Author's Note: Hi everyone! Here's a short oneshot dealing with a subject I would love to see more often on the show. It feels like a missing piece… Sam will open up to Rowena, since she's been there, but not to anyone else, as far as I can remember. I thought he might bring it up to Gabriel in 13x20, but he obviously doesn't like talking about it. Anyway, I was really itching to write this, and thought I'd share. Let me know what you think!

Warning: Spoilers for episode 13x22, "Exodus."

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. I'm only writing for fan enjoyment.

Enjoy!

SPN

Sam's heart was hammering as he followed Dean and Castiel through the cold, bleak settlement, and it was all he could do to keep his fear at bay. Jack was talking to Lucifer… It was enough to alarm anyone — though Dean seemed more incensed than concerned, reminding Sam of their father. Good. He could take the lead on this. Sam was still rattled from his resurrection, and the less attention he drew to himself, the better.

Waking up in a dark, forsaken tunnel — with the memory of vampires tearing through his flesh — only to find himself trapped with the devil, just like old times… It was sickening, disorienting, and shameful. Sam's skin was still crawling, and no matter how much Dean forgave him, he couldn't forgive himself. Lucifer had used him as bait to lure in Jack, and now they were talking. If Sam had just stayed dead, this wouldn't be happening… He was responsible.

He told Dean he would handle it, and somehow he would. He had to — or die trying. It was the only penance that would absolve him. But he didn't have a plan, and was reluctant to confront Lucifer without one. Dean, on the other hand, shared none of his reservations.

"Hey!" he barked when they reached the rickety old shack where the nephilim was sitting beside his father. Dean pointed an angry finger at the devil. "Hey! I told you no talking!" He turned on Jack, who rose to his feet, apparently baffled. "And I told you no listening!"

"Dean," Jack said defensively. "He's in chains…"

As if that made him any less dangerous.

"His mouth isn't!" Dean objected, glaring heatedly at Lucifer. "I should have gagged him."

Lucifer frowned, but didn't say anything. He didn't need to. He already had a foothold, and was now content to watch and wait as Jack made his case for him.

"I need to know about my powers — my family."

"Jack, we are your family," Castiel interjected, trying to reason with the boy. "We've been protecting you, we've been honoring your mother's wishes. We're your family."

It wasn't enough… Sam could see the longing in his eyes. At one point, Lucifer had been no one to him, but now, after all this time, something had changed. "Jack," Sam said in a gentle voice, meeting his young friend's gaze. "You have no idea who Lucifer really is."

"And I never will unless I talk to him," Jack replied, tense and frustrated.

Lucifer glanced patiently from his son back to the hunters, no doubt pleased with the progress he was making.

Dean focused on the ground, struggling to control his temper. "Jack…"

"Dean!" the boy snapped, catching the hunter's eye. "He's my father."

The declaration made Sam's stomach drop while Lucifer smiled in smug satisfaction. This was an argument they couldn't win. All children yearned to know their parents, which Sam understood painfully well. He had spent his whole life yearning for his mom. It was the most natural thing in the world for Jack to feel the same about his father, despite the devil's cruelty. How could they expect otherwise?

Dean sighed, pressing his hand to his head as he weighed his options. He was too stubborn to admit defeat, especially with such high stakes, but he was already treading on thin ice. Sam glanced nervously at Castiel, who looked back at him in equal apprehension. Meanwhile, Jack stood his ground; he felt strongly about this, and nothing would change his mind. He kept his gaze locked on Dean, unblinking, as if demanding the hunter's acknowledgment.

After a long, tense moment, Dean dropped his arm and peered over at Sam. He wore a strange expression — a mixture of hesitation and resolve. He had reached some kind of decision, but he didn't like it, and when he finally spoke, his tone was apologetic. "There's another way."

Lucifer's ears pricked up while Jack cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"You want to know the truth?" Dean asked bitterly, turning back to glare at the nephilim. "You don't talk to Lucifer. He'll just tell you whatever crap you want to hear — whatever sounds good so you'll give him a chance."

"Hey!" Lucifer objected, jumping to his feet, but Dean wasn't done.

"Ask Sam. Ask Sam why he's willing to go to bat for you, despite all your mistakes, but not for him — even now, when he owes the son of a bitch his life!"

Sam fell back a step and stared at Dean in dread. He could feel Jack's eyes on him, as well as Lucifer's, and he couldn't help but cringe. "Dean…" he whispered, but his brother didn't hear him.

"You know what, I've got a better idea," he growled. "Remember, back in our world, when you used your powers to show us a vision of our mom? I bet you can do that in reverse, right? I bet you can access our memories as easily as you can share your own."

"Dean!" Sam tried again with greater urgency. His brother couldn't be suggesting what Sam thought he was suggesting, could he? He didn't have the right…

"So if you want the truth," Dean continued relentlessly, stepping forward to loom over the boy. "The cold, hard facts… then ask my little brother for a peek behind the curtain. Cause he knows Lucifer better than anyone… and he can bring you up to speed real fast."

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing — it felt like a punch to the gut. His legs wobbled, and he quickly turned away, covering his mouth.

Lucifer scoffed, finally breaking his silence. "Wow, Dean. Let me see if I can wrap my head around this. You want Sam to open up and share his memories of the Cage? Come on! You of all people should know he doesn't kiss and tell."

Sam flinched, cheeks burning.

Abruptly, Dean spun on his heel and caught Sam by the arm. He turned him back around so they were face to face. Over his brother's shoulder, Sam glimpsed Jack and Lucifer; they were both watching him, one in bewilderment, the other in amusement. It was a bad idea, but Sam couldn't stop himself from locking eyes with the devil, who winked at him. It was bad enough just standing in the presence of his tormentor. Being asked to relive the Cage… That was more than he could bear.

Castiel must have noticed the effect Lucifer was having on Sam. He discreetly sidled between them, blocking the fallen angel from Sam's view. Jack took it all in with a frown, unsure what to make of the situation.

"Sam," Dean said softly, but firmly. "Look at me…" Sam timidly obeyed, earning a nod of encouragement. "I hate myself for asking this, but we're running low on time here, and the kid won't listen. He has to see for himself, and you can show him. It's quick, it's direct, and it's all we've got."

Sam shook his head. "No… I can't…"

"Yes, you can. You have to. Or else Satan gets visitation rights, if not full custody."

"You know we can hear you, right?" Lucifer called out, craning his neck to see around Castiel. "Dean, if I'm such a bad guy, why am I the one reminding you to respect your brother's boundaries? He's clearly uncomfortable, and I hate to say it, but you're acting like a dick."

"Shut up!" Dean barked back at him.

"No, he's right," Sam said, the words bitter on his tongue. Dean's face paled, and Sam felt like crawling in a hole. "Those memories are private. I wouldn't share them with you, much less Jack. He's just a kid…" He might look and act like a young man, but he was barely a year old. He shouldn't be exposed to the trauma Sam endured — he should be sheltered from it.

Jack narrowed his eyes and frowned at Lucifer. "What did you do to him?"

Lucifer winced, holding his shackled hands up in a show of mock submission. "Jack… you have to understand, Sam and I have a very complicated relationship…"

"Not so complicated," Castiel interrupted.

"A very intimate relationship," Lucifer amended with a pointed look at Castiel. The angel scowled while Lucifer recovered his train of thought. "But Sam's not a victim. Far from it. He's a hero."

"Which naturally makes you the villain," Dean remarked, which only made the devil shrug.

"That's a matter of perspective," he replied. "I had to address some personal issues with my brother, Michael, and I think we can all agree he's kind of a zealot. Problem is, we're archangels, Jack. We're extremely powerful. There was bound to be some collateral damage, and that made me the 'villain,' as Dean so eloquently puts it."

Jack shook his head, gritting his teeth. "I don't care about that. What did you do to Sam?"

Lucifer sighed. "It was all consensual."

Castiel let out an angry laugh while Dean started toward the devil, but Sam caught his arm and dragged him back. He could taste the bile in his throat.

"I mean it!" Lucifer insisted. "Sam agreed to everything. It was his decision to jump in the Cage, not mine. He wanted to be down there. He made the choice, not me. He knew exactly what he was signing up for, and he said 'yes' every step of the way."

"Because it was that or this!" Dean bellowed, gesturing wildly at the world around them. "Jack, everything you've experienced in this apocalyptic nightmare would have happened back home if not for Sam! And he stopped it by jumping in that damn Cage where your father treated him to indescribable, unimaginable torture! And since it was hell, it went on for over a damn lifetime! Sam didn't make that choice because he wanted to, he made the choice because it was the only choice to save the world! So if you still want to sit here and chat with your old man, do me a favor and get the hell out of our lives!"

With so many eyes on him, Sam was starting to feel claustrophobic. This wasn't how he wanted Jack to learn about Lucifer. It wasn't fair — but then again, nothing about this was fair. He had to put a stop to it. "Dean!" He ushered his brother away from the shack. "That's enough… Come on, you made your point."

"I hope so," Dean grumbled, following Sam's lead.

As they made their retreat, Sam glanced back over his shoulder. Jack had moved several feet away from his father, along with Castiel, and the two were engaged in a quiet, but strained conversation. Jack looked frantic, and Castiel was obviously trying to calm him down. As for Lucifer…

He followed Sam with his predatory gaze — neither angry nor amused.

Hungry.

If not for his proximity to Jack, Lucifer would have pounced. Sam could see it in his eyes, and felt a chill run down his spine.

He had to find a way to kill him, and he had to do it as soon as possible. Before Lucifer unleashed the horrors of the Cage on him and everyone he loved.

SPN