Rock of the Light

"Guys. You know I could end you all with a snap of my finger?"

Yeah Sam and Dean knew that. Yet they had to try. Lucifer was dangerous and he killed for the fun of it. That was why they were there in LA. They had a shot at stopping Lucifer and they were going to take it.

"Why would I do that when you guys can't do anything?" Lucifer sent Castiel flying back before he had a chance to set himself up to use his angel blade. Lucifer looked at the angel before feeling a sharp pain in the shoulder and turned to see a person he least expected. "Oh. So you came along."

Sam blinked as he saw Kesset being grabbed and flung into a wall creating a sizeable dent. The Avian had come to help them in their attempt to capture Lucifer. He suspected that it was because Angela asked him to but he knew she wouldn't send even her own guardians out if she couldn't do anything. Kesset though said that he heard what he and Dean were planning and decided to help. It made Sam feel guilty since Kesset had a family, a daughter that he doted upon.

Kesset got to his feet quickly and spread his wings out, ready to do battle. "You shouldn't be here."

Lucifer stared at the Avian with a raised brow, "That it? At least she could have come up with something better." He then looked around and asked, "Where is she? Where is my pretty?" He then looked at Sam and stared pointedly at him. "Oh yes. I remember. It's about time isn't it, Sam?"

Sam felt every fiber of his being wanting to react to that but he forced himself not to. He knew that Lucifer knew about the baby. And it was no secret to the devil about his relationship with Angela. He made that very clear the year and a half spent in hell. He glared at the devil.

Dean knew that it was a low blow to Sam. It also drove home the reality that their family was in danger because of the things they had all done. "Why are you doing this?"

Lucifer was willing to play along with this but he knew that he had Sam. It was his favorite thing to do. Once he got out he was willing to torture and piss her off if only to get her to be like how she was in hell. Then he found out about the little bundle of joy that was coming and it turned into something sweeter. He chuckled, "Why?"

"You and God made up. You forgave him," Sam pointed out, "What would he think?"

"I'm not especially interested in his opinion but I wasn't about to get my ass kicked by my little sister in the condition she is in thanks to you." Lucifer pointed at Sam. He loved driving the knife in and twisting it. "Dear old dad, he finally apologize for abandoning me. And what's the very next thing he does? He ditches me."

Kesset made a snort at that. All heads turned towards the Avian. Dean was especially concerned since to him he was just a kid still that had a barely working knowledge of human quirks. Sam was worried that Kesset was getting himself into more trouble than he could handle but he had confidence. After all he was now captain of the royal guard and had picked up a few interesting abilities. Kesset snorted again and crossed his arms over his chest saying, "You sound like the pathetic noble assholes that I have to deal with. Babies every last one of them."

It sounded something like Angela would say and she would come out and tell it like that. She would tell God himself to go suck it if she could but this was Kesset. It was enough to have silence come about for a minute. Lucifer stared at the Avian who defiantly stared back at him. He could end his life but then that would bring vengeful wrath and it didn't matter if she was pregnant or not. He'd rather torment her in a different manner.

Gesturing at the Avian and then the Winchesters, he continued, "And he ditched you too by the way. And rides off into the sunset with Auntie Amara. He needed my help and he'd say anything to get it. His words, your words, they mean nothing."

"And what about hers?" Kesset looked up at the devil with a pointed expression.

"What about hers?"

"Seems to me that the opinion that matters is hers. Otherwise you would have killed us all right about now." Kesset shrugged and stood there expectantly.

"Now you're being an idiot. You know as well as I that you don't fuck with little sister's toys. Not unless you want to be the next grand canyon." Lucifer looked at the Avian like he was the dumbest thing alive.

"And that would be the thing that you wouldn't care about and yet with her… you do. So why does she matter so much to you?" Kesset took a couple of steps forward to challenge Lucifer's reaction. His wings were drawn and ready to aid him if he needed it. He looked up at the devil and asked again, "Why hers?"

Having enough, Lucifer growled and gave a swipe of his arm. Kesset was sent flying back hard and crashed into something. He growled out, "Don't you get it. This is all meaningless. Heaven, Hell, this world… If it ever meant anything that moment is past. Nothing down here but a bunch of hopeless distraction addicts… so filled with emptiness, so desperate to fill up the void they don't' mind being serves another stale rerun of a rerun of a rerun."

"And that is a temper tantrum of a little baby."

Sam's eyes widened slightly when Kesset responded. This wasn't how he imagined this going down. The Avian was starting to sound like Angela and it was going to get him killed. The Avian though took it in a stride as he stood up and dusted himself off, brushing off the black jacket he had acquired that made his natural badass biker looking persona even more badass and he blended in with the crowd that came that night. Kesset looked at Lucifer and continued, "Nothing but a temper tantrum of a thing that doesn't understand anything down here. And you are terrible at whining. At least my daughter knows how to look cute."

It took a split second everyone to realize that Kesset was mocking Lucifer. It was enough to get his neck snapped and Lucifer held up his hand to do so but Kesset countered with a warning finger, "I wouldn't do that. Unless you want the whole of my army coming down upon you. Not to mention the united army of the light. There are still rules here."

Lucifer glared at the Avian and retorted, "You may be safe in your position as captain, Avian but remember that your father's soul still belongs to me."

Kesset stood there with a passive expression. No one needed to say anything about that. Despite the fact that his father had been set free from Azazel's binding contract, he was still ultimately a pawn of Lucifer's. It was one of those complex contracts that not even Crowley could break and the Avian would rather have his wings cut off than make a deal with the demon.

Lucifer stared at the Avian, thinking that he had won and looked at the others. "Now that's settled, to answer your question. I don't have a plan. I'm just gonna keep on smashing Daddy's already broken toys and making you watch. Making her watch."

"Then you will be in for a long road," Kesset replied.

Lucifer chuckled at that, "Oh really?" He then looked at Sam and pointed at him, "Don't forget I know everything about you two. Can you just imagine that when you least expect it, she is gone. It's always fun to watch sweet innocence be turned against their nature." He grinned as he noticed Sam tense up. "You will never be free for what you have done Sam. There will come a time when it will all be taken away and turned into the thing you fear the most."

From there, it was downhill on Lucifer's end as his vessel ended up burning out from too much use of power. It was a little satisfying in telling him that he was falling apart but in the end the fallen angel left his vessel and started the round of vessel hopping, leaving the corpse of his latest vessel rotting on the stage.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"I apologize for earlier."

Sam gave a slight eye roll and his lip curled into a smirk as he turned to face Kesset. He noted that the Avian was not standing in the apologetic stance he used to take. He hadn't done that in a long time and it made sense. He was captain of the very guard that used to torment him for being the son of Setna and an Avian. "You don't have to apologize."

Kesset made a slight sound as his wings rustled. He had no fear of anyone noticing them. Only the Winchesters, Castiel and anyone that knew what he was. "I do, Sam. I goaded Lucifer and for the express purpose of finding out his motive."

"I'll admit that I was surprised you did that," Sam admitted before looking out at the darkness of night. "It sounded like something Angie would say." He pursed his lips as he recalled the phone conversation he had earlier.

He wasn't taking Lucifer's threats lightly. The devil had tortured him for just having a relationship with her; for taking her as a mate as he put it. Now she was pregnant and almost ready to give birth… He gritted his teeth.

"You know that I won't let anything happen."

Sam had closed his eyes to think before opening them. He shifted to look at the Avian. "And what about Ayana?"

"My daughter is safe." Kesset assumed a firm stance and crossed his arms over his chest. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Sam. He then glanced at Sam and gave a slight grin, "I did learn a few things being the princess' guardian."

Sam took in the grin. Apparently Kesset had a plan. "You are up to something."

"Only to find out Lucifer's intentions and it's like you said. He was bad enough when he had a plan, a motive. Now that he is just having fun…" Kesset adjusted his arms and hummed a bit. "I informed Jibril. He will be on the lookout along with the Arbiters. They will keep an ear and eye out as your human expression goes."

Sam took in Kesset's report. He had grown the last few years. He looked away as he thought about what Lucifer said. He desperately wanted to be happy. He was going to be a father but… He sighed and wondered if Lucifer was right. That he would never be free of this and that he was going to bring his past and everything down upon his baby. He could only imagine what Angela was thinking about, which was why he had been circumspect with his report.

Kesset looked at Sam with a sympathetic look. This was hard on the younger Winchester. As a father himself he could relate but this was doubly hard. It was no secret that Lucifer had a thing for Angela. He loved tormenting her by making her see her failures despite everything she had done. Kesset knew that this assignment wasn't going to be easy when the lady asked of him to watch over her adopted daughter. He did the rest once he got to know the Winchesters and others.

Sam leaned on the rail of the banister that enclosed the walkway of the motel they were staying in. He rubbed his hand on his head trying to think of his options. He looked down when he felt Keiko pawing at his leg. He had left her behind with Shadow in the car since they didn't know what was going to happen when they went after Lucifer. He couldn't help but smile slightly at the puppy who was considered the runt of her litter. Moira was the same and she ended up being a harridan.

Reaching down, Sam rubbed her ears. He knew that he had been a bit of a bonehead with accepting her as his dog. But the puppy had been insistent and Dean had a couple of laughs at his expense. At least Gideon was still at home. That dog was very much like Cerebus, a protector.

"Things will work out Sam," Kesset said. He waited until Sam was looking at him and then looked outward. "We will do what we can to keep defenses up. After all you have an immortal Librarian, several Wilders and an archangel living under your roof."

Sam snorted at that, "And she's driving them crazy with her nesting."

"And there are the wards in the bunker." Kesset continued his list knowing that it was helping reassure Sam.

Sam knew what Kesset was trying to do and appreciated it. He knew this well and worked to keep that calm front to keep her reassured as she became further along and it became a strain. It helped but not a whole lot since the whole thing with the Men of Letters and now Lucifer weighed heavily on her mind. But there was still one thing that they needed to consider. "But Lucifer knows where we live. He could come in anytime." He shifted to look at Kesset.

Kesset had come to this conclusion as well. He didn't bring it up unless either Winchester did. He wasn't going to destroy their confidence unless they realized they needed to change it up. "There is angel warding."

"Even with Angie fixing it so Cas, Gabriel and Amitiel could come in… Lucifer would find a way." Sam leaned forward and looked at the ground and thought about it some more. Then it came to him. There was one place that Lucifer didn't know about.

Kesset stared at Sam and blinked. He could tell that he was thinking about things. There was a solution but he wasn't going to say anything. It was ultimately up to Sam and in turn whether or not she would agree to it. He did prompt, "You have something in mind?"

"The cabin," Sam replied as he looked outwards. He still leaned against the railing. It was not a bad idea. In fact he had been toying with the idea for some time. He just didn't want to bring any pressure on her even if he did argue logically. He just wanted her to feel safe and it was different from being safe but not mutually exclusive. He looked over at Kesset and continued, "The cabin on the sanctuary that you gave her. No one really knows about it except me and Dean. And even then…"

"The fairies kept it protected," Kesset confirmed. "Still have the marks from the last beating I took from them."

Sam couldn't help but snort. It sounded ridiculous but he wasn't going to discount the fairies. "That and whatever else is living there. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a real unicorn or a centaur there."

Kesset made a slight sound at that and it made Sam look at him with a raised brow. The Avian wasn't going to say anything since even he didn't know all the creatures that were there. The fairies were the most visible. "Not saying anything but it wouldn't surprise me. I do know that there is a dragon there."

"You're serious?"

"Deadly," Kesset replied as he looked at Sam. "Not all dragons are evil. There are a few that just like living. And it is part of the sanctuary's protective spells."

There was a lot to that plot of land that wasn't too far from the bunker. And deep down, Sam was relieved that there was a place to go to. That was his best bet. "Can this dragon stand up to an angel like Lucifer?"

"No idea but I think you know as well as I that he and anyone else would fight to the death. Everyone there loves the princess and quite a few were touched by her involvement. Certainly those renegades learned that when they dared to come after Kate."

Sam felt his lip twitch when he heard Kesset's wings rustle. He recognized it as the warning he gave before attacking if the unlucky person decided to pursue a fight. But the Avian had a point. There were plenty of people to go to for help if they needed it. They wouldn't hesitate and he and Dean had seen it firsthand and it was all because of the woman he loved. She claimed that she was nothing more than a monster but even he thought that was a load of bullshit.

"So what do you want to do?"

The question was twofold and Sam knew that. It was a friendly question but the root of it was Kesset asking for his orders in that roundabout way of his. Sam figured it out when Angela had been kidnapped that long ago and the Avian was struggling not to go on a rampage of destruction. Since then, Kesset accepted orders from Sam like he would Angela but he had loosened up to the point where it could be a friendly conversation. Here though, Sam saw he was asking him so that he could do what he had to do.

Sam knew he was going to have to talk it over with her and then bring it up with Dean. He figured his brother would be in agreement since he had heard what Lucifer said and he was just as anxious as he to make sure that the baby was born safely. "Talk to her about it."

"Understandable but you can exercise your authority."

Sam hummed at that, "I know but… I can't and won't do that to her. It's why I love her and something like this affects us both." He stared at Kesset who seemed to not understand and he tried again, "She is a warrior, Kess."

"I agree, which is why I support you."

"Is that just following orders?"

"No."

Sam looked at Kesset and the Avian explained, "I may be the princess' guardian and by extent yours and Dean's but… I am your friend."

That was enough for Sam and he gave a slight smile as he patted Kesset on the shoulder. "Thanks Kess."

"You're welcome."

The pair just stood there and looked out at the night sky. Sam knew that he couldn't stop bad things from happening but he could make it difficult for Lucifer and he knew that Angela would bare her fangs literally and some day they would catch Lucifer and put him back. He would do what he could to protect her and their growing family. She had always been the one to stand strong and be the rock during the tough times. This time it was his turn.

Ever since he broke the last seal, he had been trying to make things right with her only to find that he didn't need to. She had forgiven him even when he felt he didn't deserve it. She forgave him, Dean, Castiel… It was her nature and as much as she could get pissed with Crowley, she was nice to the demon. The point was that she had done a lot for him and his brother and everyone else that they had come across with some paying the price for it and he saw how that hurt her. This… he could do this one thing for her and just be there when she needed him.

Resolved in what to do, Sam relaxed a little. Lucifer's words still weighed heavily on his mind. There was no denying that what Amara and Lucifer said were true. Even Castiel sort of confirmed it and Gabriel, when he wasn't going through puberty, mentioned it. It was weird and perverted in a way since Lucifer seemed to act like she was his and only his and he knew that the fallen angel would make her life a living hell while having his fun. The least he could do was provide her some peace of mind and be a rock like she was for him countless times.

Feeling better, Sam straightened up and was going to reach into his pocket when his phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID and rolled his eyes. "Great."

"I take it that it's Gabriel."

"Lucky guess."

Kesset chuckled at that, "He never had a problem before."

"That was before we got stuck with him growing up," Sam muttered as he opened his phone and was immediately assault with a complaint about the latest thing Angela had done to the bunker while they were away coupled with a plea to get back as soon as possible. Yeah he was some rock.

A/N: Seems like Lucifer is reminding Sam that he knows about Angie and what's coming and Sam thinks about what to do. Tag to Rock Never Dies.