Crowley is sitting on his throne, his left arm propping his head up. His expression is a strange mixture of worry and boredom. A demon pokes their head into the room.

"... Sir?" They asked quietly.

"Get. Out." Crowley said through gritted teeth.

"But, sir. We need to discuss our newest number of sou-"

"GET OUT!"

The demon scurried off.

Crowley sighed and rubbed his eyes, looking tired.

"You've been cooped up for a while now," A voice commented.

Shocked, Crowley whipped around to see Maxus standing behind him, running his finger along Crowley's throne.

"Are you Maxus?" Crowley asked, trying to compose himself. Maxus grinned at him and began to walk slowly around the room.

"If you're going to give me the boot, just get on with it," Crowley said. "I'm tired of all the suspense."

"Sounds like you're just impatient," Maxus said. He picked up a jar with a strange substance in it and sniffed it. Disgusted by the smell, he set it down.

"Do you like being a ruler, Crowley? Or do you just like being bossy?"

Crowley looked offended. "I have done a lot for Hell. Made it efficient and great again. You can't just show up and question my ruling authority."

"You didn't answer my question," Maxus said pleasantly.

Crowley grumbled, "Do you think you could do it better?"

Maxus shrugged. "The demons are tiring of you, Crowley. Sure, you've had a good thing going for a while. You hit some bumps along the way, but you kept your head up... But after the whole fiasco with Abbadon, you started losing your touch."

"Psh, do you really think that red-haired swine made a better ruler of Hell?" Crowley asked.

"Red-haired?" Maxus said more to himself. "Huh.... No actually. She sucked. A lot. She was cool once upon a time."

"How do you know her?" Crowley asked suspiciously.

"We've had quite the history," Maxus said casually. "At any rate, it's not about who is the more tolerable leader. Hell needs a great leader." He poked and prodded at various objects in the room, slowly making his way back to Crowley. Crowley watched him with an uneasy look.

"Sooo....You're just going to kill me and take Hell for yourself?"

"... Nah."

Crowley looked truly dumbfounded. "What?"

"That would be too easy! And not nearly as fun. Here's what I was thinkin'," Maxus said, pulling himself up on a table with an almost child-like excitement. "I'm gonna just wait for you to lose your footing a little bit more. It won't take long... Most of the demons hate you anyway. Then I'll sweep in with my crew. We'll be like the cool, new popular kids and you'll be the cast off that no one cares about anymore. I'm sure it'd make a great rom com or something..." Maxus again said more to himself. "Note to self, tell Azarias about my newest movie idea... Anywho, I'm not going to kill you. Killing you would be letting you off easy, so I'll let you live but you sure as Hell can't stay here."

"So what will you do with me?"

Maxus shrugged again. "I don't like ruining surprises. But trust me, it will be loads of fun!"

With a smile, Maxus disappeared. Crowley stared at the space where Maxus was just standing. He sighed again.

Cut to Intro

Dean makes his way through the woods, no longer running and looking out of breath. He stops at a tree and rubs a stitch in his side. Mallory pops up beside him.

"Mallory!" He said in surprise. "Is everything okay up top?"

"It's probably going better there than it is here. You look like crap."

"I'm freaking exhausted."

She placed two fingers on his forehead. Dean took in a sharp breath.

"Feel better?" She asked.

"Yeah... Thanks."

"Where's Sam?" She asked.

"He's behind me... somewhere. I went chasing after Atticus... Now that I think about it, it was probably a stupid idea to leave him."

"He's alive," Mallory noted. "I checked his breathing before I came. He's safe, but his location feels kinda fuzzy."

"... Fuzzy?"

"Like I'm not exactly sure where he is. I mean, he is here, but it's almost like he's in a special part or something."

Dean nodded slowly, trying to understand.

"You should probably go back to him. Going after Atticus is a smart idea, but I would check on Sam before hunting him down again."

"Okay. What are you and Cas up to? Did you make any headway?"

"Kinda. Researching was a bust, but we got into contact with Crowley and managed to get the location to some of Lucifer's crypts. We're gonna check them out."

"How'd Crowley take everything?"

"Um... given the situation, pretty good. We did warn him about Maxus, but there's not a whole lot he can do."

"I kinda wish I could be there when that happens. Crowley deserves to get his ass handed to him."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Dean and Mallory shared a laugh, but she again turned serious. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay and you go to the crypts?"

"I want to stay with Sam for as long as I can," he said adamantly. "Besides, I hate getting zapped around by angels..."

Mallory nodded. She slugged him lightly on the shoulder. "Sounds good. Stay gold, Pony Boy." She disappeared and Dean walked back in Sam's direction.

(Scene Change) Sam is bracing a confused looking Matthias.

"Where am I?" He asks Sam.

"Uhh... Well in some sort of Purgatory. A place Maxus created for the creatures he's killed and to hold his demons... Do you remember anything about how you came to be here?"

Matthias furrows his brow, trying his best to remember. "... I remember... Maxus killing me... I was in London."

"Okay, Do you remember when?" Sam looked down at his clothes. "It looks like you've been here for a while."

"Umm... 1857?" Matthias said, questioning himself. Sam looked shocked.

"We're not safe here," Matthias noted.

"Not exactly."

Matthias noticed Sam's wound. "And you're injured. Forgive me for not seeing this earlier. You need to be somewhere safe!" He pulled away from Sam.

"Wa-wait," Sam ordered. "No where's really safe. We shouldn't just wander off."

Matthias nodded. "I can help make us safer."

"... How?"

Matthias raised both hands and a ring of fire rose from the ground, creating a large circle around them. "This will inform me if anything tries to cross the flame."

Sam smiled, impressed.

(Scene Change) Dean is running back to where he last saw Sam. In the distance, he sees the flames. In a burst, he rushes towards it. As he approaches, he sees Sam in the midst of the fire with Matthias.

"Sammy!" He yelled, shielding himself from the heat. "Sam!" He yelled again, trying to get his attention. Matthias kept his hands raised and looked towards the source of the noise. Sam spotted Dean.

"Wait! That's my brother!" Matthias lowered his arms and the flames died. Dean ran over to them.

"You okay?" He asked Sam in his typical worried older brother tone.

"Yeah."

Dean turned towards Matthias. "Who's the Renaissance guy?" He asked Sam.

Ever formal, Matthias graciously introduced himself. "I am Matthias. Samuel saved me."

Dean looked confused. "Saved you? Wha- K, let's just back the crazy train up for a second-"

"-What is a crazy train?" Matthias mumbled.

Dean looked exasperated "-First, who and what the hell are you and how did Sam save you?"

"As I stated before, I am Matthias and I am the Phoenix."

Dean and Sam shared a look. "You can't be the Phoenix. We killed it back a few years back," Sam explained.

"There are very few ways to kill a Phoenix, but if you manage to do it, a new one will rise from its ashes. I was the first. A new one arose after my death."

"Woah, so you're like Eve's original reject crap?" Dean asked.

Matthias looked at him, confused by his strange choice of words.

"So you've been in here since 1857?" Sam asked.

"I believe I have."

"What did you mean when you said Sam saved you?" Dean interjected.

"I have been trapped here, reliving my death over and over, much like the fate Prometheus suffered after he introduced fire to mankind... I suppose Maxus thought it was fitting, considering the monster that I am."

"So you've been stuck for almost two hundred years, untouched by any other monster, 'dying' over and over again... kinda like it's your own special pocket of purgatory...." Dean said, putting the pieces together. He turned to Sam. "Mallory came in and checked up on me. She said that your location was hard to pin down because you seemed to be in a special place here. It's because you were with him."

Matthias' face lit up. "You know Mallory?"

"Yeah, do you?"

"She is the reason Maxus killed me."

(Scene Change)Mallory and Cas are walking in a long deserted cemetery. They approach a grand marble mausoleum that is overrun with decaying ivy. The doors are hardly hanging on the hinges, creaking back and forth with the breeze.

"A mausoleum seems a little unoriginal for old Lucy," Mallory pointed out.

"Still," Cas said. "I think it may be better than the abandoned funhouse. I can now better understand why Sam has a phobia of clowns."

Mallory shuddered in agreement. "Plus, it was a total bust."

They pushed the doors forward and stepped inside. It was just as rotted as the outside. A heavy coffin was laying on its side. A staircase led downwards in the place where the coffin originally lie. Cas gave Mallory a skeptical look.

"This seems too easy." He said.

"Cuz it probably is... " She mumbled. Cas led the way down the dark stairwell into the black.

(Scene Change) They reach the bottom of the stairs. Before them lay an open room, with concrete walls with a large wooden chest in the center. The ceiling was caved in on the far side, letting light seep in.

Cas hesitated and took a step forward. Mallory grabbed his arm and held him there.

"Wait... Something doesn't feel right." She said. "But I can't put my finger on it."

"What do you want to do?"

"... I don't know. Let's see if we can just zap over there." They disappeared from where they were standing. Mallory appeared next to the chest, though her image shifted a few times and she fell to her knees, clutching her side in pain. She used the chest to pull herself up.

"What the hell?" She said under her breath. "...Cas?" She looked to see if he was beside her. Instead, she heard him scream in pain behind her. She turned to see him writhing on the ground. His bright, white grace shown around him, casting a blinding light in the room. Mallory ran at him and rolled him onto his back. Cas' body convulsed, and his eyes burned white. Bewildered, Mallory touched his forehead and he disappeared. She got up and raced towards the chest touching it, causing the item and herself to disappear.

(Scene Change) Back at the bunker, Mallory appears with the chest next to Cas. He is on the ground. His grace is no longer shining out of him, but his eyes are still glowing and he is now slightly trembling. Mallory again bends down and places her hand on him.

"Come on, buddy," She said, looking worried. He closed his eyes and stopped trembling. His breathing regulated and he now appeared to be peaceful. Mallory sighed in relief.

(Scene Change) Mallory is still sitting beside a resting Cas. He slowly opens his eyes. His iris' have returned to their normal color, but a jagged line of red surrounds his pupils. He winces at the light in room.

"How long have I been lying on the ground?" He asked in a croaky voice.

"Not too long."

"... Everything hurts."

"It looks like that Crypt was protected by some sort of Angel warding spell. I've never seen anything like it. Maybe Lucifer concocted it himself? Some booby trap though."

"Did it not affect you?"

"Not nearly as bad."

Cas groaned, trying to sit up. Mallory pulled him up, and he braced himself against the chest.

"I feel as if I have been staring at the sun all day... I want to throw up."

"I can fix that," Mallory grinned, looking excited. She left the room. She quickly returned holding a bottle of pepto bismol and a pair of gold aviators. She poured a little into the cap and handed it to him. He hesitantly sniffed it.

"What's a bottle of pink liquid going to do?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's worth a shot." Cas tipped the cap back. And smacked his lips.

"Oh! Also, try these bad boys on." She handed him the sunglasses. He looked at her with a dull expression.

"These are your sunglasses."

"Yeah, and they're totally badass. Just try them, they might help."

He frowned and put on the glasses. Mallory looked pleased with herself.

"... Do they look okay?"

"Yeah, dude. You're gonna get all the chicks now with this new look."

"I have a greater purpose on this earth that doesn't include me getting poultry ... Perhaps I should take them off." Cas went to pull them off but Mallory stopped him.

"K, fine. They're not gonna help you get chicks. Happy? Just keep 'em on, ya buzzkill."

Cas gingerly touched them again, trying to get used to the strange new accessory on his face. Mallory ran her hands along the chest before them.

"This is the first crypt that has had a trap like that. Maybe this one will have something we need."

She moved her hands to the edge and lifted the lip. The two peered over the side.

"... Crap."

(Scene Change) Crowley is standing, facing his throne. A close up on his face shows dark circles under his eyes. He stares blankly in front of him, unaware that a demon has entered the room. They hesitate before taking a few steps forward.

"... S-sir?" The apprehensive demon said.

"Yes?" Crowley said, absent-minded.

"We have received some reports that the crypts have been broken into."

Crowley perks up.

"All of them?"

"Yes... The most recent was in Massachusetts."

"At the Cemetery?"

"Yes, sir."

Crowley scoffed, some of his usual arrogance returning. "If they weren't such prats, I could have told them that one had been wiped clean a few years ago." He said smugly. "Serves them right."

"Serves who right?" The demon asked, looking perplexed.

Crowley glanced back at the young female demon.

"Just... business."

She gave him an uneasy, untrusting look. Crowley scowled and shooed her away.