Disclaimer - I don't own it, and never will damn it.

I haven't even seen the season 5 premier episode yet, it's not out in Australia. I had to rely on spoilers for info. Hope this is accurate. Let me know if it's not.

SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN

Lucifer was rising, right there, where Lilith's blood was trailing. The building was shuddering. In moments, Dean and Sam were backing away and then running. The doors slammed shut and sealed, blocking off their escape.

There was a blinding light, and between heartbeats, they were gone.

****

Everywhere was light, and brightness. Nearly too blinding to see. There was nothing else to see, but the light. Sam squinted. "What the hell happened... " Something shoved hard against him, buffeting him and crushing him. His muscles cramped as something cruelly held him still.

"You are here to be judged, Samuel Winchester," said a booming voice from all around them.

Dean spun a full three sixty. He couldn't see anything besides whiteness and brightness – like a damned laundry commercial. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"We are the angels of the Lord. You will bare witness to our judgement, Dean Winchester."

Dean looked at Sam. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the lightness all around him. Now it was starting to look like he was in one of those bad movies about cloud nine, 'cause damn it, he could swear they were standing right in the middle of a fluffy white cloud.

Sam coughed and stumbled as the pressure eased on his body. He had a moment of respite, and then there was the most incredible pain. "Dean ..."

Dean turned. Sam's voice sounded strange, like it did when he was hurting bad. He was panting hard as if he had just run a marathon. Dean took a hesitant half step towards his brother; the brother that he didn't know any more. "Sam?"

"Hurts, Dean ..." Sam gasped. He swayed and fell to his knees."

His protective instincts were still there, and kicking in like a reflex, even though he didn't know his brother any more, didn't want to know his brother … ."What the hell are you doing to him? Leave him alone!" yelled Dean.

"Blasphemy!" whispered outraged voices.

"It is the demon taint in his blood that pains him," murmured a female voice. "Should we …?"

"Leave him to suffer as he deserves," sneered another voice. "We cannot remove it anyway."

Dean knelt down beside Sam.

Sam's whole body was shuddering, sweat pouring off him. "It ... burns ..."

Dean grimaced.

"He broke the last seal!" murmured another voice incredulously. "He released Lucifer ..."

There was more murmuring around them, alarm, fear and anger in the voices. Lots of voices, hundreds, maybe thousands, some strong and loud, others distant and weaker.

Dean put a hand to Sam's forehead. There was a fever building incredibly fast; too fast. "Hold on, Sammy."

"Why discuss his crimes at all?" said a deep male voice. "He is part demon, and he released Lucifer. His crimes are damning; beyond redemption. We should simply obliterate him as we would any of the demon spawn."

"But he is human, one of God's children. It isn't our place to judge him, that's for God and God alone! Look into his soul, can you not see? This meeting is wrong."

"No names are mentioned here and none of us are seen. The humans won't even remember that this meeting ever took place. There is no harm in holding a meeting. And I for one will never taint my sanctity by looking into a demon blackened soul like his."

"No-one has ever committed a greater sin ..."

"I say again; it's not our place to judge him."

"Look," Dean said over all the murmurs. "Could you just put us back down, maybe in California while your discussing this. Your hurting my brother. The murmurs didn't change; none of them were listening to him."

"Perhaps we should be thanking him for releasing Lucifer," said another male voice.

"Blasphemy!" murmured the voices, growing louder into a cacophony of angry, shocked voices.

"Think, just think! Yes, Lucifer is risen, but that also means Judgement Day is coming. We'll see paradise at last. Our long wait is coming to an end!"

"But it can't be now!"

"It is now! The seals have been broken and Lucifer is free."

"Dean, is no less guilty than Samuel is," said another voice. "He broke the first seal. And I agree. It isn't our job to lay judgement."

Sam's shudders were growing worse, his eyes flickered dazedly. Bonelessly, he slumped down rolling until he lay on his side, gasping in little pants. He gritted his teeth against the scream of agony he wanted to let loose but couldn't prevent the long moan of pain climbing up his throat. He couldn't believe what was happening. He knew he deserved to be obliterated. Wanted it even. He'd let Lucifer free! He'd started the apocalypse. Him. Samuel Winchester. Dad would have been so ashamed. But he hadn't meant for anything bad to happen, he'd just been hunting a demon, like always. He just couldn't believe how badly he'd screwed things up. Screwed things up? Now wasn't that the understatement of all time.

Dean felt Sam's forehead again and cursed, the fever was burning hot. Hotter than any fever he'd ever felt before. "You put us back on Earth now before you kill my brother!" yelled Dean, leaping back to his feet. "Your all a bloody waste of space, you angels! Don't give me your sanctimonious, holier than thou crap! It's your bloody fault that the seals are broken! Where the hell were you all, huh? I'll tell you, you were all busy stabbing each other in the back and whining about all us human 'scum' down there. If you were really worried about the seals you would've pulled me out of hell before the first seal was broken."

"I say we destroy Samuel Winchester. His crimes are unredeemable. We'll be doing God and the entire world a favour."

Dean flung his hands in the air in frustration. The angels weren't listening. Hell, when did they ever listen.

Sam's back arched and he screamed in agony. God it hurt! It hurt so bad. His veins were on fire. The angels were right. It didn't matter if he'd had good intentions. Lucifer was out 'cause of him. The whole planet was going down because of him.. He'd trusted a damned demon before his own brother! He'd been sucking up demon blood like a drug; like a vampire. He deserved to be damned. He deserved to have Dean reject him. He deserved to go to hell forever. He could feel his hold on consciousness fading as his body started shuddering harder and harder on it's way to convulsions. He moaned; words barely a whisper. "Dear God … please … . Please forgive me … . I'm so sorry."

There was another blinding light, and they were gone.

Sam gasped in a shuddering breath. They were in a jet liner. They'd been pulled away from the old convent where Lucifer had had them trapped. They'd been saved. He shared an unbelieving glance with his brother.

God forgive him, he'd let Lucifer out. How the hell was he gonna fix things, now?