Hello my dear readers! I know it has been a while. A LONG while. But I'm back. I gotta admit I had originally had a solid idea for this piece and then lost it. But I've got a renewed love (and time) to work on it so I'm hoping you all will still enjoy it and continue to take this crazy ride with me. Well, without further delay, CHAPTER 4!
The smell of charred flesh was overwhelming in the small living room. Alice could barely hold herself up anymore; her arms shaking from the desire to give out on her as she struggled to get back up. It may have been her eleventh time trying but so far, Crowley hadn't done anything to knock her back down this time. Her body was still being racked with the aftershocks of the unbearable amount of cruelty he'd bestowed upon her body for the past two hours.
The pain was so exquisitely rendered that Alice hadn't been able to ever catch her breathe. It almost felt like her lungs had been drowning in pressure as they had screamed for her to find air.
She'd almost felt like giving him props for his devotion to his work. Work that would have made Alistair himself blush: if the prick had still been alive. But just like Alistair she could tell the asshole enjoyed his work.
"Now. Where were we again?" Crowley inquired.
His deep falsetto jarring her out of her thoughts. Try as she might, Alice couldn't help but look up at him through the sweat and crusted blood caked strands of her hair. She hoped the hatred she felt for him showed on her face. By the bemused look on Crowley's face she would have to agree that it had.
"Come on now. I thought we were having fun!" Alice continued just to seethe up at him. Her hands clenching into fists as she took a step towards standing. "Aren't you growing tired of all the burning? Poking and prodding," he chuckled as he moved his hands up and down as if he was orchestrating a symphony. "The smell is atrocious and you look like shit."
"Fuck you," she spat, more blood dribbling out between her lips.
With a flick of his wrist a chair appeared and he sat down. Doing everything in one smooth motion. He brought his wool trench in closer to his body while adjusting himself until he sat comfortably in front of her. Alice gathered as much strength as she had and finally got herself up onto her feet. Staring down at him in defiance Alice squared her shoulders and braced herself for whatever Crowley was going to throw at her. The position didn't go unnoticed by him.
"You really are a tough broad." His face appeared pleased but his tone was far from it. "I can see why old Lucy favored you so much-"
"Just get on with it, Crowley. I'm growing tired of your games."
A bark of laughter came from him startling Alice so much she jumped.
"You? Tired of games. Please, Alice you are the queen of games. You've been playing one for the last six years now."
"You better hope I never get out of this circle, Crowley."
She was so consumed with hatred she knew her eyes had bleed to black. It had been so long since she'd felt the feeling of pure rage like this; her eyes a mask of that hatred. If Alice ever got the chance to get out of this circle she would find Crowley: And she would rip his meat suit limb from limb.
Scoffing, Crowley replied, "I'm far from worried about you, dear Alice. With one flick of my fingers I'll snap you and that lovely demon trap into your motel room. Where I'm sure your adoring husband is sleeping. You know. Your husband, Dean Winchester. The hunter. I'm sure he'd be more than a little intrigued to find out his dear old wife, mother of his two boys, was nothing more than a damn dirty black-eyed bitch."
The blood drained from her face as his threat sank in. She knew damn well that he would do it too. Unless, she did as he asked.
"What do you want Crowley?"
Even she could hear the defeat in her voice and it made him smile. Crossing his legs he stated simply, "I want you to keep an eye on Sam."
She waited for him to elaborate but he kept staring blankly at her as if she should've already caught on to his reasoning.
"You go through all this trouble just to ask me to babysit?"
"Not necessarily. Words going around that Castiel's done some major damage in Moose's head. He broke a certain part that was needed to keep a mutual friend of ours away."
Alice felt like she was going to be sick. She had to swallow more than once to get the lump down before she could speak.
"What does Lucifer have to do with this?"
"Sam hasn't told you?" The tickled expression he wore wasn't lost to Alice as he nearly danced out of the car. "That is brilliant. I bet Squirrel doesn't even know then either. Ha bloody brilliant! Lucy is trying to make his way out of the pit and back into Sam."
"You're lying! He can't do that. It's not possible," she breathed.
Crowley looked on at her in pity as he slowly moved around the circle. Alice's pleading eyes glued to him. A part of her begging for him to take back what he claimed.
Sam wouldn't keep that sort of thing hidden from either Dean or her. Especially Dean. But even as she thought it Alice knew that wasn't necessarily true. The boys were known for keeping some pretty heavy things hidden from each other. Sometimes only letting the other know when the secret had all become too much and exploded in a bloody mess.
"I expect better out of you, Alice," he chastised. "He is very close to breaking through. He's been…sending out messages while Moose is in la-la-land. I need you to make sure he never gets released. The minute he does you inform me."
"And what will you do?"
"Kill him, of course."
"No."
Her answer was so quick Crowley had barely even finished before she'd barked it out abruptly.
"There is no negotiating here! Unless you want your ex-boyfriend to show up in the meat suit of your brother-in-law to inform your now husband that he's taken over his brother once more, and might I add, that you're a demon, I suggest you do as I say. That is a mouthful," he said the last to himself.
Alice didn't know what to say. She was too shocked at the overload of information to really say anything. Her lack of response was just fine with Crowley.
"So," he continued, "I'm sure you now recognize the need for this because what do you think Lucy would do to your precious baby boys? We both know the punishment would be severe. What better way to torment a mother than to torture her children."
"Enough!" Alice screamed it so loud that the panic bounced off the living room walls. She knew better than anyone that if Lucifer returned he would no doubt go for her sons. The idea making her stomach heave with a heavy sickness. But she also knew her old lover. He'd more likely mess with her psychologically; torture was too simple when you could keep someone's nerves on edge for decades with worry. Alice had so many options but none of them came to her as she looked back into the overly satisfied new king of hell's smug little face. "What do you need me to do?"
The words left a bitter taste of betrayal as Crowley snapped his fingers and she stepped out of the trap.
By the time Alice had been allowed to leave it had been well into the night and was only a few hours away until morning. Her bones ached with fatigue as she shifted back into the parking lot of the motel.
After Crowley and she had come to an agreement he'd left her. Making comments about having a date with a world diplomat.
Once Alice was left alone and back in the home she'd made with Dean and the boys, she couldn't shake the numbness that set into her heart.
Lost. It all seemed so…lost. Hopeless. So much was going on: Lucifer making his way back into Sam due to Castiel breaking down the barrier Death had set into place. Crowley threatening to out her to everyone just so she could keep an eye on the one real threat there was for him. That goes without saying he didn't just out her whenever he damn well felt like it.
Alice felt so at a loss that when she walked down the steps of her old home one last time, she walked out completely different than when she went in. When she'd been there she thought somehow, maybe, she had a fighting chance at just being normal. What a joke that had been. A joke she had only played on herself.
When she walked out that door, her eyes still fixed into darkness, she reached the last step and turned to look at the house. Without another thought she lifted up her hands and called on that evil inside her. She called on it until her blood singed with euphoria as her power swelled up inside her: her family home exploding into flames right in front of her eyes.
A maniacal laugh had burst from her lips as she stayed for a while, watching until she heard sirens coming in the distance. A neighbor had run out and was making his way towards her. Asking repeatedly what happened? Where was Dean and the boys? If they were still inside.
As he got close to her Alice turned to him and stopped him cold in his tracks. Fear so apparent in the air she could almost taste it. His mouth quivered to life as he tried to say something but Alice didn't care to hear as she shifted out ending up where she was now.
Walking along the walkway of the motel rooms, Alice couldn't help but feel the hollowness, the hopelessness, of her situation creep back into her.
Who was I kidding? I couldn't have run from who I really am. Not for forever.
Mentally she kicked herself. Repeatedly hating who and what she was and for allowing herself to fall in love with a hunter. She wanted to hate her life so badly because she knew that no matter how hard she tried too, she never could. Because she loved Dean too much and the love that spilled over into their boys.
Boys that had the 50/50 possibility of being like her.
Alice tore herself away from the thought as she stopped in front of Sam's motel room. He'd refused to share a room with them. Even after Dean had used his big brother voice on him.
She smiled to herself remembering Sam squaring his shoulders even though he flinched as Dean's voice grew thick, tone commanding more than asking. It had always been hard for Sam to say no to that voice. But Alice was more than impressed when she watched him mule it over; indecision clear in his eyes as he spoke the word softly at first. When Dean had leaned in, muttering an, "I'm sorry. I didn't quit catch that," Sam swallowed hard and told him no once again.
Whether Dean had liked it or not, he had relented as Sam moved his things into the room right next to theirs. Staring at room 134 now, Alice placed a hand on the door and felt her smile disappear.
Crowley had said Lucy was coming back. That Sam's actual visions were turning into more than that. He was sleep walking. The nightmares he had told her about, only once, weren't actually just nightmares at all. They were his subconscious trying to warn him of the real danger. That while he slept, Sam Winchester was committing unspeakable acts. Even as she refused to believe him Alice knew that Crowley wasn't lying. The fear that had laced the words that left him was too pungent to perceive as fake.
Before she could talk herself out of it Alice shifted into Sam's room. When she first entered a brief moment of alarm shot through her as she saw the bed was missing one overly-sized Winchester. But as her eyes followed the tangled bedsheets too the floor she saw him; cradling tightly to a pillow and body pressed up between the wall and nightstand. He'd shook loose of the blankets and was now shivering. The boxers and light t-shirt combo not enough to fight the chill that was in the room.
Slowly, Alice walked close to him. With every step the lump in her throat grew as she realized what Crowley really wanted her to do was help him kill Sam.
I can't kill another Winchester. Not Again. Not Sam.
Whatever it took Alice would not let that happen. She refused to be a part of another death in this family.
Leaning down next to Sam she softly smiled as she brushed the hair away from his face. When she moved to cover him back up with the blanket a large hand grabbed a hold of her wrist. Alice let out a small yelp as she tried to jump back but the grip that Sam had on her wrist kept her immobile. As Alice went to pull back she noticed that his eyes were open and he was staring directly at her.
For a split second, an eerie feeling washed over her causing the smile to wilt around the edges. She pushed past the feeling reminding herself that it was only Sam.
"Sam, I'm sorry," Alice begun, "I didn't mean to wake you-"
"Alice."
The moment her eyes locked with Sam's she realized something was wrong. Different. Alice tried to pull her wrist out of his hand but he held on; gripping tighter as he pushed himself up until he was sitting. He kept a firm grip on her as his free hand moved to cup her face. Alice looked at him quizzically as she went to move trying to free herself from him again. Sam's face had a look of curious fascination as he seemed to exam her every feature.
As Alice started to move her cheek out of his hand when Sam quickly snaked it behind her head pulling her in closer.
"Sam, stop it. What are you doing?!"
She tried not to panic as her attempts at getting away from him became frantic. Her heart clamoring in her chest as he easily kept her in place.
"So this is the meat suit you decided to take. It is a rather visually pleasing one, indeed. Although, I think you've never looked more beautiful than when you are your true self."
Horror shot through her as Alice stopped squirming and actually looked at him. The weight of thousands of years rested behind those viridian eyes; eyes that held the weight of someone else's gaze.
"Lucifer?!"
Even as Alice spoke the name she felt her stomach roll with sickness. This time when she moved to get up she pushed him hard and stumbled to her feet. But Lucifer seemed unfazed by her attack and pushed Sam's body up to follow her in one fluid motion. Using Sam's height against the smaller frame of her vessel, he had her pined into a corner faster than she could think. One large arm resting beside her up against the tacky floral wallpaper behind her and the other resting possessively on her hip.
"This can't be real," she murmured, shock still leaving her mind useless.
But staring up into Sam's face she saw only that of what she had feared since Crowley had told her hours before.
"And why can't it be, lover?" He asked his hand moving to play with lose strands of her hair. Alice watched as his features scrunched with distaste as he noticed the flakes of dried blood. "It seems someone else has gotten to you first. The Alice I know would have never let anyone get the drop on her."
"The Alice you knew is dead."
Lucifer examined her face as he used Sam's fingers to drop the crusted strands of hair and caress along her jaw. He knew the shaky breath she let out wasn't one of pleasure, but of disdain. Her essence no longer moved by his touch, but moved for that of another.
Dean Winchester, he snarled violently in his head.
He felt Sam's lips curl up into a sneer as the thought rocked through him causing him to tighten his hands into fists.
"No, I don't think she is. I think you want her to be dead. Just so you can continue to play house wife in your little meat suit. But my Alice," he bent down and rubbed his nose against hers. When she closed her eyes and tried to move away he took a handful of coarse golden hair and ripped her head back until she let out a soft cry of pain. "My Alice is still inside there craving to get out."
He ran his lips along her jawline and relished in the whimper that left her lips all before he silenced it with his mouth.
Alice tried to push against him as tears of frustration, of anger, bit against the edges of her vision. This was wrong. It was Sam Lucifer was using like a puppet. It was Sam's lips on hers. The man that was her brother-in-law who she envisioned as her actual brother.
When she felt Sam's tongue lick against her bottom lip trying to gain access to deepen the kiss, Alice became hysterical to get out of the powerful grip that Lucifer had on her.
For someone who hadn't been drinking Demon blood, Sam was incredibly strong. It shouldn't have been this hard to get away from him. Finally, when he released her (which there was no doubt in her mind that Lucifer had been the one to release her) she ducked under his arm and flung herself back into the open space ,closest to the door. Adding distance between her and the corner he'd put her in.
When he turned around to face her a satisfied smirk was on his lips as he eyed her one last time.
"Don't you ever do that again," she spat feeling foolish and bold all at once.
"What's wrong? Don't you enjoy kissing your husband's brother?" He coaxed taking small steps towards her. "Didn't it feel deliciously old testament?"
"I'm not playing your sick games Lucifer."
"See that's where you're wrong Alice. You will be playing my sick little games. You defied me once but I will not let it happen again. I loved you. You! A demon! Did you not realize how special you truly were to me?"
"I was expendable. We both know it. So let's not try and pretend this is some kind of Shakespearian love story okay."
His eyes hardened as he eyed her stopping a few inches away from her.
"Regardless of my motives, you defied me. Betrayed me. That sort of betrayal wouldn't and isn't going to go unpunished."
"What you gonna do? Kill my puppy?"
Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she opened her arms wide and taunted him. It wasn't a smart move, but Alice was tired of the threats. She knew they were coming and wasn't shocked when he replied, "I'm going to take everything from you."
"You wouldn't be the first one to say that tonight," she mumbled looking past him and fidgeting with her hair.
"I see that," he commented motioning towards the blood stains and her hair. "Crowley's work, I presume."
"How did you-"
"Please he always was an opportunist. Greedy and impulsive, but had a certain good game planner and smartness about him that I liked. And since Lilith and Ruby died, it sort of leaves him as my only other option."
Sam moved to sit on the bed and made quick work of getting comfortable. All the while staring at her. Alice felt uneasy as she eyed him warily. She knew even if he made a move and she escaped him he would be able to get to her eventually. There was no eluding him now.
"So," he implored as he waited for her to elaborate.
Eyeing the room Alice replied coolly, "So?"
He rolled his eyes as he grew impatient and she knew he hated having to repeat himself.
"What did he want you to do? And lets save the lying and making up stories for now. You know I could always tell when you were lying."
She officially hated life.
Taking in a deep breath Alice closed her eyes and for a brief second cursed herself and for all her stupidity.
"He wanted me to keep an eye out on Sam. Words been…going around that you were possibly back or coming back, shall I say. So he wanted me to watch Sam. Tell him when this," she motioned towards him, "happened."
"And what is it Crowley thought he was going to do once this," Sam motioned at himself, mocking her as he continued, "happened? Did he think he was going to stop me himself?"
Alice shrugged. Not giving a damn about either of them at the moment. All she cared about was the fact that what Sam feared had already happened and the poor guy wasn't even aware it was actually happening. Alice didn't even know how to begin to fix this or even if she could. Even if she did, it would mean having to out herself to the boys. Maybe come up with something to cover her own ass but regardless, in some way, she would be damning herself.
"I could careless about your petty squabble with one another," Alice stated flatly.
"Ah yes. All you care about is your precious little Dean not finding out. I imagine that was something Crowley used against you to act like his little hellhound bitch."
She rocked back on her heels tucking her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.
"Fancy that. Insults. How petty of you, Lucy. Here I thought you were better than such childish low-level demon type behavior. Never took you as the jealous ex type."
Sam smirked as he lifted himself of the bed closing the small space between them. The true threat hanging heavy in the air. Alice thought he was going to strike her and winced when he raised his hand. But he shocked her even more when he ran his fingers along her cheek; his eyes (Sam's eyes) drinking in the features of her face.
"You just don't get it do you? You were everything to me. As much of everything as you could be. And then you left me. For him." At the mention of Dean, Sam's features changed into something monstrous. The hatred so pure that it caused Alice to flinch back as if she'd been struck. Sam cupped his hands around her face and pulled her tightly in to him. Never breaking eye contact. "I'm going to take everything from you. Little by little, Alice. Until you are stripped so bare that you'll have nothing left. I'm going to kill Sam. Wear him down until he's nothing but a drooling mess. I'm going to send your sons to live with a demon family that will train them and see if they have any gifts. The children of a hunter and a demon. Could you imagine the damage that they could bestow upon this world?" Alice shook violently as tears began to spill from her eyes. "And if they won't comply well, I'll just kill the little bastards. And Dean. Well, since you love him so much I figure why not let me take over his meat suit. So I can tell him from the inside what you really are and how you carved up his daddy and drank his blood. So I can feel all the emotions that slam into him like waves knowing he felt incredible pleasure fucking the woman who planned his entire families' death. That his son's are damned, evil little bastards, with a darkness inside them that will have the earth running red with their blood. I want to feel his soul die in anguish as he learns every secret about you, Alice. So that way when he's ready to die, and his sweet suffering is no longer fun to play with, I'll kill him and send him back down to hell. So that way when I fully take over his meat suit, you'll love me completely because I'll be the only one there to accept you. You'll see the husband you love and whose touch makes you come under his fingers. So I can remember what it feels like to have you look at me the way you do at him."
"No," she sputtered. "Dean would never let you in. It won't happen."
"Oh darling," Sam laughed running his thumbs over her cheeks. "He'll let me in Alice. One way or another, he'll let me in."
She wanted to call him a liar. To attempt to exorcise him out of Sam's body and back into the pit where he should've stayed. But as she looked up into Sam's eyes she knew without a doubt that what he said was true. The devil always found a way.
She'd left Sam's room feeling deader inside than before. Lucy wasn't giving her threats on what would happen if she didn't comply with him. No, he gave her promises of what he had intended to do with all of them. Alice had no idea where to begin to set things right or how to get rid of him. The more she thought about it the more she knew she needed to tell the boys about what had transpired. For their own sakes'.
When she got into her motel room she checked to make sure Dean and the boys were still asleep before she headed into the shower. Once she had gotten under the hot stream of water it felt like it had given her back some life that Lucifer had stolen. The last seven hours feeling like a dream. One awful damn dream.
She stayed under the heavy flow of the water until the heat ran cold and forced her to get out. Alice combed out her hair as she stared at herself in the mirror. She hated everything she saw staring back at her in that moment.
She slipped into one of Dean's t-shirts, giving her image one last glance, before exiting the bathroom. She moved quietly towards the bed and got in as softly as she could. As she settled in and pulled the sheet up to her chin she felt her body quickly get gripped by sleep and was thankful that no one had woken up and noticed her absence.
But what Alice didn't realize was that the minute she had slipped into bed Dean's eyes had flashed open. And as he listened to her breathing become shallow he wondered where his dear wife had slipped off to in the middle of the night.
Bum bum bum! The jig is up! Or is it!
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MUCH LOVE! Jeneane 3