Atticus is tied to a tree. His face is bloody and puffy and one of his eyes are swollen shut. His head lolls forward but he slowly lifts it and glares at his tormentors. Dean stands in front of him, holding the knife and breathing heavily. Sam is leaned against another tree, trying to steady his breathing. Matthias stands beside him, eyeing Dean almost apprehensively.

Dean puts the knife away, and steps toward Atticus. "Sorry, to mess up the nice suit," He says casually, brushing at it. He suddenly grabs him and slams his head against the tree. Atticus cries out in pain.

"I'm ready to chat whenever you are!" He says, busting his head against the tree again.

"Okay!" Atticus cries, nearly sobbing. "Okay-stop! what do you want from me?!"

"First, you're gonna tell me if killing Azarias is gonna save Sam from this crap hole!"

"Yes!" Atticus nodded furiously. "That's how it works. Killing me was just a way to get Mallory to use the blade; to start the cravings. It was all part of Maxus' plan. If she had just killed Azarias, none of us would be here right now... well, except for you hotshot," he grinned slightly, looking at Matthias. The phoenix glowered at him.

Dean shoved him. "And we're supposed to believe you, because...?"

"Because, believe it or not, Maxus is being pretty forthcoming with his plan," Atticus said, trying to catch his breath. " He wanted you to find me and he wants Mallory to find Azarias. He's making a hard bargain- one that Mallory can't refuse."

Matthias spoke up. "She would never play his vile game."

Atticus gave him a wicked smile. "Bitch is already playing it." At those words, Matthias lunges forward with his own knife, plunging it into the demon's throat. He slumps forward, lifeless.

Matthias sheathed the knife and looks at Dean apologetically. "I'm sorry, there was probably more that you wanted from him."

Dean sighed. "Yeah, but don't sweat it. We'll figure out how to take out Maxus some other way." They looked at Sam who had slumped to the ground, curled in pain. Dean rushed over to him.

"Sammy! You okay?"

"Yeah.." Sam said feebly. "I'm just ready to go home. I'm done with my vacation," he tried laughing, but it came out as ragged coughs instead. Dean put Sam's arm around shoulder and hoisted him up.

"We need to keep moving," Dean said, but he looked rather ragged and worn himself.

"Dean, stop." Sam said. "I can't move right now, and you're wearing down. We need Mal and Cas here- Have Cas take your spot."

"Well we don't know when we're gonna see them next," Dean huffed.

"See who next?," Cas said in his monotone voice. Dean and Matthias turned, knifes held aloft. Dean sighed in relief when he saw it was Cas.

"It's about damn time," Dean said. His face scrunched in confusion. "Where's Mallory?"

*** cut to intro***

A raggedy Crowley sits at a bus stop, still in his dirty clothes. ("Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton plays in the background). A bus pulls up. The door opens and the bus driver looks at him warily. Crowley gets up and climbs aboard slowly.

"You got money?" The bus driver asks. Crowley fumbles in pockets and pulls out some loose change. He inserts the coins and takes a seat. He reaches again in his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. Crowley unfolds it and reads it. "Lebanon, Kansas" is the only thing written on it. He looks at it in confusion and puts in back in his pocket. He stares out the window blankly. Across the aisle sits a young girl with her mother, the mother is on her cell phone talking. The young girl stares at Crowley with innocent curiosity.

"You're dirty," She said with a smile. Crowley looked down at her, a trace of disgust in his expression.

"And what makes you any better, you grubby little brat?"

The girl seemed unfazed by his insult. "Are you going home to take a bath?"

Crowley grumbled and turned away from the girl. "I'm going to a birthday party!" She continued excitedly. "It's for my friend Max. He just turned nine."

Something about what she said made Crowley sit up straight. "What was his name?" He asked.

"Max. He's nine now."

"Yes, I got that..." Crowley paused, scrunching his nose, trying to remember why that name seemed so familiar to him. He finally shook it off and sat back.

"Where are you going?" She asked again.

"Kansas."

"Why?"

"I don't know yet."

(Scene Change)

"Crowley is gone," Cas said, his stoic expression clouded with anger.

"What do you mean? What's going on up there?" Dean asked, trying to maintain composure.

"Mallory and I have searched all of the crypts, but haven't found anything of use. Crowley told us that Maxus came and warned him that the demons would rise up against him and Maxus would have Hell, we think Maxus did something to him. We've lost all contact with him. Mallory is still at the bunker, in case something happens."

"So what do we do?" Sam asked. His face was growing rapidly paler, and Matthias was sitting on the ground next to him.

They stood around for a moment, no one coming up with any brilliant plans.

"For now," Sam said, wincing. "I think Dean should join Mallory." Dean was about to protest, but Sam cut him off. "You can't last forever in here. I'll be fine. You need a break."

"He's right," Cas agreed. "You've been in here too long. We don't know what the lasting effects of being in here will do to a human. This isn't like Purgatory. We can't take any chances."

Dean grumbled. "Fine. Just try not to move Sam too much, he won't be able to take much more." Cas nodded.

Matthias sprang up and pulled Dean aside.

"Before you go," he said quietly, "Please don't tell Mallory that I'm here. I don't want her to worry about one more thing."

"Are you sure?"

"Please," Matthias pleaded. Dean nodded and squeezed Matthias' shoulder reassuringly.

dean then turned to Cas. "Can you beam me up, Scotty?"

(Scene Change) Deans wakes up in the infirmary and Mallory is sitting on one of the beds, waiting for him.

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"Dean!" Mallory hopped up from the bed and helped him sit up. "How are you feeling? How's Sam?"

"Gotta say I'm doing better than he is, but he's alive, so that's all that matters right now," Dean said. "Cas said you lost contact with Crowley?"

Mallory nodded. "More than that. We had his meat suit here with us," she pointed to the bed where Crowley's body once lay. "But Maxus got involved and it's now gone. Cas tried calling him but he won't answer his phone, but we can summon him. That's our only option at this point."

Dean ran his hand across his face, looking exhausted. "Yeah, let's try it... But Mal." He now looked concerned, and his eyes drifted to the blade. "We need to be careful."

"I know." Mallory said, her expression hard. "But we're also running out of time. I'll deal with Maxus any way I need to if it means Sam doesn't die."

(Scene Change) Cas is standing watch while Sam sits up against a tree with Matthias. A ring of fire created by Matthias encircles them. Cas is several feet away from them, looking pensively into the woods.

"I heard what you said to Dean before he left," Sam said to Matthias. "Why don't you want Mallory to know that you're here?"

Matthias gave him a small, sad smile. "She is already doing so much to help you, I cannot burden her even more."

"Maxus is already pushing her into a corner by sticking me in here, and she doesn't even know me that well... I can't imagine what she would do if she knew you were here."

Matthias nodded slowly. "Surely, she would give up her powers if she knew she could see me once more, but you must understand that she cannot do that. You cannot allow Maxus to prevail, and you need Mallory to keep her powers in order to stop him."

"I get that, but don't you think she would want to see you? She didn't get closure when Maxus killed you all those years ago."

"It's been over a century," Matthias said, his voice tight. "She needs to realize her greater purpose in this world. I cannot hold her back."

"This Mauxs," Castiel said, now standing over Sam and Matthias. "What is he like?"

"Pretty much like any other upper level Douche bag we've dealt with before," Sam said. "But he actually seems to know his stuff. I mean, he's been waiting ages to take over Hell; he's patient, and took over Hell without hardly lifting a finger."

"Yes," Cas said. "And unfortunately, we're going right along with everything he wants. I just worry that his ambitions may go beyond just Hell."

Sam sat up a little, intrigued. "You think he might go for heaven?"

Cas' face was grim. "It's a possibility. We shouldn't underestimate him."

(Scene Change) Dean and Mallory are standing in the middle of a crossroads.

"Daemon, esto subjecto voluntati meae," Dean said, stating the incantation required to summon Crowley. Crowley appeared in front of them, a look of shock on his face. He spun in a slow circle, dazed and confused at where he was.

"He looks like crap," Dean stated, noticing Crowley's tattered clothes. "Crowley!" He yelled at Crowley, getting his attention. Crowley turned and acknowledged Mallory and Dean, looking utterly bewildered.

"How did I get here?" Crowley asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

"Cut the crap, man," Dean demanded.

"... Who are you?" Crowley asked. He stepped away from them. "I'm supposed to be on a bus, heading for Kansas."

Mallory and Dean shared an uneasy look. "You're in Kansas," Mallory said.

"What?!" Crowley cried. "How? Who are you people?!"

"Great," Dean grumbled. "He's cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Let's get him inside."

(Scene Change) Back in the bunker, Dean and Mallory are with Crowley in the kitchen. Crowley sits at the kitchen island with a cup of tea across from Mallory and Dean, who are standing.

"What do you mean I'm the bloody King of Hell?" Crowley asked. "Look, I don't know who you people are, I'm just trying to get to Lebanon, so please, just let me go."

"Wow, this is a freakin' disaster," Mallory said. She rounded the island counter cautiously as Crowley glared at her. "Look," she said, trying to be comforting. "I'm just going to see how we can help you, okay?"

Crowley still looked suspicious of her, but didn't see anything. Mallory raised two fingers and put them to his forehead.

"Hey! What are you-" Crowley tried to pull away but his eyes closed and he slumped in his seat. Mallory's eyes glowed black and white for a moment, then returned to their normal blue. she removed her hand from Crowley's head and he abruptly sat up.

"What the hell was that??" Crowley yelled.

"Shut up," Dean snapped. "What'd you see?" He asked Mallory.

"There was a revolt in Hell against Crowley. Maxus is now running things downstairs, and kicked Crowley out... So pretty much everything that we expected to happen, happened... and we can't seem to do a damn thing about it!"

"Crap..."Dean rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "For now, I say we forget about Hell and focus on Sam."

"What about me, I can't remember a blasted thing!" Crowley interjected.

"I agree," Mallory said, ignoring Crowley. "But focusing on Sam means that we'll need to meet with Maxus again. That could get messy."

Dean nodded. "He's probably blocked access into Hell, where did you meet him last time?"

"He owns a bar in Massachusetts; it's a hopping place for demons and monsters alike. Even if he's not there, word will get to him fast."

"Gotcha. In the meantime, I guess we'll just have to leave Sparky here... unless we want to send him over to Cas and Sam, so they can babysit him?"

Mallory and Dean eyed Crowley, who was sitting in his seat, pouting.

Mallory pursed her lips. "Or we could just kill him?"

Dean shrugged. "That's an option too."

Crowley stood up in angry protest. "What the hell is wrong with you people?!"

Mallory gave him an evil grin. "I don't think Maxus has any more use for him, we should be safe to leave him here. Cas already has a lot of his plate taking care of Sam, we don't want to burden him with this idiot."

"Aren't you a peach," Crowley glared at her.

(Scene Change) Maxus seated in a dim room that is lit with multiple candles. He sits at a table across from the beautiful, blonde demon and they are enjoying a nice dinner and wine; wearing formal wear. Another demon enters the room.

"Sir?" The demon asked.

Maxus looked at the young demon and smiled. "Yes?"

"Crowley was last seen at the border or Kansas, then he disappeared."

Maxus looked pleased. "Perfect! Thank you, young man." Maxus stood up from the table and kissed the blonde demon's hand. "Pardon my rudeness," he said.

"You know where to find me," she said, giving him a sly smile. Maxus beamed at her, then followed the young demon out of the room. They walked down a hallway briskly.

"I've burned through quite a few witches trying to find Mallory, but taking in Crowley gave her away in the end," Maxus said to the young demon. "She's too easy," he chuckled.

"What do you want to do now?" The demon asked him.

"Where is Azarias?"

"He is at your bar still, like you requested."

"Good. It's a shame that Azarias will have to miss out on the fun for a bit, especially once he's killed, but he's a good sport. Until Mallory meets me and him in Massachusetts, let's send some demons to catch Mallory's attention. It's time we raise the stakes."