Dean had just started to feel better about separating from Sam when it happened. It had taken days for him get over his anger towards him and accept that he needed a time-out. And you know what? He was good. For the first time in a long time he was actually beginning to enjoy himself.

That was, until Cas showed up.

"Dean," He said, making Dean flinch and curse under his breath. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel of the Impala.

"You gotta stop doing that, Cas."

Cas didn't seem to hear him. He looked terrible, well, terrible for an angel. His clothes and hair were unkempt, and his usually cool composure seemed to be cracking.

"Cas," Dean prodded.

"You have to help, Dean. I'm sorry, but I can't take it anymore."

By now it was hard for him to keep his attention on the road. He had never seen the angle so eratic.

"It's Sam."

And with that one sentence, Dean's blood ran cold, he pulled over to the side of the road knowing that if something happened to his brother he would probably crash the car.

"Cas, what's going on, dammit!"

Before he could react, Cas outstretched his hand towards Dean and placed two fingers on his forehead. They're surroundings changed and the next thing he knew he was standing in a clearing in the middle of the woods, Cas slightly swaying next to him. In front of them, was Sam. He was on his knees, sweating visibly and breathing heavily. A gun poised at his temple with a finger on the trigger.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, making his way towards him. He snatched at the gun only to have his hand go right through it.

"It's useless, Dean. I wasn't able to transport us here in full, due to the marks on you and your brother's ribs. We can see what's happening, but we cannot interfere."

Dean stood back, with anxiety, as Sam's finger twitched.

"So I can't do anything?" Dean asked, still backing away from Sam, afraid that if he approached any closer the gun would go off. Cas didn't respond, but instead placed a hand on Dean's shoulder and pulled him backwards. Finally, Sam took a deep breath, appearing to be at peace.

The gun went off with a bang.

"No!" Dean shouted. He knew it was useless, but he tore off for his brother anyway.

Blood immediately began to seep through the hole in Sam's head as his body slumped to the ground. Dean's hands went to his brother, hoping maybe somehow he could fix all this. But Cas grabbed hold of him once more and took him away.

"No! Let me go!"

Dean could feel the angel's grip tightening around him and knew there was no way he would get free. His eyes began to water and he blinked rapidly trying to will the tears away. They stood there, Cas holding Dean, neither of them making any Sam began to glow.

"What-what's going on?" A ball of light, maybe the size of a softball, rose above Sam. Dean had to shield his eyes, only peeking through the cracks in his fingers to see what was happening. Cas made no effort to protect his eyes from the blinding light. It traveled a few feet above Sam's body before a ghastly shadow ascended from the ground and pulled it down.

Dean could just make out a voice, like a whisper in the wind, it gave him goosebumps, or rather, it would have, if his body was really there. He couldn't make out what it was saying, but he caught one word- "Sammy".

Then, just like that, the darkness surrounding the light pushed it down until it reached Sam's stomach and was absorbed into his body. The billowy darkness sank into the Earth, and only Sam remained.

Dean approached his little brother once more and noticed that there wasn't any trace of blood, the bullet hole in Sam's head was gone. Before Dean could get any closer, Sam curled forward and tipped over on his side, heaving and gasping. And then, still shaky, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a sharp dagger, with both hands, he raised it upwards, pointed it straight at his heart and-

Dean was back in the Impala.

"Cas," He said tentatively, "what-"

"Sam's soul."

"Wait, wha-"

"What you saw back there, that sphere of light, that was Sam's soul. They don't normally shine like that Dean, human souls. Although they are rare, they are not hard to pick out. Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, for example. Their souls shine brighter than the average human, but Sam, I have never seen one so intense, so...beautiful. All this time it has been hiding under the taint of demon blood. You have to understand, as an angel, there is a drive in me to protect God's creation of man. Sometimes it is easy to ignore, especially when I bare witness to your World Wars and genocides. But when I come across the good, whether it is a simple act of kindness or the union of thousands when disaster strikes, I can't push it down. It's the good I see in Sam, and it's...hard for me to see him, his soul, suffer. There is something I must tell you Dean and that is that Sam is Lucifer's vessel, as you are Micheal's. Sam knows this, and as you have seen, he has been trying to "help" by eliminating himself."

Dean sat back for a moment, trying to control his emotions. He was still in a bit of a shock from their recent escapade, and the new information didn't help things, but he did have a basic understanding of the situation.

"And it didn't work," was all Dean said.

Cas appeared to be slightly relieved that Dean was processing the information without emotional interference.

"No, it didn't. Lucifer is using his power to keep Sam trapped on Earth and in his body."

"So that ball of light, er, Sam's soul, where was it going?"

There were only two options, and Dean feared the answer.

"Heaven, of course. Although, sadly, Sam believes that when he truly dies, he will be sentenced to damnation."

Despite Dean's earlier concern for Sam, all Dean wanted to do now was find him and throttle him for being such an idiot. How could he do that to Dean? What if he had died and Dean ended up never knowing what happened to him? He was going to have a talk with that little shit very soon.

"So what do you want me to do Cas?"

"Stop it. Ever since Lucifer was set free angels felt they needed to keep an eye on Sam. I volunteered, but I can't watch him do this to himself anymore."

It felt like Dean was seeing Cas in a new light, like he was discovering a whole new side to him. He had seen Cas curious, empathetic, even remorseful. But this was a new one, this was Cas pleading.

An all powerful angel of the Lord practically on his knees in front of a human. Dean thought for a minute.

"Where is he?"

/

Hours later, when Dean had driven down to the city Cas specified, he arrived at the dive motel Sam was surely staying in. And after asking the receptionist for a certain pseudonym, he was directed towards the back of the motel. The room closest the woods.

Tentatively, he knocked on the door.