After getting together some things, the three of them headed out to the car. Sam was sound asleep in the front seat. "You don't mind sitting in back, do you, Lisa?" Dean asked

"Sure," Lisa said, thinking that it was symbolic. Now that Sam was back, she and Ben were going to be taking a back seat to Sam.

When they were all settled into the car, Dean looked over at Sam. He didn't look like he was really getting a good rest. He looked like he was having a nightmare. Dean didn't know if he should wake him up or not. Sam had seemed exhausted the whole time they were together. He clearly wasn't getting enough sleep. He was reminded of the time right after Jessica had died. But, worse.

He decided against waking him up and asked Lisa and Ben to be quiet so Sam could sleep. He didn't notice the resentment in their eyes.

SSS

Sam was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming, but it didn't make it any less scary. He had nightmares every time he fell asleep—nightmares about Hell, but this one was the worst. He had it at least three times a week. It had happened his second year in Hell.

Sam and Adam were lying on side by side tables. Usually Lucifer tortured Sam while Michael cut into Adam, but sometimes they mixed it up. This was one of those days. Michael was working on Sam, while he listened to Adam screaming. Lucifer was much better, if that was the right word, at torturing. Sam couldn't help but be relieved on the rare occasions when they switched patients. Sam had to wonder why Lucifer would choose that word to refer to them. It wasn't like he was trying to cure them of anything.

"You know Adam, I'm not really mad at you," Lucifer said in a conversational tone. "After all, you weren't the one who forced me back into this cage. What about you, bro?"

"No. Michael didn't fight me. He said yes almost immediately. He was the perfect vessel, really. Well, as perfect as he could be for a back up," Michael amended.

"Well, why are we torturing him? It seems kind of silly really. One of us tortures Sam, the one that we're really mad at, while the other one tortures this poor innocent boy."

Sam didn't like where this was headed at all. Looked like he was going to be getting a double dose from now on. But, he had to admit it was fair. Adam was innocent. That would probably be the only thing he would ever agree with Lucifer about.

"So, what do you propose, little brother?" Michael asked, smirking. He knew exactly what he was going to ask. They had discussed it on their last coffee break. Of course, they didn't have coffee in Hell, that was just an expression.

"Why don't we let Adam join in the fun? Then the three of us could all throw all of our effort at punishing the truly guilty party."

"What?" Sam asked. Adam wouldn't torture him. Or would he? They hadn't really spoken all that much. They were tortured 23 hours and 45 minutes every day. That "what" was the first word Sam had uttered in about seven months.

"What do you say, Adam?" Michael asked. "Sounds like fun doesn't it?"

"OK," Adam had said. No hesitation. Nothing.

In a way, Sam couldn't blame him. Lucifer undid his restraints. Adam stood upright for the first time since Michael had exited his body moments after landing at the bottom of the pit. Of course, it had taken six days before they hit the bottom. The cage was really deep down.

"Why don't you take the first cut," Michael offered as he handed Adam a knife.

Adam grinned. "I'm going to enjoy this. You ruined my life. First, you kept Dad away from me. Then, you couldn't protect me from that ghoul. Then, you pulled me down into Hell."

Sam didn't bother defending himself. Didn't remind Adam that by the time Dad knew about him, he was out of the house and no encumbrance from Dad moving in with his mother and playing Dad. How was he supposed to protect him from a ghoul when he didn't even know he existed? Couldn't deny the fact that he pulled him into Hell anyway.

Adam went at it with a gusto that even Lucifer lacked. Soon, Lucifer and Michael didn't even bother with the torture anymore. Just looked on with approval as they plotted to see if there was any way out.

SSS

"No, Adam, please!" Sam yelled as he came awake.

"You OK?" Dean asked.

From the back seat, Lisa and Ben wondered how Dean could be so calm. That was the most terrifying scream they had ever heard. They exchanged a look and silently agreed to pretend they weren't there.

"Fine," Sam said.

Dean figured it must have been awful for Sam. Not only did he have to be tortured in Hell, but he had to watch Adam get tortured, too. Knowing Sam that would have been the worst part. He would have to make sure he talked about it eventually, but not in front of Ben and Lisa.

They were at Bobby's now, anyway. They had to figure out how to keep Sam topside.

SSS

Bobby was inside trying to figure out how to break his demon deal. He couldn't believe he had fallen for that moron Crowley's promise. On the other hand, compared to Sam's sacrifice, it probably wasn't that big a deal. He got ten years before his deal came due and he only had to go to Hell proper, not Lucifer's cage.

He thought he was imagining things when he heard the familiar rumble of Dean's Impala. He had been a car man for far longer than he had been a hunter and each car had its own peculiar sound. He would know Dean's anywhere.

He got up and went to the door, arriving the same time Dean knocked. Dean was standing on the door step with a woman and a kid behind him. "What's wrong?" Bobby asked. He hadn't seen Dean since he had left the life. Because of that, he didn't want to see him now.

Dean knew what Bobby meant, but still said, "Good to see you, too, Bobby," in as sarcastic a tone as he could muster under the circumstances.

"You must be Lisa and Ben," Bobby said, to the two people behind Dean. "It's nice to finally meet you." Anybody special in Dean's book was special in his, too. Couldn't say that, though. It would ruin his curmudgeonly reputation.

"Why don't you guys go upstairs and get comfortable?" Dean suggested.

"TV's busted, but there's plenty of books," Bobby said. He almost choked up when he said that. He remembered one other time his TV was busted and John Winchester had shown up with his kids. Sam was thrilled with all the books, while Dean lamented the lack of any real entertainment.