Chapter 3: Whiskey in the jar

It was strange that Sam's mind chose his dad's favorite song to play in the moment he was about to descend to hell, blackmailing one of the demons to take him there.

"Stand and deliver or the devil he may take ya"

Lucifer crossed his mind a couple of times today and Sam couldn't help but wonder if things could perhaps be different. Oh, he had no desire to release the devil, that narcissistic megalomaniac was exactly where he was supposed to be, locked up where he couldn't hurt anyone. But what if…

What if his story was rewritten? Or simply viewed in a different perspective? What if he was just like Sam, rebelling against a controlling father and getting a time out for disobeying. No, he shouldn't think that way. Lucifer was a monster that belonged in the cage and that was where he was going to remain.

Crowley zapped them into a random hallway, but Sam could feel it was in Hell. The air was just different here, thick with some suffocating substance and reeking of rotten eggs, burning flesh and blood. Sam remembered it well. His shoulder gave a light throb, but he ignored it, looking around and trying to figure out in which part of hell they landed.

"This way." Crowley said, tilting his head to the side, but not turning to lead the way. Sam knew him, knew he was smart, and wouldn't let himself get ambushed, or stabbed in the back. Not that Sam currently had anything to stab him with. Nothing that would do any damage, at least.

They walked, side by side, for what seemed like hours before reaching a part of hell that stunk even more, probably the area where the souls were being tortured. Things have been quiet, a little too much, no demons roaming the hallways, no black smoke drifting in the air. Something was off.

And as soon as that thought crossed his mind, in a blink of an eye, the hallways started filling with guards, demons in meatsuits and they were forced to run. Going through rooms and hallways, Sam felt like a mouse, trapped in a maze, despite expecting this course of events. He knew he would have to fight. He even knew he might get help.

One thing that surprised him though was that Crowley actually tried. Sam didn't know if it was the new emotions he was experiencing or the simple fact that Sam had what he needed for his next high, but Crowley fought. He fought until the moment they were cornered and only then did what Sam expected him to do from the start. He bailed.

Sam kept on fighting, using whatever he could to try and get away, or at least hold on until most of the demons were hoarded in one room. They all mocked him, laughed in his face that he was a small, pathetic, insignificant kid who couldn't save a small puppy, much less his brother, and he let them think their words were having the desired effect. When they circled him, he reached in his pocket, took the hex bag he had and dropped it to the floor, chanting the words Rowena taught him a long time ago.

Within a few seconds, there was nothing left in the room but Sam and piles and piles of black goo that were once demons and their meatsuits. Yeah, Sam wasn't stupid enough to come unarmed.

But apparently, neither were the demons. He caught two more large groups and ended them the same way, using the hex bags, before they finally smartened up and started coming at him in smaller groups. And even though he was down to his last hex bag, Sam didn't worry. He felt that presence, that one particular tainted soul, following him, but always keeping out of sight. Until it had no choice but to reveal itself.

Sam was pinned by a demon, his forearm under Sam's chin, pressing and cutting off his air supply while the other hand kept throwing punches in his gut. Sam felt it all, but a little differently, he struggled against the demon, but only barely. He could feel the warmth in his shoulder spreading, filling his lungs with air he did not inhale, taking away the pain of the demon's hits and it was strange, it was confusing and Sam sort of let it go on for a while, feeling strangely disconnected with what was happening. So someone else took matters into their own hands.

The demon gave that orange glow and dropped to the ground, revealing a short, cute blond with a knife in her hands. She smirked at him and waited for the who-are-you? question that never came. Instead, Sam said something that threw her off.

"Took you long enough."

"I beg your pardon?" She asked, frowning.

"No. You really don't." Sam replied with a huff and pushed himself off the wall. "Let's go."

"Wa… Wait… Aren't you even gonna ask me who I am?!" She said, then scrambled after Sam, seeing as he kept walking.

"Nope." was all Sam replied. Oh, he knew exactly who she was and what she was there for, he kind of counted on that. In fact, it almost felt as if he planned it. She tried to talk to him a few times, each and every one of those ended up with them being attacked by more and more demons until they were in a position where she was in danger and Sam? Sam picked up her knife and killed the demon that was about to end her.

"Thanks." She said, standing there, and eyeing him, then extended her hand and glanced down at her knife, silently asking him to give it back.

"What's the matter Ruby? Afraid I'd stab you with it too?" He just had to mock, feeling so elevated, so high on this superior feeling that for once had nothing to do with demon blood, but with simple knowledge of the events and people around him. Suddenly, a bark came from Sam's left, and Ruby's eyes flickered to something there. With impeccable timing, Sam turned and drove the knife upwards, slashing through the air. Blood spattered all over him as something invisible whined, the body collapsing with a loud thud. A hellhound. He smirked, but let it resolve into a smile, before he handed the knife back to Ruby.

She must have figured that whatever was going on was way above her payroll, so she didn't ask any questions, but kept tagging along, simply because Sam allowed her to. And the truth was, he really didn't need her. Ruby coming into the story meant that Lilith was aware he was here, and that's all he needed, to draw her attention. Ruby was useless, except for that knife she carried, but he could always take it from her later.

Sam had no idea why, but playing with her felt strangely satisfying.

They moved through a few more rooms and hallways until lastly, they stumbled on a throne room. There, on the big, dark red throne, sat a little girl, her dress white, her hair blond and braided, her smile so childlike, she was the picture of pure innocence. Sam rolled his eyes.

He stood there, looking highly unimpressed and the little girl signed and pouted, clearly upset that her appearance didn't achieve the desired effect.

"Go change. I'll wait." Sam said and the little girl's eyes widened, appalled by his words, yet she stomped her little feet and disappeared for only a few seconds, returning in the vessel Sam originally killed her as.

"Samuel…" She started,but he cut her off, feeling so sure of himself.

"Cut the crap. Where is my brother?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… Sam, Sam, Sam…" Azazel appeared around the corner, looking smug, but clearly irritated. "I thought we had a deal - you bring me the way to open that cage and I give you your brother back."

"Well, if you hung around and let me explain, you would know I needed Dean to do that." Sam spat back, quick to devise another plan.

"Oh! And why is that?"

"I need him to help me open a magic vault. It requires blood, from a certain bloodline, a lot of it. Too much for me to give on my own." Sam said.

"You could have just used the blood that pooled on the ground after the hounds took him." Azazel pointed out, and Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger that was bubbling inside of him.

"Has to come from a live, willing participant." He said.

"Huh." Azazel said, his eyes looking to the door from which Sam came, a contemplative look in his eyes. "So any soul from this particular bloodline will do?" He asked and Sam froze.

How could he have forgotten? How could he just… Dad. He was still here, still down in the pits. He was supposed to be the Righteous Man originally, but he was tougher than they thought.

"The more the merrier." Sam said, deciding what he needed to do. "Also gonna need the Colt."

"Oh, really? Why don't I just drop dead right here and save you the trouble?! You really think I am that dumb?" Azazel laughed.

"Yes. I think you are. But, it doesn't matter. What matters is, I need it, it works like a key to the vault. You know… Like it does on the gates of Hell." Sam replied, and that made Azazel pause. If he suspected this version of Sam was the young and the foolish one, all doubts were swept away by that. Still, as he said, he was no fool.

"Fine." He said after a few moments. "You get John." Fingers snapping, and poof, there was dad's ghost, looking exactly like he did ten years ago. Naturally, when he saw what was happening, he tried to intervene, to speak up, but Azazel's powers kept him silent and bound. "Like I said. You get John. And the gun. But no bullets." The demon pulled the gun out of his inner pocket, emptied it, then threw it at Sam who caught it with ease.

Sam smiled down upon it as the rest of the room fell silent. Lilith was still by the throne and Ruby behind him, watching this whole thing unfold. Azazel was right in front of him, frowning, but smirking and John was down on the floor, held by an invisible force. Slowly, but steadily Sam put his hand in his pants pocket and pulled out something small. He opened the barrel, put the thing inside and flicked it closed, then raised the gun at Azazel.

"Like I said. You really are that dumb." It was a little too late that Azazel figured he had more of those magic bullets, and before he could make a single move, Sam fired the gun, shooting him right between the eyes.

Lilith jumped, ready to fight, her hand already starting a flick of the wrist meant to send Sam flying into a wall, when Sam held out a finger, causing her to pause. "I have no interest in killing you. I just came to get my brother out. My dad too." He said, and picked up the bullets that were in Azazel's hand. Next, he walked up to John. He helped him up, and John watched him with utter bewilderment, but allowed Sam to lead him to the door.

Just as they took a step out of the room, Sam paused, turned around and spoke. "On second thought…"

Raising the gun, he aimed and took another shot. Ruby's vessel collapsed down on the floor and he stalked his way to her, relieved her of her knife, turned and walked away.

"Sam…" his dad tried after they left the throne room and Sam paused, taking a deep breath. He really hadn't expected to come face to face with John, having made his piece with him not too long ago.

"Look, dad. I'm gonna get you out, okay? I am gonna get you out and then we'll find a way to get you up to Heaven. I just… I really need to find Dean first, okay? We can talk later." He said, and there must have been something about the way he spoke, or about the way he held himself, or maybe John could see that his soul was older than his appearance, but either way, he nodded. Of course, he just had to clear one thing up first.

"Just… Tell me why you didn't kill her… why you didn't kill Lilith." Letting out another sigh, Sam looked away, shaking his head. He didn't have time for this.

"It is a really long story, dad, but… Bottom line? She dies and Lucifer walks free." Strangely how that was enough for John. He didn't question it, nor demanded more answers, he just accepted what his younger son said. Just like that. Something didn't add up, but unfortunately, Sam had no time to dwell upon it. He had to find Dean.

"I see you managed to locate everything but you brother." Crowley said, appearing in front of them. John tensed up, but Sam raised his hand, blocking John's path.

"You here to help or to bitch around? Cuz I still have what you need, Crowley, and I am the only one who knows how it's made." Sam warned and Crowley huffed, looking offended, but they both knew why he came back. And why now, when the coast was clear. Crowley would say he chose his battles wisely, but Sam would say he was nothing more than a coward. A useful one, but still a coward.

"I managed to find out where he is being held. If you will…" He said, motioning the way, still not turning his back to Sam.

A few turns and a few doors later, they ended up in a filthy, blood covered hallway with dozens of rooms on each side, almost like a cell block of the solitary confinement section.

"I recognize this. This is where they would hold us when they didn't…" John trailed off, falling silent, but Sam knew what he meant. When they didn't torture them.

He always thought dad was lucky to have died when he did, not having to go through all the shit his boys did, but times like this reminded Sam that it wasn't all that easy for him.

"Yeah, I um… I know." He said, setting a comforting hand on his father's shoulder without thinking. Neither of them noticed, but Crowley did, that Sam's hand hadn't fallen through, seeing as how John was nothing but a ghost.

Sam also knew these rooms. He had once come down here and pulled Bobby out of Hell, so he knew they were in the right place.

Only…

There was no sight of Dean anywhere...

"Where is he?!?! Where is my brother?!?!" Sam shouted as he stomped back into the throne room, his eyes flaring up from the rage that coursed through his veins. Lilith's eyes went wide when his thunderous voice boomed in the acoustic room and as Sam approached, her mouth fell open, as if she wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say.

Sam didn't know what surprised him more at that moment. The fear in Lilifh's eyes or her genuine response. "I… I don't know."