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"Dean Winchester," Pamela purred, smiling despite her lack of vision. "Married? Pity." She turned in Sam's direction. "Now don't you go and get yourself hitched, too. The world's not ready for that many broken hearts."

After speaking to Olivia, who was more than reluctant to give up Lucifer's location and where he had taken Skylar, she relented. She said he had told her where they would be – Lawrence, Kansas.

Fucking Lawrence.

Dean didn't know why he was surprised. After all, it was positioned directly over hell where the gates themselves were located.

Lucifer hadn't divulged the exact location to Olivia, however. Lawrence was a small town, but too big to endlessly search for a needle in a haystack. Besides, it had to be a trap. For a moment, Dean could have sworn he heard – concern – in Olivia's voice for their safety. He had to be imagining it. She was in on the devil's plan, only playing her part in order to trap them both.

"Will you please help us find Skylar, Pam?" Dean asked, choosing to be nice. After all, Pamela had lost her sight because of them, yet remained friendly enough. The question was, was she still willing to help them after everything they had put her through?

Giving a heavy sigh, Pamela stood, walking towards them as if she could see their faces. However, it was only her psychic abilities that guided her way. "You want me to help you kill the devil himself? Haven't you boys asked enough of me already?"

"If we can't kill him, then all we ask is that you tell us where we can find Skylar," Sam began, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Olivia said he had taken her to Lawrence, Kansas, our hometown. We just need you to narrow down the search for us. Please."

"This girl means that much to the two of you?" Pamela asked, crossing her arms.

"She means the world to me," Dean responded without hesitation. "We don't have much time. We can't do this without you," Dean said, his voice heavy with emotion. It sounded unfamiliar to his own ears. Dean wasn't one to beg anyone for anything. Not until now, that was.

"I'll need something that belongs to her, then," Pamela responded softly to Dean's sincerity, sighing as she relented. "We can't leave that wife of yours waiting now, can we?"

Dean's ears began to ring in panic despite his resolve to stay as calm as possible. "We were already in the car when we discovered she was missing. We didn't bring anything of hers with us when we…"

"I saw a hair tie in the backseat," Sam said, running for the door. "Be right back."

Within seconds, he reemerged, handing the small purple object to Pam. She instantly smiled, clutching it tight between her fingers. "Good thinking, Sam. It even has a few hairs stuck inside. This should be easy enough. Now let me concentrate." Pam took a deep breath, at first going silent before softly humming to herself and rocking gently back and forth. Dean and Sam stood still, gazing down at her with a mixture of impatience and confusion. Pam was the best damn physic there ever was, but she was quirky, that much was evident. The moments continued to linger on before Pam's brow creased in slight worry.

"A building on top of a hill – abandoned," she spoke, breaking into the silence. "There are wooden shudders on the outside, the exterior is a pale blue…mmmmm…it's not wooden or brick. Concrete perhaps?"

"Sky?" Dean whispered, drawing closer to Pamela. "Is she okay?"

"She's…," her head snapped up, momentarily breaking her trance. "Young – Dean Winchester, you married little more than a child," she scolded, despite the smirk on her pretty face.

Dean rolled his eyes, huffing in agitation. "We've been branded since she was born. It's a hunter thing, you wouldn't understand. Now is she okay!?"

Pamela scoffed, but a soft smile touched her lips. Dean knew that she was teasing him, but now was not the time. Taking another deep breath, she once again started to go back into her own mind, holding tight to Skylar's possession. "She's…alive."

"Thank God," Dean let out the breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding, pulling a chair out from the table and sitting down before he ended up blacking out completely.

"Hold on. I'm trying to hear what he is saying," she said, her head cocked to the side as if she were listen in on someone else's conversation. Pamela was absolutely the real deal. "What's this about her being the key?"

Dean and Sam gazed at each other, both of them silent and cursing themselves for not telling Pamela of their suspicions prior to her eavesdropping on the devil himself.

Before either of them could answer the question, she continued in a harsh tone as if she were angry at the Winchester brother's for not disclosing this information to her prior. Any hint of lightheartedness had left her completely. Sam cleared his throat, finally taking a seat himself and leaning forward, clasping his hands firmly in front of him.

"We think that Sky may be the key to hell; that maybe that's the reason she was branded to Dean in the first place. He's meant to protect her somehow and keep her away from Lucifer so that he can't unleash hell on earth."

"Because you're the vessel of Michael," Pamela interrupted, gazing at Dean in accusation despite having no eyes behind her large black sunglasses.

Dean didn't even try to deny it, but his full lips set into a hard line. "So they tell me," he grumbled, referring to the angels. Naturally, Pamela would be able to see everything, even stuff that Dean would rather she didn't poke her nose into. But right now, none of that mattered. She was the only person who knew how to reach Skylar.

"Please," Dean said softly, in a voice that sounded completely foreign to his own. "Where is she," he said, his voice breaking with the on set of tears. Fuck, he hated himself in that moment. He was weak and weakness was for pussies.

"She's hurt," Pamela said quickly, and in a matter-of-fact voice. Both Dean and Sam jerked their heads at the realization, and she continued before either utter a word in panic. "Lucifer thinks she's broken, so he's furious at her. He's angry at you, Dean."

"Hurt?" Dean asked, leaning forward as the panic began to set in. He barely registered something about Lucifer being angry at him, too. The list could be endless on why the devil would want him dead, but not his sweet Skylar. "He hurt her?!" Dean barked. He was more prepared for Pamala to say that Skylar was dead, but not suffering. He couldn't bear the thought of her in any kind of pain.

Her entire life, Dean had done his best to shield her from any hurt, physical or emotional. And once again, he was failing her miserably.

"He tried to open a portal to hell, using her as the key. But the plan failed. He's trying to understand why she is broken. He's quiet…listening…dropping to his knees."

"Pam?" Sam encourages when the women goes silent.

Suddenly, Pamela released her hold on Skylar's hair tie, letting it fall onto the wooden floor in shocked surprise, gasping for a deep breath that filled the quiet.

"What is it?! Pam?!"

"She's fine, Dean," she says, continuing to gasp for breath. "Well, as fine as she can be in her current situation. But Lucifer won't kill her. Not until he's able to use her for what she is created to do. We need to go now before his anger gets the better of him, however…just in case," she finishes, standing up from her seat and rushing towards the front door to collect to her jacket from the hook hanging nearby.

"You're keeping something from us," Dean spoke in an accusatory tone. Her suddenly aloofness was troubling, evident that there was something important that she was failing to tell them.

"Now is not the time, Dean," Pamela spoke in a fiery tone, turning on her heels. "We have to get your wife NOW."

"I thought you said he wouldn't kill her?!" Dean pressed, rushing towards Pamela, turning her swiftly by the elbow, even though she could not see his enraged features.

Her next words sent a chill down his spine. "It's not your wife that we need to save."

Skylar winced from the blinding pain as she slowly regained consciousness. Her head was pounding.

For a moment, she forgot where she was. She reached up to touch the tender spot on the back of her skull. It was wet and sticky. She opened her eyes carefully, seeing the red liquid drip from her fingertips. They were soaked in her own blood.

Lifting her hand, she clutched tight to the pendant around her neck, grateful that it was still in her possession. It made her feel closer to her mother somehow, ever since Dean gave it to her for her birthday. She hadn't risked taking it off, if only for a second. It was meant to protect her, and maybe it really had. There was a reason why she was still alive and not burning in hellfire.

Releasing a groan, Skylar struggled to sit up, her head spinning instantly. Bile began to rise in her throat, and she attempted to swallow it before she emptied the contents in her stomach.

"I was wondering when you were going to rejoin the land of the living," a melodic voice rang, much softer than it had been before she blacked out. "I do apologize, child. My anger got the best of me for a minute."

Skylar remained silent, biting down on the inside of her cheek to keep from lashing out. She wasn't sure what she hated most. How weak she was, utterly useless…or how much she wanted to scream and potentially risk losing her life all together? She was no match for this jackass. Hell, she could barely kill a shapeshifter without Dean doing it for her. Pathetic.

Being weak was for pussies.

And she was the weakest of them all.

"Cat got your tongue, little one?"

Skylar's eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, and soon she could see him next to the window, rocking back and forth lightly in a wooden chair as his feet braced against the concrete wall. He seemed to be gazing up at the star filled sky that was slightly foggy from the snow that had just ceased falling.

"I do miss it sometimes," Lucifer spoke softly, almost human like.

"Miss what?" Skylar asked, surprising herself by speaking, drawing her eyebrows together in confusion at how this monster could change drastically in the blink of an eye. His mood swings were giving her whip lash.

"So, she does speak," Lucifer smirked before continuing. "What do you think? Heaven of course. It's bright, warm, but not too warm, I might add. Nothing like what I've grown accustomed to. The stories you hear about harps and mansions…all true. His children…His real children…we had it all. But He had to go and ruin it, ruin the perfection that He created by making humans."

"You truly hate us that much?" Skylar asked, unable to keep the malice from her voice.

Lucifer barked out in laughter, planting his feet firmly to the ground. "No, no, no, my dear. I don't hate you. You're not one of them. You're…not…human."

The pity in his eyes as he said those words were nearly Skylar's undoing.

"Yes, I am," she said firmly, bracing herself against the wall as she attempted to stand.

Lucifer clicked his tongue at her, quickly rising and pushing her firmly back down by the shoulder. Skylar jerked away and backed as far as she could away from him, which wasn't much. "You may be wrapped up in a pretty little meat suit, blood pumping through your veins…but you are far from human. No human has the incredible abilities that you have."

"That's where you're wrong." She spoke through clenched teeth, her blue eyes blazing. "I'm not good for anything. I can't even fight without almost dying."

A sigh escaped his lips as her declaration, one arm dangling over his knee as he shook his head in bewilderment. He lifted one hand, causing Skylar's stomach to recoil at the touch. Softly dragging one finger down the side of her face, he said, "You have the power to bring this world to its knees, and you don't even see it."

It was in that moment that a loud crashing sound came from the doorway as the deteriorating wood came falling down, and on the other side stood Dean, Sam, and a woman that Skylar didn't recognize. Relief coursed through her despite praying that Dean would never find her only hours ago.

Dean's gaze held firmly to Lucifer as he walked inside and the devil stood, an amused smirk on his lips as he faced his opponents. He whispered for only her to hear. "Show time."

"Sky," Dean said, never once looking directly at her. "Are you okay?"

"I…I'm fine," Skylar muttered, not exactly sure how to answer that question between her bruised body and bloodied skull.

"The Winchester's have finally decided to show, I see." Lucifer crossed his arms, rocking back on the heels of his booted feet. "Sam. It's especially good to finally meet you. After all, it's only a matter of time before you and I get to know each other…very well. I must admit, however, the two of you have perfected the game of hide-and-seek. I've been searching for what feels like a millennium."

"You must have one massive death wish, Bitch."

Dean's aggression was obvious as his fist clenched at his side.

"Now, there is no need for name calling, boys. After all, you and I are on the same side here."

"How in the fuck do you figure that?!" Dean barked, taking a step closer, but Sam immediately grabbed hold of his brother's leather jacket to keep him from going any further.

Lucifer chuckled in his continued amusement. "Skylar," he said simply, gazing back in her direction before once again pinning the boys with a bright red gaze. "We all just want to keep her safe and sound."

"And you expect us to believe that?" Sam interrupted. "She doesn't exactly look unharmed, now does she?"

Skylar's brother in-law took in the sight of her, and she knew what she must look like. Weak and broken. A feeling of shame overcame her. She was absolutely useless and did little more than create more work for Dean and Sam.

"Mmmm, I apologize about that. You see, I did try to open the portal to my home, using my key. But..she's a little broken," he said as if one giant oopsie daisy had occurred and nothing more. "But not to worry. It's not as if she can't be fixed up a little."

"There is nothing wrong with my wife. Maybe you're just too fucked up to realize that you made a mistake."

"Now see, that's where you're wrong, Dean," Lucifer pointed out, running a hand over his stubbled jaw. "I didn't make the mistake…you did. You broke my key."

"I'm done listening to your bullshit." Dean said, moving past Lucifer and towards Skylar. It took little effort for the devil to stop him in his tracks, a firm hold rooting him in place.

"You broke my key," Lucifer said once again, any hint of humor completely gone. "And you're going to be the one to fix it. You see, I would do it myself if I thought for one second she could survive long enough, not to mention be strong enough, to open the portal back up. But unfortunately, being stuck in a meat suit has made her a tad vulnerable. Do you understand my dilemma here?"

"How do you expect me to fix anything?" Dean relented, giving in and asking the inevitable to simply appease the villain.

"The portal will only take one beating heart at a time. You're going to take her to get rid of that creature growing inside of her. And as long as you do that, and then bring her back to me, I won't have to kill everyone that you care about. You don't have any family besides Sammy here, who unfortunately I can't touch for my own selfish reasons. But there are other's I can kill without blinking. Bobby…Ellen…Jo…maybe those ex-girlfriends you've always tried to hide from this one," he said, pointing a thumb in Skylar's general direction. "What are their names? Cassie? Lisa?"

A blank expression clouded Dean's features as he tried to take in what Lucifer was saying, a pair of green eyes looking over the devil's shoulder until they found her own panicked gaze.

Skylar's mind began to race, her head pounding at remembering why Lucifer had been angry with her to begin with. It was all rushing back now. She gently laid a hand on her flat abdomen, blinking furiously to clear her vision. No…she couldn't be p…pre…

The possibility was too overwhelming to comprehend.

Dean's eyes followed her, settling on the hand that held protectively over her abdomen, his jaw working feverishly as his eyes dropped to the ground and away from her completely. His distant gaze left her feeling empty and utterly alone as he swallowed harshly before stepping away from Lucifer and nodding his head in defeat.

It was Sam who came rushing towards her in slow motion, not Dean, scooping her up into his arms as the blood continued pounding in her ears. She could hear Dean accusing the mystery women with the dark sunglasses. Apparently she had refused to tell him something important on the way to Lawrence, keeping him completely in the dark.

How would she have known I was pregnant?

The voices around her were becoming more muffled, but there was no mistaking those chilling words as Sam walked out of the doorway and down the steep staircase.

"Don't worry…I'll take care of it," Dean spoke, his voice breaking.