In retrospect, Sam was pleased that he'd had enough sense (or more likely, instinct) to drain five demons during his...rampage. It made relocating the remaining ten demons infinitely easier.

Their new shelter was two states away, and underground - an enormous, abandoned water treatment facility. At Father's command, the vampires outfitted every entrance and exit with wards to hide them from both demons and angels.

For the time-being, Sam had a whole sub-level to himself. He'd picked four rooms, and was busy making them into holding pens for his demons.

"How magnificently practical." Father said, as he walked up behind Sam.

Sam smirked, and said, "Ten set of hands are better than one."

They stood and watched the demons work. Three of them were painting the massive devil's trap on the floor (all of them painted with Sam's sure, steady strokes), and two were mounting shackles on the wall. Sam had the other five doing the same thing in the room next door.

"I'm surprised they're able to build their own wards. Doesn't it hurt them?"

Sam shrugged, "It's uncomfortable, but it won't hurt until it's sealed." The three demons finished painting, and Sam held out his hand as one of them walked towards him and handed him her brush. Then she walked over and started attaching one of the sets of ankle shackles to her legs.

Father chuckled, "We'll get you more tonight. You have six more rooms to fill, after all."

"Six?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Soon, we'll have many more mouths to feed."

"I guess I'd better get back to work then." Sam said. He turned towards the demons who'd all shackled themselves after finishing their tasks. The demon closest to him (in the body of a blonde woman), looked at Sam - her expression completely blank. Her shackles opened one at a time. She stepped away from the wall and walked over to Sam. He pushed her hair back, leaned over her neck and bit down.


Dean hadn't slept well in weeks. He got up from his cot in the Campbell compound and reached under it for his flask.

There were loud voices coming from down the hall...from Samuel's office.

Dean got up and walked down the hall quietly, until he could make out what was being said, and by whom.

"I don't care how - just find them. Now!" Crowley yelled.

"We are looking everywhere." Samuel growled, "You think I don't know how much is at stake?"

Crowley huffed, "Fifteen of my kind have disappeared in the last three days. Vanished into thin air. Normally when we do that, we show up again somewhere else!"

"Can't say I'm heartbroken about some missing demons."

"No." Crowley chuckled, "No, I didn't think you would be. Neither am I, really, except that I think it's obvious where they've gone off to."

Dean walked forward a few more steps, waiting for an answer.

"Where?" Samuel finally asked, exasperated.

"To your grandson, you half-wit."

"Sam?"

"Yes, Sam." Crowley sighed ,"No wait - don't tell me - you have no idea what I'm talking about."

Dean's patience wore out and he slammed open the door to Samuel's office. "He doesn't, but I do."

"Dean." Crowley said, "What a pleasant surprise.

Dean glared at Crowley and then at Samuel, "Want to explain why the hell you're talking to Crowley, Samuel?"

Samuel grimaced, "I have my reasons."

Dean scoffed "Yeah, I bet you do."

"We have an arrangement." Crowley said, "Unfortunately your grand-daddy has failed miserably at holding up his end of the bargain."

Samuel shook his head and growled, "We'll get him back."

"Get who back?" Dean asked. "Sam?"

"Dean -" Crowley said, putting a hand on Dean's shoulder.

Dean grabbed Crowley's wrist and moved his hand away. "Touch me again and I'll break your face."

"Dean." Crowley said again, "Samuel and I have a mutually beneficial arrangement. He helps me track down Alphas, and once I finally get what I need from them, I'll give him what he's asked for."

"What did he ask for?" Dean asked, "Money? Girls?" He turned and glared at Samuel, "Hair?"

Samuel scoffed and turned his back to Dean.

"The point is, I want that alpha vampire, and I know you want your brother back."

"So...?"

"So...we work together. Pool our resources and find them both." Crowley said. Then he smirked, and added, "Plus...what good is your brother without his soul?"

Dean felt his heart skip a beat and his voice wavered when he asked, "You can get his soul back?"

Crowley nodded. "You scratch my back..."

"We could use Crowley's help on this, Dean..." Samuel said from behind them, "we're all working towards the same goal here."

"Oh come on!" Dean yelled. He turned to his grandfather and snapped, "Seriously? You want to work with a demon."

Samuel folded his arms across his chest and let out a heavy sigh, "I have no choice. We have no choice."

"There's always a choice." Dean said.

"'Fraid not." Crowley said. "Anyway, as lovely as it's been chatting with you two, I do have other matters to attend to - Hell isn't going to rule itself."

After Crowley vanished, Dean stalked over to Samuel and snarled, "What the hell is he talking about?"

Samuel shook his head and huffed, "Crowley is the king of Hell."

"What? No way. He's the 'King of the Crossroads', or whatever, not Hell."

"Not according to him."

Dean made his hand into a fist, cracking his knuckles, and flexed his fingers out again. "Why are you working with him?"

Samuel looked at Dean sadly, opened a drawer in his desk and held out a photo.


Bobby refilled Dean's glass and smiled at him weakly, "We'll figure somethin' out."

Dean dropped his head into his arms and sighed, heavily.

"Crowley? Really?" Bobby mused out loud.

Dean scoffed into his shirt sleeves, and he lifted his head back up to add, "Guess Hell has pretty low standards."

"Do you think Cas knows?" Bobby asked.

"Do I know what?" Castiel asked, appearing next to Bobby's desk.

"About Crowley - that he's the friggin' king of Hell!" Dean snapped.

Castiel shook his head, "I'm sorry. I've been too busy fighting a war to concern myself with the politics of Hell. Does it really make a difference?"

Dean looked at Castiel and let out a disbelieving huff, "No - you know, you're right, I guess it doesn't." He stood up and started pacing. "Look, Cas - I get that you're busy. I'm sorry, but I don't know what else to do. I have to find Sam. Do you have any idea where - "

"No. I have no idea where he is."

"You're an angel. How can you not know?" Bobby asked.

"Sam, the alpha, the other vampires that survived that night - I can't find any of them. Wherever they've gone, they're hidden from me."

Dean let his head hang down in frustration, and said, "Well. That's awesome. Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Stop looking for him."

"Are you nuts, I can't just - "

"Yes, you can. Dean - even if I knew where your brother was...attacking him right now would be suicide. We don't know what he's capable of."

"He's my brother." Dean ran his hand through his hair, "Well part of him, anyway. The only part I can get to right now."

"He was your brother. Whatever he is now, he's chosen to stay away from you for a reason. Leave him where he is. There are more important things at stake."

"More important - "

"Yes. If Raphael wins this war, then the whole planet will suffer." Castiel looked Dean in the eyes, then down at the floor, and added "I'm sorry, I can't help you." before vanishing.

"Well." Bobby said. "Ain't he a ray of sunshine."


All of Sam's rooms were filled within less than two weeks - five demons per room, forty altogether. The rest of the rooms on his floor were slowly being filled with humans. Father rewarded Sam every night with his blood.

"Why do you give me your blood so often?" Sam asked one night after drinking his fill.

Father looked at him strangely and said, "You're my favorite son, Sam. You've earned it. Thanks to you, our survival will be far easier. Our numbers have increased tenfold in the last month, and yet, not one of us goes hungry." He smiled, "Soon, very soon, we'll be able to go after your brother again."

"The angels - "

"The angels are powerful, but there are beings far greater than them in this world. We'll have to remind them of that fact."

Sam stared at Father, wondering what he meant. As he looked into the vampire's eyes, something in the back of his mind clicked into place, and he heard himself say, "Apophis..."

"What did you say?" Father asked.

"Set...Marduk...Crius."

Father's eyes widened and he said, "I have had many names."

Sam let out a surprised huff, "Apophis, really? Not Osiris?"

"Osiris is a fool."

Sam smirked.

"Sam - " Father swallowed, and for just a moment, something like fear flickered across his eyes. Then he asked, "How did you learn my names?"

"I heard them..." Sam closed his eyes and remembered, "in your mind."

"What else did you...hear?"

Sam looked back at Father, and asked, "Who is Mother?