Actually starting at 12x8.


Chapter 1

Some days later (that the brothers had intended to take free to rest), Dean was enjoying a coffee and a slice of pie for breakfast when Sam came running through the kitchen's door.

"Hey, we still have an unresolved problem if you remember!" he panted, energized by his morning jog.

"Good morning to you too, Sammy," Dean joked. "So soon?"

"Yeah. That's what happens when we overlook very important details in our plan to stop Amara."

"But we did anyway, right? Everything turned out fine."

"No, Dean, not everything is fine. We let Lucifer out, remember?"

The older brother stopped munching for a second, his good mood ruined.

"And from that, I deduce he already did something to attract our attention."

"You mean beside possibly taking hostage the very President of U.S.A., as Crowley told us yesterday? As if that wasn't enough. Finish your breakfast and come to the war room."

"Wait, aren't you gonna eat too?"

At that, Sam looked a little out of place, and Dean finally noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

"Well, I... I already ate with Jess and Cas before. We were up all night explaining a bit of things to her."

"Oh. That's good, I suppose. What things?"

"Not much yet. Just the big picture, no details. Our general line of work and such."

"Is she going to stay here, Sam?" Dean asked, serious.

The younger hunter looked away, feeling unsure.

"I would like that, Dean. It's Jess' decision, of course, but... I've already prepared a room for her, next to the one that was Charlie's. She's sleeping there right now."

"Eh, I have no problem with her staying, you know it," Dean replied. "Wait, you set up a room for Jessica? Why didn't you take her to yours?"

"Are you kidding?" Sam exclaimed, eyes wide open. "We didn't have any contact for eleven years, Dean. She wasn't even aware of being dead for so long. I... I'm not going to force myself on her like that."

Dean kept his mouth shut, feeling like he had got lost at some point of the conversation, for it had no sense to him. Sam had been mourning the loss of his precious babe all this time, and now that he had her back, was afraid of being with her? Anyway, his brother didn't seem to be in the mood to talk about it, so Dean let it be.

After breakfast, he met in the war room with Sam and Castiel. His brother was at his laptop, and both he and the angel had a deep frown on their faces.

"So, what's the matter?" Dean asked.

"Look at this."

Sam showed him a video he had saved on the PC. It was an interview with the President no less! Dean watched uninterested, politics not being his cup of tea, until he saw a strange red reflection in the man's eyes. It was barely an instant, making him doubt he had actually seen it; but a couple of minutes later it happened again, and once more before the short conversation ended.

"What the hell...?" Dean sputtered. "Please, tell me that wasn't what I think it was."

"If by any chance you're thinking that Lucifer has possessed him as his default vessel, then yes, you're totally right," Sam sighed, resting his face on his hands. "Just what Crowley tried to convince us of yesterday. Here we have the proof."

"That son of a bitch," Dean spoke, starting to pace around the room. "Just our luck to have a president able to contain the Devil! There's no way we can exorcise him. We won't be able to even get close enough, much less kidnap him."

"I wonder what Lucifer thinks he is doing," Castiel said, frowning. "The meatsuit that he obtained from Nick was good enough to retain its shape even in Hell, he did not need another. But Lucifer went and took one of the most powerful humans on Earth, who by the way, must have accepted him willingly. And yet, he does not seem to be causing any trouble."

"You said it, not yet, dammit!" the Righteous Man cursed. "Who knows what wicked plans must be running wild through his mind? Oh man, and here I thought he had reconciled with daddy dear."

"Yeah, same here," Sam murmured. "Hey Cas, do you know... I mean, if by any chance, did he leave you with some kind of clue about his intentions?"

"From the time I let myself be taken over?" Castiel shook his head. "No, sorry. I did not present any resistance to him, thus I was not privy to his possible future plans."

Dean grunted under his breath. The fact that the angel had believed he needed to sacrifice himself again in order to save humanity was still a sore subject for the hunter. His best friend had already done more than enough, in his opinion; he deserved some solace. If this went on, Dean feared that someday they'll run out of luck to have him back, and didn't want that to happen.

"In any case," Sam concluded, "whatever it is that Lucifer intends to do, I don't think we'll be able to fend him off just by ourselves. Last time we had Chuck blocking his power over us, and the previous time Michael served as distraction for their epic battle, but now... I really think we should call other hunters to help us."

"Other hunters?" Dean repeated, incredulous. "What do you mean, other hunters? We let Lucifer out, so we are going to put him back in the Cage. It's our business to deal with, and perhaps along the way we possibly could..."

He stopped talking, unable to hold Sam's look. It didn't matter anyway, since both of them knew who they were thinking about.

"No, Dean. Forgive me but I disagree," argued the younger hunter. "Lucifer is not your common demon, it's the Devil. And yes, we were the ones that let him out, but this is a world-wide matter we are discussing here. We need help."

The older brother grumbled, pacing again. He couldn't deny the truth thrown at his face, and that made him angry.

"Ok, ok! Let's seek help. Let's drag other people into this. It's what hunters are for after all, right? Who have you thought about, Sammy?"

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated. Cas, you side with me?"

The angel was startled for a second, since he didn't expect to participate in the argument. What should he answer? Of course, the preferable route would be to side with the Righteous Man, but given the current circumstances...

"Well, as much as I would despise the idea of putting more people in danger, in this particular situation I would advice that... 'the more the merrier'?" he finally said, quoting in the air.

Sam smiled smugly to his brother. As few times as it happened, he knew that whenever Castiel agreed with him, Dean wouldn't argue anymore. Yeah, score for Sam!

"We'll have to consider more options, but for starters I'd call Eileen, Garth..."

"Wait, Garth?!" Dean interrupted. "You want to call Garth?"

"Yes, why not? I know he turned werewolf, but he's still a hunter. And I thought you were fond of him."

"I am. Sorta. But he's not just a hunter, he's a married man. You know, with the whole trying to settle down, living a peaceful life, maybe having a pup or two... Not active anymore it's what I'm trying to say, so leave him out of this."

"But..."

"And Eileen? For hell's sake, she is..."

"She is what?" Sam repeated, his voice somehow defensive.

"She's free, Sam. Finally got her peace of mind after many years chasing down the banshee that killed her parents. The girl deserves to enjoy a bit of life now, don't you think?"

Sam deeply sighed, frustrated. Of course he thought the same, but they still needed help. More names ran through his mind (Mackey, Wally, Tracy Bell, Rick, Jerry, Tamara...), but something told him that his big brother was going to rebuke all of them one way or another.

"Ok, so you don't want to involve any hunters. Then who are you suggesting we call for help? Demons? Oh, I know. How about good ol' friend Crowley? Or maybe a witch, like Rowena?"

"Hey, don't you dare put that one on me, buddy," Dean pointed an accusing finger at Sam. "You alone called her way more times than I ever did Crowley. And at least with him we kinda know what to expect."

"Yeah, of course. So what's your plan, Dean? Any good ideas here?"

"No, I have none, ok?! Just shut the fuck up!"

With that Dean turned away, nervously threading his fingers through his hair, trying to calm down. It didn't work, until he felt a comforting hand on his left shoulder.

"Dean," Castiel spoke softly. "We will find a way, as we always do together. Do not despair."

The hunter looked at him, and almost instantly felt a wave a peace wash all over his body, as usual whenever Castiel reassured him. His breathing calmed, and his heart beat steadier.

"I need another coffee," he sighed, slumping on a chair.

"I will make you a cup. Do you want another, Sam?"

"Yes, Cas. Thank you."

Castiel made his way to the kitchen and started the coffee machine. He was worried about Dean, but that was nothing new. His best friend had just barely avoided to explode in tiny cells in order to stop the Darkness, and still there he was, already head-stuck in another crisis without any real time to rest. It hurt him to think that the Righteous Man never has a chance to look for his own happiness, always alert for the next time the world needed to be saved (or his brother, or his messed-up custodian angel, or even himself).

He wanted to bring Dean happiness, he wanted it so much. But he was scared, because every time he had tried to do something good, he had failed. Everything had crumbled to the ground like a castle of cards. Eventually, Castiel had started to believe that maybe he simply wasn't designed to bring joy to others. After all, he was an angel, and angels were created to obey and nothing more. It was still a painful belief, though.

At least he still could make coffee. That would make Dean a bit happier, even if just for a moment.

However, even such easy task was apparently doomed to fail. Castiel was already on his way back to the library, carrying two mugs of hot coffee, when suddenly he received a highwave in his brain, the screech actually so high that made him lose his balance and let the two mugs crashing onto the floor.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, back in the library, the conversation between the brothers hadn't advanced too much. At least not until they received the visit of an uninvited guest.

"Dean, please... I know this isn't to your liking, but you can't really expect we deal with him on our own and actually win!"

"Listen to the moose." The King of Hell appeared out of thin air, with a sardonic smile plastered on his face and an old, small suede bag in his hand. "After all, between you two, he's the brain and you're the brawl."

"Crowley!" Dean grunted, annoyed. "Hey, just because we lowered down the wardings in case of extreme necessity, doesn't mean you can abuse them and pop here whenever you want."

"Oh, I beg you pardon, squirrel. I just couldn't live another minute without looking at your pretty face." He made his way to them and put the bag on the table. "And here I was, thinking I could act the part of a kind soul and help each other to get that devilish pain-in-the-arse out of our lives."

"Do you have a plan?" Sam asked, since his brother wasn't in the mood.

Crowley paused for an instant.

"A plan of sorts... no, not yet. But I have this," and he opened the bag, taking out a golden egg with strange symbols carved. "I ransacked Hell's vaults to the last speck of dust, and found it there. This may be the first time that I'm actually glad Hell becomes chaotic the moment you look away. Nobody noticed my little Juliet sniffing around."

Both Winchesters looked at the odd object, not sure what to make of it.

"And what are we supposed to do with a Fabergé egg?" Dean asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you even know who Fabergé was," Crowley half-laughed. "But this is not a toy, it's a powerful and very valuable instrument against the forces of evil."

"... Ok, I'll bite. What movie have you taken that line from?"

"Please, time-out you two. Crowley, what exactly is that thing?"

The King of Hell sat down on a chair and made himself comfortable. A second later, a glass of scotch appeared in front of him on the table.

"This egg is an extremely old artifact, crafted by an advanced legendary civilization now sunken and lost in the ocean. Apparently, it can exorcise a demon from its vessel with no major damage for the poor and frail human. It needs a spell to activate, but it's a start at least."

"What do you mean with 'apparently'?" Sam frowned. "Haven't you tested it?"

"You see, this thing was created against demons, meaning no demon can make it work. Probably only a human will do."

"That's nice to hear, I'm all in for another toy against you smoke-bitches," Dean commented. "But what use is to us now? We're trying to deal with an angel, an ARCHangel actually, not a demon."

"Well, there you have a point, squirrel. But I have studied the carvings on the egg to the best of my knowledge, which I assure you is nothing short, and didn't find anything explicit to only demons. My belief is that this might work against any supernatural being, angel and archangel included. Also, let's not forget that Lucifer it's still the Devil, no matter his angelic origin. Maybe that counts for something?"

Dean was about to let out another of his witty replies, when they heard a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. He was immediately on his feet, Sam in tow.

"Cas?!"

The hunter arrived hastily to the kitchen, only to see his best friend clutching his head in pain.

"Cas? Cas, hey!"

"Something has happened. Something... angel radio... there are so many voices!"

"What are they saying?" Sam asked.

"There has been a massive surge in celestial energy. A nephilim has come into being... it is the offspring of an angel and a human."

"And that's big news?" Dean frowned.

"Yes, but the power to produce this is immense! It's much, much greater than a typical angel."

A deadpan came over Sam's face. He understood instantly what that meant.

"Lucifer."

"Lucifer?" Dean repeated, somewhat impressed. "I didn't know he was dating."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The night was silent in the bunker. Although, of course, living twenty miles from your nearest neighbour meant all the silence you could desire. Dean was finishing his last research in Busty A- ahem, last research in something totally innocent and preparing to call it a day, when a female figure made her way to the chair in front of him. She was wearing a comfortable but really big t-shirt, and what Dean was sure were his little brother's swimming trunks, which reached her calves.

"Hello," she said, smiling coyly.

"Jessica, hello." Dean smiled back. "Is something the matter? Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks. Just trying to get back into the living life and all."

The hunter chuckled a little. He knew how it was.

"It takes a few days, don't rush it. Been there, done that."

"Uh, yes. Sam told me about your... trip downstairs."

Dean chuckled again.

"No need to be delicate with me, Jessica. It was a long time ago. You can talk to me as frankly as you want."

"Well, that's nice for a change."

His smile vanished, being replaced by a worried frown.

"What you mean?"

"Sam doesn't talk to me," she answered sadly, crossing a leg and resting her chin on the knee.

"Oh. He went to bed half an hour ago. If you had come out a bit early..."

"I know he did. It's not that, but..." Jessica sighed, her eyes wandering around. "Even if we are in the same room, we don't really talk. He comes and visits me, and tries to explain a lot of things about how the world is nowadays, and the things you two do, and everything that has happened since I died, and... etc., a lot of etc., but we haven't had a real conversation yet. It's all like a never-ending lesson."

"Hum..." Dean grunted. "Listen, Jessica..."

"Just Jess is ok, Dean."

"Right, Jess. You see, I'm not good at this feely talking or whatever, so I'm gonna be frank with you too," he tried to be soft. "Right now, we have a big thing in our hands to deal with; actually, we always seem to have something going on, so you better get used to it asap. What I mean is that you're another one of those big things to Sam, you get it? Believe me, I know you are. He has been mourning you every single day since you died. I'm sure he's overwhelmed with happiness for your return, but right now... we really need to deal with Lucifer. Probably, that's all he can think about at the moment."

Jessica nodded a bit in understanding, though still sad.

"You're telling me to give him some time, aren't you?"

"Yeah. More or less, that's the idea."

They both kept quiet for a while, until a sudden moan escaped from Dean's laptop. He auto-reflexively closed the screen, looking sorta embarrassed at Jessica.

"You heard nothing."

"Sure..." she said, smiling funny. "Were you being a naughty boy, Dean?"

Dean opened his mouth, surprised. He couldn't help but laugh.

"You know, that would've been kinda sexy if you weren't my little brother's girl."

"Thanks for the compliment, I guess." She stood up. "I'm going to make myself a coffee. Also, I feel lucky that I studied History at Stanford, or else I wouldn't know how to make that prehistoric machine work."

"Well, being a hunter doesn't exactly pay off in banknotes!" Dean joked. "Though I guess we should get you some clothes of your own at least. Goodnight, Jess."

"Goodnight, Dean."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If there was a single law that the Winchesters never failed to have blown up on their faces, it was certainly Murphy's Law. Every single time. One way or another. And this hadn't been the exception.

Everything had started pretty good. The complete Brady Bunch reunited in a cheap motel room to further discuss the route to take, to hone the details, and to decipher the spell to use with the Fabergé egg (yes, Dean's nickname had rubbed on them because nobody was able to tell what the hell the ancient artifact's name actually was). Crowley teleported away to retrieve the mother of Lucifer's future kid, Rowena made nice introductions, and Castiel showed her that what she carried was anything but an innocent child. Kelly Kline had been heartbroken, both for the truth about her baby and for the fact that the man she loved had been possessed by the Devil. Because, well... did that even count as infidelity?

Then "Vote Lucifer for President" had arrived and mayhem ensued. A bluff here, a spell there, protect Rosemary and eggie do your thing, yada yada all done and everyone happy. But of course, dear ol' Murphy had to grace them with his presence: the King of Hell and the witch vanished, the angel took away the only human witness, and the two hunter brothers were left to fend for themselves against the Secret Service. Yay.

The good news? Lucifer was back in the Cage. The bad? Kelly Kline had escaped from Castiel and was currently MIA, while Dean and Sam were taken prisoners to a high security site.

Really, just an average day in everyone's lives.


Looking for: GabrielxKali (fanfics, pictures, etc). No ABO dynamics, please, I hate those.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!