Chapter Twelve
He hadn't expected this.
Anyone close to the Winchesters knew that when John came calling to expect the unexpected and yet this...he'd never expected to see this.
First, he'd never expected to see John work with anyone other than his sons, and yet standing beside Dean was a young man, Sam's age, with mischievous amber eyes and wild grin as he spoke in quiet tones to John's eldest. Behind them was a younger boy, only sixteen or so, smiling at the jokes, but leaning closer to Dean whenever the man seemed to get closer to him. Behind them John was walking with Sam, his gaze worried as he looked at his tallest son, who was staring down at the ground silently.
It set every alarm bell he had off to see the boy so quiet. And wasn't he supposed to be off at school?
It was Dean that greeted him first.
"Hey, Pastor Jim." He smiled warmly at the young man, but his heart clenched when he noticed how the shadows lurking in the boy's eyes.
"Good evening, Dean, Sam. It's good to see you boys. Who are your friends?"
Dean twitched, sending the man beside him a glare when he snickered. "This is Loki, pagan god of Mischief." Jim's eyes widened while the man smirked pulling a lollipop out of thin air.
"Hi."
Jim nodded faintly, turning his gaze on the teen rather than unpacking, that.
"And this young man?"
Dean smiled, a proud grin Jim had only seen in conjecture to Sam. "This is our youngest brother, Adam. Aj, this is Pastor Jim. He's one of Dad's only friends."
John shot him a glare at that sentence, but it softened when the teen let out a quiet chuckle, and he turned to Jim. "Did you call Singer and Caleb?"
The pastor nodded, and his friend heaved a weary sigh. "Good because we're gonna need all hands on deck."
Jim frowned deeper, especially when he noticed that Sam had yet to look up. "John...what's going on?"
His friend shook his head. "We only want to explain this once. I'll tell you everything when Singer and Caleb get here."
"Bobby already knows." Dean rumbled and the eldest Winchester sighed again, something dark flashing in his eyes.
"Of course he does." There was a very real hurt lurking in his otherwise impassive voice and Jim couldn't help but wonder what was happening, especially when Sam placed a hand on his father's shoulder and gave him a warm smile, the likes of which he hadn't since before his teen years,
John smiled back, patting the hand gently. "Back with us, Kiddo."
Sam nodded, glancing around, before he spotted Jim and smiled wider, moving forward until he was hovering over the youngest Winchester's shoulders. To Jim's surprise the boy leaned back into him, nearly burying himself in Sam's hulking form. Draping his arms over his younger brother, the middle Winchester hummed.
"Hey, Pastor Jim." He greeted softly and the man nodded in greeting, leading the group inside.
As they entered, he listened as Loki and Dean spoke in quiet tones, John joining here and there. Taking a seat, he turned on his old friend with a scowl.
"Caleb will be here in an hour or so. When he gets here I expect an explanation, John. If Bobby already knows, there's no reason for me to wait until he gets here tonight."
For a moment, the Winchester Patriarch just stared at him, his dark eyes full of something Jim couldn't identify, before they slid over to his sons. Sam and Dean nodded and he sighed heavily.
"Okay."
*/*
"I wonder if humans will ever realize how much their beloved Michael and I look alike. I mean we are twins after all."
Sam raised an eyebrow at Lucifer's words and the thoughtful tone they were spoke in, watching as the devil gazed at the painting above Jim's fireplace. If he remembered correctly, he'd asked the Pastor about it when he was a kid and the man had told him that it was the Archangel Michael, guarding the house against evil.
In the painting, the being was depicted with a solid frame, draped in white robes. His eyes were a warm blue, long blonde curls flowing freely down his back and sword in hand.
How odd that his true form looked nothing like that.
In fact, he was slender with tightly packed muscles, built both for speed and strength. His hair was blonde, but it was dark enough to be mistaken for brunette, his eyes the same blue-green Lucifer's were unless he was angry. When he was angry his eyes glowed so bright a blue they were almost white.
He was...terrifying.
Nothing like the protective guardian in the painting.
Sam shuddered, pulling Adam closer to him where they sat on Jim's sofa.
Caleb had arrived only ten minutes ago, so Dean and their father was explaining things to him and Jim. Logically, he knew he should be paying attention but…
Well, insanity had left his attention span a bit frayed. Instead he found himself watching Lucifer as he meandered around the room, pondering the irony of his situation. It was like the punchline of one of Dean's bad jokes.
Five hunters, an archangel, and the devil walk into a church…
He shook his head, startling as a hand landed on his knee. Looking up, he found Gabriel watching him with a faux smile, worry hidden in his topaz eyes.
"Back from Lalaland, Jolly Green?" Caleb snorted at the name, but Sam blinked and nodded, his gaze darting back to Lucifer, who gave a mocking wave.
"He always was a worrywart. It's what drove him away in the end. He just didn't want to fight."
It took everything in him not to respond, too aware of the worried looks everyone was giving him. Even Caleb looked concerned, the normally carefree hunter watching him with a perturbed frown.
"I'm fine. Just thinking."
Dean raised an eyebrow. "About?"
Sam nodded his head toward the painting. "Lucifer. Michael. That painting. It looks nothing like them."
Adam nodded in agreement while Caleb's frown grew more disturbed. Jim looked horrified and it occurred to him that Dean may not have told them that part of the story yet. A glance at his lover confirmed this and he looked down.
Gabriel snorted. "Spoilers suck, Sambiano."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Sam knows because we've faced him before. Before that all of you died and we're here to prevent that. Once Bobby gets here, we can figure out how."
A gruff voice cut in. "I'm here."
A truly feral grin crossed the elder Winchester's lips, his eyes flashing with the darkness hell had left behind.
"Good, let's get planning."
TBC…
Next Chapter: Caleb's POV, Our favorite mother and Daughter enter the Picture, and Heaven realizes something is happening and send a very familiar angel to check things out.