Chapter Twenty-Five

When Dean got down to the kitchen the next morning, Bobby was standing at the counter alone, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. He looked up at Dean as he entered and smiled.

"You okay?"

Dean nodded, looking around the room. "Where are Cas and Satan?"

"I haven't seen Cas since he came by yesterday, and Lucifer is outside somewhere. How about Sam?"

"He's still snoring up a storm."

The coffee machine beeped and Bobby poured himself and Dean each a mug. Dean looked at the idle computer on the table and thought how strange it was to not be waiting on Chuck to deliver that day's pages. It was great to have Sam back with them, but Dean wished it didn't come at such a price. Having Lucifer along for the ride wasn't ideal.

Dean took his mug out to the back porch and sat down on the steps. He couldn't see Lucifer around, but he knew he was close; the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He wondered how Sam could see past things like that to be close to Lucifer.

He heard the sound of footsteps, and a moment later, Lucifer appeared from around a stack of junkers.

"Good morning, Dean," he said politely.

Dean grunted in response.

"I would like to talk to you," Lucifer said.

"Go ahead."

Lucifer stepped a little closer, but he didn't sit down beside Dean. He leaned against the railing and looked down at Dean. "I imagine the situation between your brother and myself is difficult for you to understand."

Dean scoffed. "You can say that again."

"But I want you to know," Lucifer said, continuing as if he hadn't heard Dean's words, "that I love your brother, and I would never do anything to hurt him. I know it is going to take time for me to earn your trust, and I will endeavor to do whatever it takes to do that."

Dean rubbed at the back of his neck uncomfortably. The last thing he wanted was a heart to heart with the Devil, but he had a feeling that was he didn't let Lucifer get it out of his system now, he would continue to try until he succeeded. "I trust you with Sammy," he said. "I know you won't hurt him, but it's the rest of the world I don't trust you with."

"Don't you see? To do anything against the world would be to hurt Sam, and I could never do that."

Dean sighed, "That sounds great and all, but I've seen proof of what you're capable of doing to the world."

Lucifer frowned. "You mean the Croatoan world that Zachariah showed you?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, the post-apocalyptic hell."

Lucifer looked thoughtful. "I admit it was my intention to bring humanity to its knees by turning people against each other, but I have forsworn that world for Sam."

"It's that easy?" Dean asked. "You just decide you don't want to do it anymore and that's that."

"Hardly," Lucifer said, examining his fingernails. "I must deal with Pestilence. He is the mastermind behind the Croatoan virus."

"So, if you don't stop him..."

"The virus will be released and the world will fall."

Dean got to his feet. "There you go then. You want to prove to me that you've changed, that has to be the first step. You call off your Horseman and then we can talk about you and Sammy actually having a chance at working."

Lucifer nodded. "This is a conversation your brother should be present for. I will go wake him."

"I don't think so," Dean said quickly. "I'll wake him up. I don't want you two macking on my bed. I have to sleep in that room, too."

"Very well," Lucifer said.

Dean went back into the house and up the stairs to his and Sam's room. Sam was sleeping with his head pillowed on his arms and his legs tangled in the blankets.

"Rise and shine, Sammy," Dean said, slapping his shoulder.

"What's going on?" he said sleepily.

"Your boyfriend has dropped a pile of crap on our laps, and we've got to sort it out."

Sam untangled his legs from the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing at his eyes. He pulled on a pair of jeans and got to his feet.

"What's Lucifer done?"

"Turns out saying you won't end the world and actually proving it are two very different things. Croatoan world is still on."

Sam grabbed a shirt from his duffel. "Okay."

"Okay? That's all you've got to say?"

"What do you want me to say, Dean? He's made mistakes, and now he is working to fix them. He took care of Death last night, and today we'll deal with Pestilence."

"Mistakes?" Dean threw up his arms. "Grabbing a metric wrench when you're asking for a standard is a mistake. Almost ending the world is a choice."

Sam rolled his eyes and pushed past Dean. When Dean got to the study, Sam and Lucifer were standing leaning against the wall, shoulders touching, and looking at Bobby who was talking.

"So Pestilence is still out there, working on the Croatoan world?"

Lucifer nodded. "He must be stopped. I'm afraid it's more than a case of me calling him off. The virus is in production already. It is disguised as a vaccine for swine flu."

"That was your master plan?" Dean asked scathingly. "Infect the world with swine flu and then, when everyone's panicking, you bring out the 'vaccine'."

Lucifer nodded. "That was Pestilence's plan, yes."

"So we have to destroy the lab?" Sam asked, as if this was a normal conversation to be having.

"Technically it is more of a factory. Niveus Pharmaceuticals." Lucifer said.

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "We're going to need firepower, a lot of it. And we need to get the humans out before it blows."

"I can retrieve whatever you need," Lucifer said. "And Pestilence must be stopped, too."

"How do you stop a Horseman?" Bobby asked.

"The simplest way is what Dean and Sam did to War and I to Famine—to remove their ring. Without it, they are useless."

Dean nodded. "Fine, you go with Bobby and Cas to the factory, Sam. Me and your boyfriend can go deal with Pestilence."

Lucifer frowned. "Is there a reason you and I must go together."

Dean crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I want to keep an eye on you. Besides, you wanted a chance to prove yourself to me; killing your henchman will go a way towards that."

Lucifer didn't look pleased, but he didn't argue. Sam crossed the room and picked up a pad of paper and a pen from the desk. He wrote for a moment and then passed the paper to Lucifer. "This is what we're going to need. Do you think you can get it for us?"

Lucifer skimmed down the list and nodded. "There is an abundance of C4 at a government compound in Nevada. I will go now." He touched his forehead to Sam's for a moment, whispered something, and then he was gone.

Sam looked sickeningly disappointed at his exit, and Dean rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Loverboy, he'll be back soon enough. Let's distract you with some nice research. We need to know where the Niveus guys concoct their viruses."

xXx

Dean didn't particularly like being transported by angel mojo, and he liked it even less when Lucifer was doing the driving. He couldn't help but worry Lucifer would drop him into a volcano somewhere. But Lucifer was obliging, and they arrived outside a convalescent home in Davenport, Iowa.

"He is hanging out here?" Seriously?"

Lucifer nodded. "He is Pestilence. Where else would he be?

"I kinda imagined him just living on the road, spreading the plague as he goes."

Lucifer looked thoughtful. "That would perhaps be his plan if I had not bound him."

"So, are you going to just ask him nicely for his ring and hope he hands it over?" Dean asked.

"No. He may be bound, but he still has a survival instinct. He will likely become unpleasant. You might want to wait out here."

Dean shook his head. "No chance. I need to see you hack the finger off myself. You could come out with any old ring and tell me it's his."

Lucifer looked impatient. "You do realize who Pestilence is, don't you? Just being near him will make you sick."

"I've got a good immune system," Dean said carelessly. "I can handle it."

"Very well."

Lucifer strode off toward the main entrance and Dean hurried after him. Lucifer swung open the door and gestured Dean in ahead of him. Dean gave him a speculative look. If Lucifer thought showing basic manners was going to change his mind about him, he was dead wrong. Dean wasn't a pushover like Sam apparently was.

There were nurses bustling around in pink scrubs, and they cast Lucifer nervous glances. One was braver than the rest; she came forward. "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

Lucifer looked her up and down. "No, I don't think so."

He pushed past her and continued up the hall. Dean followed, giving the hurt looking nurse an apologetic look. They came to a room with a nameplate on the door. It said Doctor Green. Lucifer pushed opened the door and entered.

"Lucifer!" a surprised voice said. "I didn't know you were coming here. I sent a report. Is there something wrong?"

Dean stepped in behind Lucifer and he saw a man with sparse grey hair and glasses. It had to be Pestilence.

"Who is this?" Pestilence asked.

"A friend," Lucifer said and Dean scoffed. He was not sure what he was to Lucifer, but it sure as hell wasn't a friend.

Pestilence blinked and looked closer at Dean. "But this is Dean Winchester." He smiled. "Have you brought him to me as a test subject?"

Dean felt nausea rise in him, and his knees buckled. It became hard to draw a breath, and his head pounded.

"What have you done to me?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Pestilence peered down at him over his glasses. "You don't look so well. It might be the, uh, scarlet fever. Or, uh, the meningitis. Oh! Or the syphilis. That's no fun."

"Pestilence, remove your influence at once," Lucifer said coldly.

Pestilence looked confused. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I am ordering you to," Lucifer said. "That should be reason enough."

"Ahh, you see, it really isn't. I am doing your work for you, Lucifer, but I am not your lapdog. I am not War, who bowed to your every whim, or even Famine. My brothers gave everything to you, and look what happened to them."

The edges of Dean's vision grayed, and he felt like he was about to pass out. He had never felt so sick in his life. Even breathing was an effort. It was all he could do to keep pulling air in and out. "Lucifer, do something," he said in a choked voice. He was so desperate for help that he didn't even care that it was the Devil he was calling on for help.

"Pestilence," Lucifer said in a warning tone.

"No, Lucifer," Pestilence said briskly.

Lucifer snapped back his wrist and his blade slipped into his hand. Dean heard Pestilence cry out in shock, and then there was the sound of the blade whooshing through the air. Pestilence bellowed, and Dean's face was spattered with blood. A moment later, Dean was being eased to his feet by Lucifer.

"What's he done to me?" Dean asked weakly.

"He has infected you," Lucifer said. "Don't worry, I can heal you."

Dean wasn't sure he trusted the Devil to do it right, but he didn't have it in him to argue. He flinched as Lucifer pressed his cold palm to his temple and then warmth rushed through him. His head cleared and he stepped away from Lucifer.

"What did you do?"

"I healed you," Lucifer said simply. "Are you feeling well now?"

Dean nodded. He looked down at Pestilence. He was rolling around on the floor, clutching a bloody stump where a hand used to be.

"You know, we only needed the finger," Dean said.

Lucifer shrugged. "I wasn't feeling precise today. A hand works just as well." He bent down and picked up the lone hand that was on the floor and held it out to Dean. Would you like to do the honors?

Feeling slightly sickened, Dean pulled the emerald ring from Pestilence's finger. "Are we done?" he asked.

Lucifer nodded. "Yes."

"What are you going to do with him?" Dean asked, looking down at the writhing Horseman.

"Nothing. I have no need of him anymore. Shall we go to your brother? I believe they will be done with their act of domestic terrorism by now."

"Held up, there's something I want to talk to you about first."

Lucifer tilted his head to the side. "Of course. Shall I relocate us? His moans are starting to grate on me."

Pestilence's moans were annoying Dean, too, so he nodded. A moment later, they were standing in the middle of what looked like a forest.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"The Black Forest," Lucifer said. "I thought you would want privacy for our discussion."

"You brought me to Germany just so we'd have privacy?"

"Of course. I took Sam to an uninhabited island in the middle of the Indian Ocean for us to speak yesterday. This is just one of the things I can offer your brother."

Dean frowned. "That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about."

Lucifer looked confused. "My travels with your brother?"

"No, well, yes, that too, but more your relationship with him."

Lucifer looked expectant.

Dean took a deep breath and tried to marshal his thoughts. He never thought he'd be having the big brother talk with anyone, let alone the Devil. "You're on our side," he said. "I didn't think you were, but I have to admit, after seeing you take out Pestilence, that you are."

Lucifer nodded. "I truly am. I love your brother, and for him, I am giving up everything I spent millennia plotting."

"Which brings me to what I want to say next." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Sam is all the family I have left. He is the most important person in my life."

"You love him," Lucifer said.

"Yeah, and I would do anything for him, to protect him. That includes protecting him from you. Now, I accept that you love him and you want to take care of him, but if that ever changes, if you so much as ruffle a hair on his head, I will hurt you."

Lucifer smiled. "I understand the sentiment, but you do realize what an ineffectual threat that is, don't you?"

Dean glared at him. "You might be the Devil, but I'm Dean Winchester. You hurt my brother and I will set your ass alight with holy oil faster than you can blink."

"Message received," Lucifer said. "Is there anything else?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, one thing. Sammy's strong, stronger than almost anyone I know, but he has a soft heart. He's been hurt before, hurt bad, and I don't want to see that happen to him again."

"I am aware of Sam's history. I know what happened to his girlfriend, and I know what that did to him. But I am incapable of hurting him like that. I will never die, Dean. I will never leave him."

"What about this fight with Michael? He can kill you."

Lucifer shook his head. "Michael is useless without a vessel. As long as you keep saying no, Michael cannot threaten me."

Dean considered that for a moment. He never wanted to give his life up for Michael, but he had even more cause now to say no now. Against his will, he had become the protector of his brother's lover and therefore his brother.

Like life wasn't already complicated enough.

xXx

Lucifer was pleased that Dean seemed to have given him his grudging approval. And while it was almost adorable in its ineffectiveness, his speech about what he would do if Lucifer hurt Sam was equally as pleasing. It was a further sign that Dean had accepted Lucifer for who he was to Sam.

He transported himself and Dean back to Mr. Singer's house, and they waited for the rest of their party to return. Dean went to shower, saying something about washing the filth of Pestilence away, and Lucifer sat down on the edge of the desk to wait.

He didn't have to wait long. There was the sound of an angel's approach and then they were there, expect there was something terribly wrong. Sam was being supported by Bobby, and he was bleeding.

Lucifer rushed forward and took Sam into his arms. "What happened?" he demanded.

"The demons saw us coming," Bobby said, relinquishing his grip on Sam to Lucifer. "They cracked opened a case of Croatoan and there were humans infected. We had to fight our way through. Sam got caught by a human with a knife."

"It's not as bad as it looks," Sam said, cradling his injured arm. "It's just a flesh wound."

Lucifer eased up the sleeve of Sam's shirt to see the wound. It was deep and would require stitches for a normal person without an archangel at his beck and call.

"You can fix it, right?" Bobby asked.

Lucifer nodded and placed a hand over the wound. He reached out with his grace and he felt the wound knitting together under his touch. When he pulled his hand away, there was merely a clear expanse of skin.

"Thanks, Lucifer," Sam said.

Lucifer smiled and cupped Sam's cheek. "You are most welcome. Though if you were to stop injuring yourself, it would be a weight off my mind."

Sam smiled and leaned into his touch. "How about we don't separate anymore, then you can keep an eye on me."

"Even better," Lucifer said. "Are you feeling well?"

"All fixed up," Sam said. "How did things go with you?"

"We were successful. Your brother has Pestilence's ring. I will allow him to tell you all the details."

Sam nodded. "It looks like we have a free afternoon then. What would you like to do?"

"What would you like to do?" Lucifer asked. He didn't care what happened next as long as he was with Sam.

Sam considered. "I'm kinda hungry. How about we head into town and get some food and then we can go to Falls Park."

"A picnic?" Lucifer asked.

Sam looked awkward. "If you think it's silly..."

"Not at all. I will happily accompany you."

Sam turned to Bobby. "Can you fill Dean in on where we're going?"

Bobby nodded. "Sure. Do you want to take my car, or are you happy with angel air over there?"

"A car would probably be simpler," Sam said.

Bobby tossed him a set of keys and Sam caught them. "You ready?" he asked Lucifer.

Lucifer nodded and followed him out to the car. He climbed into the passenger seat, and Sam started the engine. They wound their way through the scrap cars and out onto the road. Sam reached across the console and took Lucifer's hand. Lucifer looked to their entwined fingers and smiled. It had been an eventful day, he thought. He had overcome Pestilence, earned Dean's grudging trust, and now he was going on his first ride in an automobile.

And he did it all for his Sam.