Since their first few run-ins with demons, the Winchesters had always been sure to have all the ingredients for a demon summoning handy. It only took a few more items before they were able to specifically summon Crowley. They headed out to the garage behind Bobby's house and readied the spell. When everything was set up Bobby read the incantation and they waited.

"What now?" came the familiar voice from behind them. They turned and Crowley was standing before them, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "In case you didn't know, running Hell is hard work on its own. Lying to all of Hell, even harder. What could be so import-"

Lucifer stalked up to the demon, silencing him. "I sent you to keep them quiet and out of the way, not to continue on with the end of the world."

Crowley looked shocked, thrown completely off guard. "We've not been doing anything of the sort. I've set most of them to reordering the lower levels, a few to keeping track of deals," he said defensively. "Busy work. Just trying to keep them from looking too closely at what's going on. Honest. I really don't need you lot breathing down my neck. Why would I go out of my way to get your attention?"

Lucifer didn't seem to believe him. "If you're not, who is?"

"I don't bloody know. I've had my hands full with cutting off rumors and keeping the, quite literally, damned masses in check. I haven't had time to wonder who is doing what outside of Hell." Crowley walked around Lucifer and leaned himself against a tree trunk. "I haven't even noticed things are still headed towards the end of days."

Sam and Dean visibly deflated. "Great, now what?" Sam ran a hand through his hair. "We've got nothing else to really go on."

"We know what's happening," Bobby said. "We go back to the beginning and try and find out what has the juice to do these things. There can't be many creatures powerful enough to cause this kind of trouble."

Without waiting for the others he set off back towards the house. Crowley dismissed himself with a scowl. Ready to settle in for more research the pair of brothers started back towards the house. No one said much once they got inside, Bobby only giving Ellen and Jo the basic run down as they cracked open books and took seats around the house.

Bobby was at his desk in the study, going between paging through musty, old books and answering phones. Dean was hunched over in a chair next to Bobby while Castiel was stood stiffly behind him, book in hand. Jo and Ellen were pouring over their own stack of books on the kitchen table. Sam and Lucifer had grabbed a few piles and had spread the books out across the floor in the living room. As soon as Sam had opened one of the books marks of red, words and lines and symbols, caught his eye.

"Lucifer, is this what you were doing with Bobby the other day?"

Lucifer peered over at the book in Sam's lap. "Yup. Those are the corrections."

Sam shot the angel a look. "I'm pretty sure 'How do you even get this wrong? Obviously you need a thrice blessed willow branch you idiots' isn't a correction," he said, reading from the page.

"Of course it is. It says how to kill the thing." Lucifer said as he rolled his eyes as if Sam was being stupid.

"The insults are not part of fixing the mistakes." Sam huffed loudly, exasperated.

"Quiet out there!" Ellen called from the other room. "You boys better quit fighting like an old married couple and get to work before I come out there." Both angel and hunter were quickly silenced and suddenly very invested in their respective books, Lucifer seeming to almost pout as he curled himself around a book on the floor while Sam frowned at the book in his lap. Their bickering quickly ended by the sharp whip of Ellen's tone.

The group of them looked into every possibility, followed every trail and lead, however small or unlikely. For a week they read and researched. Each day they became more frustrated at their lack of findings. There was nothing in their library to even suggest what had been happening was possible, let alone what could be causing it. The only thing they knew for sure could cause it was currently sitting with them powerless, helping them research.

Late one night, or very early one day, after a solid week of research, Castiel let his head fall back and bump lightly against the wall behind him. He stared upwards at the ceiling. Once he'd been able to look up and see the outer reaches of Heaven, the in between that skimmed against the mortal realm. Now all he saw was dark wood and cobwebs. In a small fit of frustrated desperation he sent a thought upwards, in hopes he still had an ally within the Host who listened. 'Please, we need help.'

The second another angel's Grace appeared in the room beside Castiel he knew who it was. There were few angels that had been as close to Castiel as this one.

Across the table Dean was on his feet, a wordless shout of surprise alerting the rest of the house. Castiel was between Dean and his friend in an instant. "Balthazar," Castiel was pleased he hadn't fallen so far as to have his voice choked off by the emotions that swarmed him at seeing his supposedly felled comrade again. "You died!"

"Yes, well, so much for that." Balthazar had taken the body of a scruffy looking man with blonde hair. He was dressed casually and seemed very comfortable in his vessel.

The joy and amazed disbelief Castiel had felt upon Balthazar's arrival gave way to anger very quickly. "You were dead! I mourned you, Balthazar! I thought you had died at Uriel's hands!"

Balthazar scowled at him. "Yes, that was the point, Cassie. How else was I to get away from the Host? Fall? I rather like my Grace how it is, attached and alive."

Castiel was about to continue to yell at his friend, to try and make him understand how his loss, paired with Uriel's betrayal, had hurt. However, Lucifer had entered the room and, even depowered as he was, he was never a presence to be ignored. Balthazar turned around to face the archangel with wide eyes. Castiel could see everything in him tense in preparation for a battle.

"Castiel, dear, why is the Morningstar standing there and yet no one is panicking?"

Given how the situation must appear to Balthazar he was handling it very well. He was not going to run, Castiel could tell that much from the way he held himself alone. Balthazar, should there be danger, was ready to fight. The fact that he had yet to attack showed not only his faith in Castiel's ability to hunt out danger but also his training on the battle field. Balthazar had been a member of Castiel's garrison in heaven and a fierce warrior and friend. The thought almost made Castiel smile.

Lucifer smirked at the new angel. "Balthazar, right? Gabriel's little shadow."

Balthazar's response was a curt nod before he turned back to Castiel. "Anyone going to explain? Or am I to guess?"

Castiel sighed, releasing his anger along with the breath. "It is a long story."

"So, what you're telling me is that Lucifer doesn't want the world to end any longer? And it's because of these hairless apes, the ones who caused the problem in the first place? Just because God turned him into one?" Balthazar was sitting almost primly in the chair he'd commandeered and looking between each of them in turn. He had been quiet during the explanation from Castiel and Lucifer and was now grilling them for details. He leaned forward suddenly and made a rather violent hand gesture, "Has the whole world gone mad?"

"We ask ourselves that a few times a day, actually," Bobby said from the other side of the room. He hadn't stopped paging through books for more than a few minutes at a time while keeping an eye on their newest angelic acquaintance.

"Fantastic," Balthazar groused. "Well, that at least goes a long way towards explaining the news I've come to deliver."

Everyone's attention was now on him. "News?"

With a put upon sigh Balthazar faced Castiel. "Yes. I didn't out myself for fun, you know. I was having a grand time about it on my own until someone started mucking things up. I ignored it for a bit, thinking it was Lucifer doing his thing, but then it started to seem… off. The patterns changed. I looked into it and what do I find at the source of the problem? The bloody Host."

Sam leaned forward. "The Host? You mean the other angels are causing these problems? What for?"

Balthazar nodded. "Exactly. Word is that Lucifer has gone missing. No one had even begun to guess why, though now I know. Either way, the higher ups are playing at keeping the apocalypse moving full speed ahead. They're not telling anyone that no one knows where the Morningstar has run off to unless they can't help it." He took a sip from the glass of wine he'd conjured at the beginning of the explanation. "I'm sure Raphael and Michael are in a right tizzy at the moment."

Lucifer stood and was in Balthazar's face in an instant. "This is no joking matter!" he snapped, eyes flashing dangerously. "My brothers are not only posing as me, and quite poorly, but looking for me as well."

Lucifer paced the length of the living room twice before Sam reached out and grabbed his arm, halting him. "Calm down. At least we know where to look now. Well, sort of."

Lucifer eyed Sam's hand on his forearm for a moment before pulling free of his grasp. Sam let him go, knowing better than to push his luck. "I'd never expected Michael or Raphael to stoop so low. I know for a fact that there are rituals that take more power than any of the Host, outside of archangels, are capable of. One of my brothers is walking Earth and doing things in my name. Sam, that is wrong in a way I don't think you can understand."

"It is pretty messed up," Ellen said, eyes darting between the pair. "This whole mess is pretty crappy. But we need to focus on stopping them. If the insults help motivate you, then by all means, hold a grudge, but more often than not that kind of thing hinders and makes you do stupid things. You're new to emotions. Don't use them if you don't know how."

There was silence in the room for a few moments as Lucifer seemed to visibly calm himself down. Or try to. With a furious growl he gave up and took flight. Jo and Sam sighed, defeated. Dean rolled his eyes and rejoined Bobby at the table, opening a book and beginning their search anew.

Ellen looked at the remaining pair of angels. "What now? How do we shut down the Host?"

Balthazar snorted. "You don't. You might have been able to stop one angel. But the whole of the Host? Not ."

Ellen wasn't taking no for an answer. "What if the Host knew they were being tricked? All those angels can't actually be okay with what's happening."

Castiel shook his head. "At the very best we would be able to convince our garrison to join ranks. But even they could not help us enough to matter. They would be cast out, like I have been, and lose their Grace. Most of the angels are simply tired, they are likely to follow their orders and not question it too much. Especially if what they were working towards seemed worth it."

"Which is why," Balthazar said, backing away a few paces. "I'll be taking my leave now, loves. Cassie knows how to get in touch if it's really necessary." And he was gone in the blink of an eye with the sound of fluttering wings.

Dean grunted from the desk. "Great help he was, Cas." The hunter's tone was clipped and tightly controlled as he flipped the page of his book with more force than could ever be necessary. "Friend of yours?"

Castiel gave Dean an irritated look. There was no reason to be so hostile towards a friend who had just helped them. The Winchesters were too paranoid for their own good sometimes. "Yes. He was one of the angels of my garrison who went with me into hell to rescue you."

Dean flinched and with that Castiel flew off.

Lucifer lay on the roof of Bobby's house limbs spread wide and wings outstretched. His feathers gleamed an impressive grey-silver, brilliant even in the soft light of early morning. He stared at the brightening sky and towards where he knew heaven brushed against Earth. He knew he wouldn't see anything. He hadn't been able to see the edge of Heaven in millennia, not even while looking out of the cage when he first fell.

He couldn't believe his brothers would dare to take it upon themselves to end the Earth if he stopped participating. To be fair, though, his apathy was such an unlikely turn of events it had probably never occurred to anyone.

With a growl Lucifer sat up and shook out his wings. He'd made a habit of pulling them into the mortal plane whenever he was sure he would be without company. After losing them, even for such a small amount of time, he felt reassured by their weight on his back and by the soft sounds of his feathers brushing against each other. Having them on the same plane as his vessel added an extra layer of sensation he didn't have when they are hidden. His wings brought him comfort and he refused to be ashamed of it. At this thought he wrapped them lightly around himself.

Lucifer eyed the sky again. "What are you trying to do?" he asked quietly.

The question was directed at no one in particular.

He didn't know how to stop his brothers. Even if he was in possession of the entirety of his Grace he didn't know if he would want to face Michael in battle anymore. The more he thought about it the more he felt the many years of his exile. He was tired. He realized for the first time that he was lonely. He missed his brothers terribly.

Even if they were trying to destroy the world. Even if they were making a mess of it. Even if they were playing at being him, and doing it poorly.

He felt Castiel appear beside him and he tucked his wings away as he stood to face the younger angel. "The rest of the house has fallen asleep. Everyone has been up for days with little rest. Are you tired?"

Lucifer shook his head. "No, I have very little need for rest anymore. Truthfully, I've been indulging these past few weeks because it's still refreshing. I haven't needed sleep since I regained a bit of my Grace."

Castiel nodded. "I see. So, what are we to do about the Host? We cannot hope to take them all head on."

"I don't know. If we had a list of everything they were doing I might be able to figure out their goal. There are steps to be followed for each ritual. We find the pattern and we might be able to head them off." Lucifer cast his gaze out over the junk yard below. What was he doing? He should be trying to bring this world to ash, not plotting to save it from his brothers' wrath.

Castiel's lips canted upwards in the slightest of smiles. "We will alert the others after they manage some rest."

Castiel went back down to Bobby's library to see if he could find an easy way for the humans in their group to track angelic activity. Lucifer decided that, even though he was not actually tired, he should find some way to meditate and calm down. His Grace and new found emotions were turbulent and he knew enough to know that they needed to be brought under control before he got himself into trouble.

That was how he came to find himself in Sam's room, watching the younger Winchester sleep. Castiel had named the feelings he had towards Sam as Love. If Castiel was correct then Lucifer loved Sam. It didn't feel much like what he felt towards his father or his brothers. The protectiveness was similar but much of the other jumbled emotions were quite different. Lucifer watched Sam while he tried to center himself and think about everything that they had found out in a logical and emotionless way. He found Sam's presence soothing even when he was being annoying and telling him what to do, it was even better with Sam quiet and relaxed in sleep.

Sam made a soft noise and rolled over under the covers as Lucifer watched him, then he stretched and made a noise that sounded disgruntled, frowned and tossed a little. It looked like the beginning of a bad dream. Lucifer had a hand on Sam's head to change the tone of the dream before he'd even thought about it.

He was suddenly in a small house. He was at the door of a bedroom he recognized from another of Sam's dreams that he had entered. Sam looked as if he was about to lie on the bed. Something drew Lucifer's attention to the ceiling so he glanced up and saw the woman he had impersonated the first time he'd met Sam in his dreams pinned to the ceiling. He knew what dream this was and where it was going so he decided to stop it.

He spoke up quickly, before Sam could register what was really around him. "Didn't you live here?"

Sam jumped in surprise and looked at Lucifer, confused for a moment and still stuck in the dream. The woman faded from the ceiling and Sam finally replied. "Yeah," he said slowly. "This is where I lived while I was in college. I lived here with Jess."

Sam looked up, as if expecting to see something above him. Lucifer thought he must have this dream often. "This is where Dean came and got me from when I started hunting again." He laughed a little bitterly, the sound hollow and not at all to Lucifer's liking. "Usually, I watch her die and Dean drags me away like he did in real life. And then I'm suddenly in the room where I saw him torn apart by hellhounds and they attack. I guess you interrupted."

"That's probably a good thing, then." He walked out of the bedroom. It reminded him uncomfortably of the first time he'd invaded Sam's dreams with far less helpful intent. "Did you like living alone? Away from your family?"

Sam followed him out into a kitchen. Before answering he looked around a little confused like the kitchen didn't make sense. "Yeah, I did. That probably doesn't make a lot of sense to you does it? Angels seem to be used to living all in one group." Sam seemed to automatically drift towards the fridge.

Lucifer nodded solemnly. "Suddenly, being cast out from heaven was certainly jarring. But I didn't actually fall alone. Many of my brothers who took my side were cast out with me. I was only alone because they trapped me in the cage." The kitchen looked almost like it was blurring out of focus, Sam's dream must be fading. "But that won't help your dreams at all, will it? Sweet dreams Sam."

At this Sam looked up and seemed to realize what was going on and smiled a little at Lucifer, a smile he hadn't seen on Sam before. "Thanks," he said as the dream faded.

In a blink Lucifer was standing beside Sam's bed again, pulling his fingers from the man's forehead. Maybe this was what Castiel meant by love. He wanted Sam to be happy and unhurt; he understood that part since he'd always felt similarly about his brothers. The part he found confusing was the urge he had to crawl into bed next to Sam now that he had calmed the hunter. He wanted to replace the pillow Sam was holding with himself and sleep the night away though there was work to be done. It was similar to earlier, when Sam had grabbed his arm he had automatically stopped to listen and had to force himself to pull away. All of his reactions were confusing. Lucifer stayed near Sam's bed, watching over him until the sky got bright enough that it might wake him. He flew down to the library to see if Castiel had found any new information and found Bobby with him. Lucifer flopped onto the couch and closed his eyes, frustration edging its way into his mind again.

"Don't just laze about when there's work to be done. Pick a book up or something so we can figure out what to do about your warmongering brothers." Bobby looked like he might toss a book at Lucifer's head if he didn't do something quickly. He sighed and picked up a book on rituals. The three of them stayed in the library until Ellen started coffee and everyone migrated to the kitchen as the rest of the house woke up.

Dean sipped at his too hot coffee, the temperature not bothering him at all, as Sam stretched and popped his back and grinned as he began to pour his own coffee. "You look well rested. Somebody finally take that pea out of your mattress, princess?"

Sam grinned and dug around in the fridge until he found some milk. "I just slept really well, that's all."

"Considering there's a bunch of angels screwing around with even more things you'd think you'd have nightmares," Jo snarked as she added sugar to her coffee.

"We've been dealing with angels messing with us for awhile now so I don't think it bothers me as much anymore. I already know a lot of them are dicks, it's something you get used to." Sam glanced at Lucifer with a small smile and then at Castiel, they were both hovering in the doorway while the humans ate breakfast. "At least we know some helpful angels. Quit lurking and get in here," Sam motioned them in with his free hand.

The pair of them walked in, Castiel sat beside Dean in an empty chair as Lucifer perched himself on the counter near Sam. Jo snatched a bit of bacon from the pan Ellen was frying and ducked back towards the table. "So, do we have any idea what to do now?"

Castiel gave Lucifer a glance, prompting him to speak up. "There are rituals to follow. Things that are supposed to lead into the apocalypse, similar to how there were certain things that had to be done to break the seals to get me out of the cage." Sam frowned uncomfortably at that, but Lucifer just shrugged.

Castiel looked at Lucifer expectantly and then continued when he didn't. "If we can figure out exactly what the rest of the Host has been doing and what parts have been directly under their influence we might be able to figure out what their plan is so we can stop them."

At this Dean and Jo exchanged an eye roll and Jo asked, "Isn't their plan to keep the apocalypse on track?"

Lucifer turned looked at her, "Yes, but there are a lot of different ways to do that."

"You said it was similar to the seals." Sam said, thinking back on the whole fiasco with the seals. Castiel had told them there were many and that only a certain number had needed to be broken, only the first and last were concrete. "There are certain things that have to be done a certain way no matter what right? There are some steps that are a must. Then there are other steps that have a bit more flexibility. Right?"

Lucifer nodded and smiled a little at Sam. "I knew you were the smart one. Something like that. The apocalypse can't technically happen without me since Michael and I are supposed to fight. But they can still destroy the Earth until that's all there's left to do. And I wouldn't put it past them to go ahead and do it."

Dean scoffed into his coffee. "Right. So now the world can end without the world ending. Awesome."

"We can still stop them, Dean," Castiel said. "If we find out their goal we can stop them from reaching it."

All eyes were on Lucifer. "What? I don't know where they're going with this. I would need to have a list of all of the omens before I could even start."

"Good. Here you go," Bobby said from the door way, wheeling passed Lucifer and tossing a book at him. "That's a list of everything that could be an omen. Have at it."

Lucifer blinked down at the book and its worn pages. There were tabs and mismatched pages sticking out the sides. The cover had sigils etched into it against demons and watches and several other creatures the hunters didn't want going through it. Lucifer flipped it open and began reading, allowing the hustle of the morning to become nothing but background noise to him.

It was midafternoon before Lucifer managed to actually put it all together. Upon realizing what was going on he flew into the study where the others were still researching. "I've got it!" he announced to the room. "The pattern is that there is no pattern."

"Come again?" Sam said, putting down the book he'd be holding.

Lucifer turned to face him. "There isn't a pattern. Whatever they're doing they aren't trying to actually end the world with it."

Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Okay," he said slowly. "What are they trying to do?"

With a shrug Lucifer sat down with his knees curled under him next to Sam. "Dunno. The omens don't connect at all. They're out of order, improperly timed; some of these aren't even proper omens, just the results of obviously botched attempts at rituals. I have no idea what they're up to."

"Balthazar did say Michael and Raphael had noticed you missing," Castiel said. "He said they were trying to hide that fact from the rest of the Host."

Lucifer rolled his eyes and scowled. "They're doing a poor job of it. If I had my full Grace I'd-" Sam elbowed him before he could continue that train of thought.

Dean leaned forward in his seat, looking Lucifer in the eye. "Do they even know how to do these rituals properly?"

"Yes. They know just as well as I do. I don't understand why they are failing so miserably at them. They're not that difficult just complicated and I know they aren't stupid." A grin flashed across Dean's face as Lucifer pushed his hands into his hair in frustration. Dean leaned back in his seat again looking smug and Sam frowned at him then looked over at the frustrated archangel. Lucifer noticed Sam's glances and looked at Dean. "What is it?" he growled.

"They're your brothers that's what." Dean smirked and looked at Sam. "What do brothers do?"

"I don't understand. What are you on about? Of course they're my brothers. That's how I know that they should be doing these rituals properly. They can't even imitate me well." Lucifer growled out and huffed as he pressed himself back into the seat arms folding angrily across his chest.

Dean continued smirking. "Okay, I get that you're the rebellious one and all, but your brothers are still your brothers right? How have you not realized they're doing this on purpose?"

Castiel cut in. "Dean, what do you mean? Why would they purposely do rituals incorrectly? They would have no purpose."

"They're angels, they probably don't actually want to do the nasty things that Lucifer here is supposed to be handling for them in this apocalypse. That's not what they're doing the rituals for," Dean explained.

Lucifer suddenly sat up, "You're saying they're imitating me badly on purpose."

Dean grinned again, and pointed at Lucifer. "They are totally baiting you. Look at you! You've got Samantha over there in a huff because you keep talking and mumbling about how they're doing it wrong and how you could do it better. You're all 'if I had my Grace' this and that. They'd have you playing right into their hand if Daddy hadn't knocked you down already. Your brothers are playing you."

Sam blinked at his brother. "You would be the one to piece that together, Dean."

"That's all fine and dandy, boys," Bobby said. "But now what do we do about it?"

Sam looked pointedly at Dean. "Ignore it until it shuts up?"

Ellen shook her head. "That won't work. This isn't like ignoring a pair of kids picking on each other. We ignore this and the world pays the price. We need a game plan."

Jo huffed and opened another book. "So, back to square one?"

Lucifer was back to paging through the notebook again. "Not exactly. If they are trying to bait me they won't cause too much damage. They'll stay away from the nastier rituals for fear of notifying the Host of something being off and dirtying their wings. They also can't do anything that involves demons, seeing as they don't have any to command. That limits what they can do."

Sam was grinning now. "We just have to figure out the when and where for whatever they're doing."

"Get me a Bible, preferably one still in Hebrew or Greek, Latin will do also. I'll have a list in less than a day," Lucifer said, an odd sort of excitement burning in his eyes.

And a list they got. It was late in the morning the next day when Lucifer appeared in the living room with an open book and a list of places, times and dates. Some were crossed off and there were scribbled notes in the margins up and down the page. Lucifer allowed Bobby and Sam to look over the page and watched as they passed it around the room for everyone to read.

"So, these are their only options, right?" Sam asked, reading over the list once more.

Lucifer nodded. "We just have to follow the omens they're sure to stir up while preparing. We'll have to move fast to stop them in time, but that shouldn't be a problem."

"Great," Dean said, peering over Sam's shoulder at the list. "Where to first?"

It took just over a week and over a thousand miles but by the time the Impala pulled into the parking lot of a motel several hours outside of Sioux Falls for the night the Winchesters and their pair of angels had successfully mucked up three apocalyptic omens and destroyed a witch coven along the way. They'd even managed to score a nice wad of cash in the last town thanks to Castiel's unbeatable poker face. Needless to say everyone was in unusually high spirits.

Dean pushed open the door to his and Sam's room and promptly flopped face down on the bed. "Mm'kay, Sammy. You win. I'm beat." Dean kicked off his boots and wiggled his way out of his jacket before pulling himself up to head into the bathroom.

Dean had been driving for over a day with next to no sleep. Sam and Castiel had insisted they stop and get a motel room after the second time he'd swerved. It had taken some persuading and a threat from Lucifer to just mojo them to one for Dean to agree and pull into the next town they hit. By the time Dean was done in the bathroom and stripped down to his boxers and a well-worn T-shirt Sam was deeply invested in what was on his laptop's screen. Dean muttered a good night and switched off the lamp on his side of the room. He was asleep in minutes.

With a grin Sam shut down his laptop and grabbed his jacket. He slipped silently out of the motel room and down the hall to the room they'd gotten for Castiel and Lucifer. He knocked a few times before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat. It only took a few seconds for Castiel to open the door and let Sam in out of the biting cold.

"I still do not understand why we must keep this a secret from Dean," Castiel said as he watched Sam tie a scarf around his neck and pull on a warm looking hat. They'd both been tucked inside his coat but he'd wanted to get out of the room quickly as to not wake Dean.

"Because, Cas, he'd ruin it if he knew. I told you that holidays were a touchy time of year." Sam looked at the pair of angels. "If it's already set up when he finds out he'll enjoy it more. It's got to be a surprise. Trust me."

"I'll never understand you humans," Lucifer said from the door. He and Sam were going out Christmas shopping while Castiel stayed and kept an eye on Dean. It was just after nine at night and Sam was thankful for probably the first time in his life that shops stayed open extra late around Christmas.

Sam smiled. Everything was going to plan. Bobby had called him yesterday to tell him that he and Jo had picked out a tree and were setting it up that day. He'd said it wasn't much and that they shouldn't get excited but a tree was a tree and it was more than they usually had. Sam was glad Ellen was all but force feeding them holidays. It made it seem like they were a normal family rather than a mismatched band of hunters and non-humans.

"No, you'll just never understand Dean. Which, to be fair, I've known him my whole life and sometimes I don't really get him." Now that he was bundled up he pulled open the door again and walked out. "Come on, I'd like to get some sleep tonight, too."

With a wave to Castiel they started towards town. It wasn't far and Sam was glad. He didn't want to chance the Impala's engine waking Dean up and ruining the surprise. It was a week until Christmas and they were currently in Montana. It was cold and the sky was an endless expanse of black, hinting at a coming snow storm. He hoped it held off until they were back at Bobby's.

Sam was used to the chilly weather and had dressed as accordingly as he could. His cheeks were no doubt pink with cold and his nose was numb from the wind, but for the most part he was warm enough. He had figured that Lucifer would be fine as well. He'd forgotten that the archangel was currently more human than almighty being. They were only a few minutes into their walk when Sam noticed Lucifer hunched in on himself, teeth chattering away.

"Hey, why didn't you tell me the cold could still bother you?" Sam asked, more bite to the words than he meant. The last thing he needed was another person in their group to pick up the "tough guy" act. And if there was any possibility that Lucifer could catch a cold that would only end badly.

Lucifer shot a look at him. "I wasn't aware. We've been moving almost nonstop the past few days, and inside for most of it. I hadn't noticed how cold it had gotten."

Sighing, Sam moved closer and wrapped an arm around Lucifer's shoulders. The angel was only wearing his flannel over shirt and a tee shirt under that. "First stop is buying you a coat."

Lucifer didn't say anything, but he did burrow in closer to Sam. Which made Sam struggle to hold in a smile at how sweet Lucifer seemed in that moment. A minute passed as they continued walking when that feeling was momentarily ruined as Sam felt a cold hand press against his back as it snaked up under his layers of shirts..

The archangel had his entire forearm underneath Sam's shirts and wrapped securely around his waist. His entire body was pressed up against Sam's and his head was resting on his shoulder in what looked like an attempt to keep his face warm. Sam had stopped trying to figure out if he should be worried about how okay he was with all the physical, almost intimate, contact he and Lucifer seemed to find themselves in. he didn't know what to write it off as so he just ignored it and allowed Lucifer to keep doing as he pleased so long as no one got hurt. After all, Sam didn't actually mind the affection and it certainly wouldn't hurt Lucifer's worldview.

The rest of the walk into town was quiet. Lucifer too cold for conversation and Sam too awkward (his cheeks were now pink for a reason completely unrelated to the weather).

Once in town it took them only a few minutes to hunt down a thrift shop. It was a cozy store with racks filled with clothing packed tightly together in the small space. They picked their way through the shop until they found a lightly worn, wool coat that was plenty warm and not too bulky. They brought it to the checkout counter where a young woman with long silvery blonde hair and a soft, distracted smile rung them up. Handing them their receipt she wished them a happy Christmas and thanked them for coming to Lovegood Well-Loved Clothing.

Dressed more appropriately for the weather, Lucifer looked up and down the streets. He still kept close to Sam, but the hunter figured that was par for the course with angels. Castiel still stood a bit too close to Dean when he wasn't actively paying attention to the distance between them. Sam let it slide. He was beginning to enjoy having someone else that wasn't Dean so close to him.

"Right then," Sam said, pulling out a folded paper with a list of gift ideas. "Presents."

They made their first stop at a hunting shop. The sign read Watson and Watson: A Father & Son Business. Inside there was an impressive array of hunting tools; knives, guns, bows and arrows. There was an elderly man with a finely trimmed moustache stocking knick-knacks at the front counter. As they wandered through the aisles they spotted a younger man, roughly in his thirties, cleaning gun at the back counter. Beside him there was a display case filled with a multitude of specialty knives.

Sam headed right over to it. "Man, Jo would love one of these!"

Lucifer eyed the knives in the case. "She does have an affection for sharp, pointy things, doesn't she?"

Sam laughed at the look of mild discomfort on Lucifer's face. "Make you nervous?"

"Everything about those women makes me nervous," he spat back. "Women as a whole really."

The man who had been cleaning the guns next to them laughed quietly. "Shopping for your girls?" he asked as he locked up the gun display case.

Sam shook his head. "No, just a friend of the family. She has a collection and I was wondering which to get her." He looked at the man's name tag, John W. it read. "What do you suggest?"

While Sam and John spoke about the different types of blades and designs Lucifer wandered off through the aisles. He remembered when each of the weapons shown had been the best of their time. He picked up a bow and plucked the string. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a man approach. He had dirty blonde, short hair and wore a short sleeved shirt showing off his very toned arms despite the cold outside.

"Nice choice, man," he said as a way of greeting. "That's one of my favorite models. You know how to shoot?"

Lucifer shook his head. "No, I've never had the opportunity."

The man took the bow from Lucifer's hands and picked up and arrow that had been on display. "Watch and learn. I'm the best shot in the tri-state area." He strung the arrow and took aim at a bull's eye the hung about the knife display. He pulled back and let the arrow fly.

It hit dead center and Lucifer would have been impressed with the human's aim if the arrow hadn't flown a measly inch above Sam's head. Lucifer was about to tear into the careless idiot when the man Sam had been speaking to bellowed, "CLINT!"

After that there were a lot of apologies and a lot of shouting at the man who'd fired the arrow, Clint. The elder gentleman, Mr. Watson Sr., gave Sam a very generous discount on not only the pocket knife he'd picked for Jo but also the engraved pistol for Ellen.

Sam and Lucifer walked down the street in search of another store that might have something that could be a good gift. While they had been inside snow had begun to fall in soft, white flakes. It was nothing more than a dusting on the ground but Sam was still mindful of it. The shops might have been open extra late for the holiday but he knew they'd close right up in the face of a storm.

Sam had been so caught up in thinking about the weather that he'd failed to notice Lucifer stop and read the bumper sticker of a parked car. "Hey, Sam," he called out. "I don't understand, Jesus Christ was born in spring before the Roman calendar was even introduced. This holiday is Pagan."

The bumper sticker in question read "Keep Christ in Christmas" and Sam couldn't help but laugh. " Yeah, I don't really get it either. Something about people spending too much time shopping I think."

They continued walking, making a few stops every now and again at stores that looked promising. Sam had bought them each a pastry from Peeta's Pastry Shop. They'd gone in hoping to find an impressive pie or a new recipe but the young man had made it very clear that he did not give out his baking secrets and Sioux Falls was too far away to get fresh pie delivered to. The chocolate covered croissants they'd left with were to die for, though.

As they walked the snow fall became heavier and heavier. Apparently, this was invitation enough for Lucifer o begin clinging to Sam again. "You know," he said, not sounded as bothered as he should. "We got you a coat to keep you warm."

The answer he got back was Lucifer pushing more into his space. "Yes, but you're warmer. Plus my hands are still cold." If Sam blushed at that there was no one around to see it.

They finally found the perfect store, a small place called MoraMori Gourmet: Fine Teas, Coffees, and Liquors run by a sleazy looking man who kept smirking at them and fiddling with his cell phone while he hummed along to the 'The Thieving Magpie' which was playing as background music. There they bought a bottled of aged sipping whiskey for Bobby and a bag of coffee the shopkeeper had assured Sam was the strongest brew they had for Dean. With everything bagged and ready they walked out into the cold night air. Snow was covering cars and the sidewalk, growing thicker by the minute. Sam welcomed Lucifer's body heat as the Angel slid into place beside him and they headed back the way they came.

Sam and Lucifer stopped once more at the thrift store and picked out a few shirts for Castiel. Between the two of them they had three T-shirts, one sweater, and a warmer coat for the other angel. It was upsetting to keep in mind that Castiel was falling further and further each day and that soon he'd be dealing with humanities little faults himself.

They only made it halfway back to the motel before the storm really picked up and they were forced to duck into an old bus stop hut for shelter. They were lucky that the storm was blowing mostly at the back of the hut, giving them the best protection they were going to get from such a small structure. Sam tucked their bags together on the ground and huddled closer to Lucifer, his teeth chattering and fingers and toes going numb in the cold.

"Y-you don't think you could mojo us back?" Sam asked through clattering teeth.

Lucifer began kicking the ground. "I actually… can't."

"But you said…"

"I might not have been entirely truthful. You wanted Dean to get a motel and he hates being flown places. So, I exaggerated." Instead of being angry Sam just sighed and huddled in closer, shivering.

Lucifer looked over at the hunter, obviously worried by his reaction to the cold. He scooted closer, making sure every part of their bodies that could be touching were. "How are you supposed to keep me warm if you're cold?"

Sam was about to bite back with a sarcastic comment when suddenly there was a solid weight on his shoulders that hadn't been there a moment ago. It was warm and soft and felt alive. He glanced back as the weight slid over his shoulder and saw feathers all around him. He let out a strangled noise of surprise that might have been words if he'd had the capacity to form a coherent thought. All that he could manage was'Lucifer's wings are on me!' as he stared wide-eyed at the edge of a wing curling around his shoulder. When he reminded himself to blink and move he turned back towards Lucifer and realized that his other wing was out to the side of them helping to block the storm and keep a little more heat in. When his gaze managed to make it to Lucifer's face Sam realized he looked almost nervous.

"Had to keep you warm somehow, Sammy," Lucifer said in a monotone, not looking at Sam's face but seeming to inspect the wing that was in front of them. Sam couldn't quite bring himself to speak and just kept staring wide-eyed until Lucifer sighed, "Sorry. I'll just…" and he moved his wings as if to fold them away.

"No! Wait!" Sam said and automatically pulled his hand out from where it was tucked against Lucifer's side and put it on his outstretched wing.

Lucifer suddenly stiffened and the wing flinched away from Sam's hand as this time Lucifer was the one staring wide-eyed at Sam's hand.

"Sorry! Sorry. I… It's okay… I was just… surprised. I'm not bothered by them," Sam said carefully removing his hand. "Did I hurt you or something?"

Lucifer was more than a little stunned. Not many of his brothers had ever touched his wings, he hadn't been that close to most of the younger angels, and it had been a very long time since they had been touched at all. He couldn't quite believe Sam had dared to reach out and touch them, even if he had already been wrapped in them. It became obvious that he'd been silent for too long when Sam began shifting uncomfortably against him trying to huddle in the warmth and avoid touching his wings at the same time. "No Sam, I'm not hurt… Just surprised. Touching an angel's wings is a rather intimate gesture."

"Sorry," Sam winced, "I didn't even think about what I was doing. You wrapped them around me so… um. I didn't… So, this is what you meant when you said you had your wings back?" Clearly Sam was no more comfortable than Lucifer at the moment.

"Yes and no. They're obviously not usually manifested on the physical plane; I have to make the effort to show them like this. When they are, though, it's a lot easier to damage them." At this Sam winced again. "But yes, this is what I got back and even when you can't see them they're here so I can still fly." Lucifer knew he sounded wistful, but it was hard not to be when for the first time in a long time someone was close to him and not being cruel about it.

And oh, but Sam was a smart one and sometimes Lucifer loved it and sometimes it made him really uncomfortable. "Wait. What you got back? Are they not right or something? Is something wrong with them?" Sam reached out again, as if he wanted to check the wings for damage, but stopped himself and drew his hand back to Lucifer's side where he gripped tightly at his coat as if to remind himself not to move his hands.

He was looking very closely at Lucifer's wings which made him twitch nervously. "There's nothing wrong with them." Lucifer said harshly, then took a deep breath. "Well, nothing new anyway. It's just I only have one set where there should be three."

Sam looked a bit dazed at this. "Three…oh."

Lucifer lowered his outstretched wing a little and watched Sam's eyes follow it down. "I think the storm is easing Sam, we should probably get somewhere warmer."

"Right! We should get somewhere warmer. Let's head back to the motel." At this he bent down to pick up their bags and brush the snow off of them. He handed some to Lucifer before hesitatingly sliding his arm back around his waist for warmth. Lucifer couldn't sense anyone around them so he tucked one wing around his own shoulder and wrapped the other back around Sam for the walk back to the motel. Sam certainly didn't mind and Lucifer found it rather nice, even if his wings were a bit chilled afterwards.

When they got back to the room Lucifer was sharing with Castiel he shook the snow off of his wings and tucked them back away from the physical plane. Sam looked mildly disappointed before he shook himself out of it and spread out their purchases on the bed. "Now, we'll have to keep these a secret so we don't spoil the surprise. We can wrap them when we get back to Bobby's. Jo was going to pick up some wrapping paper." Sam pulled out a bag that he had left in the room and started tucking the purchases away.

He looked up with a raised eyebrow when Lucifer made a noise that sounded almost inquisitive. Lucifer finally sat down and said, "It's just interesting that you all get offended when you hide things from each other and keep secrets and then here you are with an important holiday that is centered on just that."

"There's a difference between keeping a secret that's dangerous or hurtful and a surprise. The point is to make someone happy unexpectedly and let them know that you were thinking about them. You give them something that says you care."

Lucifer snorted. "I don't think I've ever had a good surprise."

Sam grinned at him. "You will. I'm going to head back to my room and send Cas back over." He poked Lucifer in the chest. "Do not go telling him what's for him and spoiling the surprise."

"Okay. Okay, fine." Lucifer collapsed dramatically back on the bed and pouted as Sam left. Until a very troubling thought occurred to him.

If Christmas was about showing someone you cared enough to try and make them happy by giving them something, then shouldn't he get Sam something?

How in all the levels of hell was he going to do that?

A/N: Hey guys, we went a little fandom happy for early Christmas and I hope you enjoyed all of our references, we certainly enjoyed making up this nonsense. Can't be tamed.