up on tiptoes to alleviate Crowley's grip. "We have some ingredients that we need. You'll have to go talk to her about that one, though." She dropped back down onto her heels as Crowley released her hair, and she shook her wings out so the feathers would lie flat. "Do you need me to do anything?" The question slipped out, and she ground her teeth.

"Just stay close." Crowley adjusted his tie as he spoke; a hint of fear in his eyes betrayed the authoritative calmness of his voice. He tucked the knife into his suit, and Alex fell in step behind him as he lead the way out of the room.

Hell

The hallway shimmered ahead of them, the black air alight with red embers, and Alex's wings pulled in close as one of the embers brushed past her cheek. Sulphur filled her nose, permeating every corner of her being, and the angel almost gagged as she opened her mouth to speak. Bile rose in the back of her throat, and Alex's step faltered as she fought to control her stomach. "Flop sweat, sonny?" That was Rowena. She walked at Crowley's side, the Book of the Damned pressed up against her chest. Her heels clicked against the cobblestone as she walked, barely audible over the screams of the damned. "Dread of what's to come?"

"Can it." Crowley shoved his hands into his pockets as he strolled forward, and Alex lifted her eyes to the sky as the ceiling disappeared, leaving nothing but blackness above. "Your barbs may amuse your circle of hags. You have no idea what you're tampering with, what Lucifer is capable of. Isn't that right, Alex?"

Alex turned her eyes back down onto the King of Hell, nodding obediently. "He ... broke my wing," she added quietly. "I'd only had them for a week, and he ..." A blood-curdling scream broke through the air, and Alex fell quiet with a shiver. "I'd forgotten about that."

She glanced over at Rowena, searching her face for some reaction, but the witch merely chuckled. "Well dear, if you can't stand the heat, get out of hell." She turned her eyes upwards, and Alex cast side a side-long look at Sam as he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I must say," Rowena mused, "it's not as scenic as I'd expected."

"We are in the furthest reaches of hell — Limbo — where I send unruly souls for timeout." Crowley lengthened his stride to take the lead down a side hall. The walls disappeared, leaving only a flat, sulfurous plain, the ends of which was obscured by the blackness.

"I think I've been here before." Alex moved to walk at Crowley's side, her wings flicking in surprise, and she looked up into his face in hopes of an answer.

"You have," he agreed. "When you came to reclaim Bobby Singer, if I believe. What it lacks in ambience, it makes up for in security."

"And it's close to the Cage." Alex's grace instinctively reached out, remembering how strong Lucifer's grace had felt near the edge. Crowley nodded, and Alex's eyes pulled away from the blackness to turn onto the structures in front of her. A small tower had been constructed, overlooking an iron cage that had been placed on the ground before a wooden table. Rowena had already moved forward to set down the Book of the Damned, whose yellowed pages almost glowed in the darkness, and Alex watched her for only a moment before she turned back towards the cage.

She stepped away from Crowley to circle around it, reaching out to brush her fingers across the bars; they were caked with rust, and the sharp flakes broke beneath her gentle touch. "Well?" Crowley's quiet voice echoed in her ear, and Alex drew her wings in closer at his proximity. "Bring back memories?"

"I ... some." Alex let her hand fall back to her side, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. "Lucifer showed me the Cage once. At least ... at least he said he did. It wasn't anything like this, though. It was — it was huge, actually. Eternally big, but eternally small. That's how he described it."

She heard Crowley hum — despite his best intentions to sound uninterested, Alex could feel his unease — and when she looked back, the demon was gone, already sauntering off towards Sam. Rowena had moved from the table to the cage, kneeling among the cracked stone to paint along the iron platform beneath it. Alex reached up again to feel the iron, and her wings thrust downwards as she pulled herself up, balancing on the outside of the cage as she peered in. "Alex." Crowley called her name, and the angel dropped back down onto the ground. Embers sparked at the impact, stinging at her ankles, but the angel pushed the sensation away as she circled around to the King of Hell. "Don't wander too far off."

Alex flicked a wing to signal that she had heard, and she turned her eyes to watch Rowena work. The witch moved swiftly and surely, each stroke of her brush a confident sweep. She moved around the cage with a sense of poised grace, and Alex watched her until she disappeared from sight.

"Makes your flesh crawl, doesn't it, Moose?" Crowley began. "I get it. I'm the King of the place, and it's still not my cup of tea."

Sam jumped at the sound of his voice, and his shoulders rolled back as he turned to face the King of Hell. "I don't know, Crowley." To his credit, his voice didn't shake despite the fear flickering in his eyes. "I'd say it suits you. Dark. Empty."

"Fascinating." Crowley stared up at the Winchester. "The utter contempt when I'm in the midst of saving the Winchesters' bacon again."

"The point of this is to save everyone's bacon," Sam reminded, "including yours." His eyes flickered past Crowley towards Rowena. "Let's just hope she knows what she's doing," he muttered. "This cell won't hold anything if the warding isn't right."

"Don't you worry about me, Samuel," Rowena chided, and Alex narrowed her eyes at the gaiety in her tone. "I'm a professional." She rose to her feet and crossed over to the table, and Sam stepped away to give her room to work.

"And you're sure you can do all this without actually open the Cage, right?" Alex eyed the wardings carefully, her wings drawn in close as Rowena shuffled through the ingredients to the spell. Rowena didn't immediately answered, and Alex's voice sharpened. "Right?"

"We're about to find out, aren't we?" Rowena lifted her arms, and the sigils along the bottom of the cage began to glow like hellfire. "Foro dega la moray, mah ho tah!" The ground ignited as fire sprung up, lashing at the air as it surrounded the cage, and Alex's wings trembled as the air thickened around her. "Now, let's have a go at that Cage. For Re say lah!"

Alex could feel Sam beside her, his breaths coming in tight, short bursts. The fear emanating from him was palpable, hotter than the hell-burnt air, and Alex's feet shifter her closer to Crowley. The demon stood with a cool calmness, his eyes narrowed as he watched the fire rise. "It begins," he murmured, but the words lost beneath a crack of thunder.

The fire rose, surrounding the entire cage, and Alex screwed her eyes up against the light and the heat as she tried to peer past it into the darkness. She didn't feel Sam move away until he was gone, and she barely spared him half a look as he slipped into the shadows before a bolt of lighting pulled her attention back. The darkness was flickering — Alex's heart pounded in her chest as she searched the shadows. Her hip bumped against the table, and she jumped back with a start — why was she shifting forward?

Crowley's hand grabbed the back of her shirt, dragging her back to his side. "This was a bad idea," she heard him hiss. "Alex, go find Dean. See what's taking him so long —"

Alex didn't hear the rest of his sentence — she didn't even know if he finished it. Red eyes burned through the darkness, and as the fire died, a figure materialized. Crimson feathers filled the cage, glimmering like ice in the firelight, and Alex's own broken wings fell, curling forward and stretching down at the sight. Her grace reached out, feeling towards the cage with a desperation she had never felt before.

But there was nothing there. The cage felt empty. "Alex." She heard Crowley speak her name again, and her deal yank her grace backwards. "Go find Dean." His hands relinquished their grasp on her shirt and against her will, and Alex retreated three steps from the cage.

"Send her away, Crowley, and it'll be the last thing you ever do." Lucifer's voice hung in the air, quiet through the raging fire, and Alex froze. She drew her chin up to calm her trembling as she turned back to face him, but the devil's eyes were locked on Crowley. The flickering flames danced upon the expanse of their blue ice, and Alex's grace shuddered; she had forgotten how cold his eyes truly were — how cold his very being was, despite the heat of hell.

Crowley's gaze flickered onto Alex, and his head dipped in a faint nod. Her deal rose within her grace, a stronger urge than ever before, and Alex's feet carried her away from the cage. Her eyes dropped to the ground, wings pinned tightly against her back as the voices faded and flames disappeared behind her, swallowed up by hell's blackness as she ascended the stairs towards hell's gate.