Sam woke up. The sun wasn't up yet, but he decided he would go for a jog before Dean got up. He grabbed his stuff and went quietly into the bathroom. It worried him a little that Dean didn't stir at all. They were supposed to be light sleepers, always alert to danger. He knew that hadn't been true for a while. For a little while after they were shot by Roy and Walt, they were more vigilant, but had slacked off again. Dean had probably grown a little more complacent while with Lisa and Ben, and he had just been so tired after getting his soul back. They hadn't gotten back in the hyper-aware mode again. He wouldn't bring it up to Dean, but he would work on his own awareness.

He was brushing his teeth when Lucifer popped up. He rolled his eyes. He would ignore him as best he could just like always.

"So, Sam, ever hear that the devil's greatest trick is convincing others that he doesn't exist?"

Sam had heard that, but he refused to have a conversation with a figment of his imagination.

"Most people think it's because if they ignore the existence of the devil, that they'll sin will-nilly and their souls will come to me, but that's not the real reason," Lucifer continued.

Sam spit out his toothpaste and bent down to put on his sneakers. He would go on an extra long run. Leave Lucifer in his dust.

"The real reason is denying my existence gives me power. You've given me so much power I've escaped the cage. I'm real. I'm not a figment of your imagination anymore."

Sam froze with one shoe on and one off. He knew that couldn't be true. His imagination was just getting better at freaking him out.

Then he felt Lucifer's red hot hand on his shoulder. It actually felt real. But, it couldn't be.

"You're not real," he said.

"Yes I am, Sammy."

That gave Sam the answer. He would just get Dean to confirm that there was nobody else here. He would probably get mad at him for waking him up, but he didn't care right now.

"Dean!" he yelled.

"Oh, do you need big brother to come and save you from me?" Lucifer mocked. He smiled. "Won't do you much good. I can take Dean."

"DEAN!" Sam yelled louder.

SSS

Dean was sleeping. It was the only time he wasn't totally depressed. He didn't have to think of Cas's betrayal, Bobby's death, or Sam's weird new personality.

"DEAN!" he heard.

He sat straight up in bed. He looked over at Sam's bed. It was empty, but the bathroom door was closed. He got up, ran over and opened it.

"What the Hell?" he said.

"I'm sorry, Dean, but you have to tell me Lucifer's not here."

Sam was curled up in a corner of the bathroom shaking. Dean walked over to him and knelt down. "Sammy, he's not here."

"Are you sure?" Sam whispered. It reminded Dean of when Sam was nine and wouldn't believe there was nothing in his closet.

"Yeah. What happened? I thought you were doing better."

"I was, but he told me that ignoring him had given him the power to escape Hell. It sounded so reasonable. I'm really sorry I woke you up."

"Don't be," Dean said firmly. "Any time you're not sure what's real and what's not, you need to ask me, got it?"

Sam nodded.

"I'm going to go get us some breakfast. Are you going to go jogging?" Dean asked in an annoyed tone. He wasn't sure why, but Jogger Sam really irked him.

"No," Sam said. He just wasn't in the mood anymore.

"OK. I'll be back in ten minutes," Dean said. "Unless you want to come with," he didn't really want to leave Sam alone."

"I think I want to get a shower," Sam said. He had sweat more in the last few minutes than he would have if he had gone jogging.

Dean nodded to Sam and went out.

Lucifer stepped from behind the bathroom door. Sam realized that Dean wouldn't have seen him if he had been real, but there would have been no reason for the real devil to hid from Dean.

"I'm not ready for him yet. I need to make preparations first." Lucifer walked up to Sam, grabbed his arm and transported them somewhere else.

"We're back in Detroit. Where we went right after I said yes," Sam realized. "But, this isn't real. When Dean comes back, he'll pull me back to reality."

This is reality, Sammy," Lucifer said. "I need to perform a ritual to regain control of Hell from that upstart Crowley."

"What's the ritual?"

"I have to get Michael's vessel to kill mine."

"You mean Dean?" Sam asked, knowing full well who he meant for his own vessel. "Michael was never in Dean."

"Doesn't matter. Any one of his vessels can kill any of mine."

"Dean won't kill me," Sam argued. He was pretty sure of that. If Dean were going to kill him, there were more opportune moments to do it.

"I know," Lucifer sighed. "But Adam will."

"Adam's in Hell," Sam reminded him.

"He won't be once I trick Dean into getting him out."

SSS

Dean walked back in the hotel room with doughnuts. The bathroom door was still open, the way he'd left it and there was no sign of Sam.

"SAM!" Dean yelled. He couldn't lose Sam, too. Not now, not after everyone else.