Sam and Cas had been searching for Lucifer all day. Sam was growing frustrated. He grabbed a bottle of beer from the motel room's mini-fridge aggressively. "Anything, Cas?"

"I've been searching everywhere, Sam. He isn't here yet… Though I did discover something…" the angel replied, tossing Sam a newspaper. "A woman murdered her husband recently. It's one of a string of similar murders. It might be sirens…"

"There's something I haven't seen in years…" Sam said. "Well, great. We have that to deal with, too…" He added, exasperated.

"Since you have experience with this sort of thing, you look for the siren. I will continue searching for Lucifer. Will you need anything to kill it?"

"Yeah, a bronze dagger…"

Cas disappeared from the room, then reappeared a moment later. "It took a while, but I found a dagger…"

Sam nodded and snatched the dagger. Cas disappeared again. Sam groaned. It felt like Cas was trying to keep him from helping Dean. He sighed and went to investigate the siren.

~0~

After much research, it turned out that all the siren-influenced murderers had something in common. Upon further investigation, they had all gone to at least one funeral in the past few months, at the same funeral home. Each of the murderers, when Sam interviewed them, mentioned that the funeral worker was "just like" the one person they lost. And that they were "just so kind, and they gave me a glass of water every time…"

Sam knew he had to head to the funeral home. He was pulling out the bronze dagger when he remembered something important.

He didn't have the infected blood of a siren's victim.

That's when he got an idea…

~0~

Sam waited in the lobby for the funeral worker. He hoped his plan would work. He heard the door open and gasped.

A man his thirties entered. He had green eyes and sandy hair. He was like an ersatz Dean. The false Dean smiled. "Hey, how can I help you?"

Sam pulled out a badge. "I need to know if you know about the recent murders…"

The man shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Care for a glass of water?"

Sam shook his head. "Don't play dumb. I know what you are…"

The siren tilted his head. "Oh. You do?"

Sam nodded, hoping things would go according to plan.

"Is it really so wrong what I'm doing? I'm giving them a little piece of who they lost…"

"…Then making them murder the few loved ones they have left? Forgive me if I don't call you a saint…"

The siren scowled. "Here, maybe if I give you a little taste…" he charged at Sam.

The two fought until the siren slammed Sam into a bookshelf. It collapsed on the hunter, pinning him to the ground. The siren wrenched his mouth open and spat into it. Sam felt the venom taking hold.

All according to plan.

"You've lost your brother. You feel terrible because your relationship was on the rocks, don't you? No matter what, you still love him deep down. He's the only family you have left, after all. Well, let me fill the void, Sammy. You just got to get rid of one little thing…"

"CAS!" He called, praying for the angel.

Cas appeared instantaneously. He lifted the bookcase off Sam. Sam went in to attack Cas, but the angel pinned him to the wall and sliced his arm with the bronze dagger. He shoved Sam aside and turned his attention to the siren.

Cas hesitated a moment when he saw the siren (or rather, who it resembled). The siren charged at him. Cas, in turn, stabbed it in the stomach.

Sam snapped out of the spell. He saw as Cas stabbed the siren a few more times, despite it being dead. Sam called Cas's name. Cas snapped out of the trance-like state he was in and helped Sam up, healing his cut.

Sam started feeling bad for being frustrated with the angel. He knew Cas wanted to save Dean just as much as he did. But he was still trying to look out for him. Sam had a feeling he had to look out for Castiel, too, though.

"Ugh. You can't count on a siren for anything…"

Sam and Cas both stiffened at the voice. It sounded so heartbreakingly familiar, but it felt so foreign. They turned around.

"Dean!"

"Lucifer…"

~0~

Alright, I was on hiatus for this fic a bit to wrap up "Open The Floodgates" (haven't finished. I almost am, though…), but I had this chapter and just had to finish. Soon as I wrap up "Floodgates", I'll devote more time to this fic! Yay! \(^o^)/

Carry On, My Wayward Companions! -CH