I'm surprised by all the interest this story has gathered! It means a lot to me. Thanks so much to whatnosheep, venusgirl, KToon, ToxicTenshi, and AlxM for the reviews! They've prompted me to write more than I expected so here's another chapter, albeit a bit short. Enjoy!

Dean turned and beheld Castiel with overwhelming relief. "That's pretty nice timing, Cas."

"We had an appointment," the angel replied stoically, a hint of humor lightening his voice.

Dean put his hand on Cas's shoulder and squeezed. "Don't ever change." Stoner Cas was a laugh but kind of useless.

"How did Zachariah find you?"

"Long story. Let's just stay away from Jehovah's Witnesses from now on, okay?" Sam, he needed to get to Sam, now. He pulled out his phone and started dialing.

"What are you doing?

"Something I should have done in the first place." The call went to voicemail and he growled in frustration. "Sam, I need you to call me back like yesterday. We need to talk." He hung up and shoved the useless device back in his pocket.

Dean looked at Cas and attempted to quell the emotions swirling within him. "Cas, is it — is it true? Is what I saw… Is Sam right? Is he really… Lucifer's vessel?"

Castiel's face became solemn and he shied away from Dean's anxious expression. "From the information I have gathered via angel radio, yes, I believe Sam is Lucifer's true vessel."

Dean closed his eyes and let the truth sink in. The confirmation that Sam was Lucifer's vessel was overpowering. It wasn't unexpected per se, what with Dean being Michael's vessel, but it was painful to have it confirmed. He'd hoped maybe Sam had just taken a nightmare too seriously. Though maybe Zachariah was fucking with him? No, it made too much sense. The boy with the demon blood would be Lucifer's vessel.

How was this even reality? Him as Michael's vessel, Sam as Lucifer's. It seemed too neat and tidy, cliché even. But, he supposed, that's why it had taken so long and required extensive manipulation by both angels and demons. His interactions with Zachariah were proof enough of that! It was easy to see how Ruby had strung Sam along… A combination of physical addiction, ego stroking, and emotional support through profound grief? How many people could resist that?

He sighed heavily and scrubbed his face. Cas was staring at him inquisitively, sympathy softening his stern features. "I… God, Cas, I said some pretty messed up stuff to Sam earlier… I told him that we're better off apart, that we're weaker when we're together. He just told me some of the worst news ever and I basically told him to piss off. Forever."

Cas mimicked Dean's earlier action and put his hand on Dean's shoulder, hoping to comfort him. "Dean, it will be okay. If Sam was hurt by your rejection, he will likely readily welcome your acceptance."

Dean nodded and swallowed his guilt. "Sammy's always quick to forgive," even if I don't deserve it.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Cas offered confidently.

Cas returned Dean to the motel room and stood guard while Dean packed his meager belongings. The angel left him with a promise to return if Dean encountered Zachariah again and Dean left the motel, eager to put as many miles as he could between himself and that nightmarish future. Bobby had sent him an intriguing case in Ohio so he sped east.

He stopped at a roadside diner for lunch and held off calling Sam again until after he had eaten. "Sam… Dude, call me back. It's important."

It irritated Dean that Sam wasn't responding to his calls. He knew Sam was just sulking. It had happened before. When Sam needed space, he could make Dean feel like they were strangers. When actual distance was involved, Sam could maintain radio silence for days until he felt he'd gotten his head on straight. Problem was, in this case, he didn't know how Sam could have his head on straight with everything going on. Killing Lilith and Ruby, springing Lucifer from his lockbox, Bobby's possession, Zachariah's bullshit, finding out Dean was Michael's vessel, War, their split, finding out he was Lucifer's vessel… God, it was enough to make anyone's head spin! Sam had always been the more emotional of the two… It was sure to affect him far more than it was messing with Dean. He figured he'd give the kid another couple of days before he got too worried.

The comforting scent of the Impala embraced him before he became aware of his surroundings. Slowly opening his eyes, he was slouched against the familiar leather seat. He remembered being jostled in the car for hours until the reassuring purr of her engine drew him into a deep sleep like it had done so many times before. Relief swept through him as he realized everything he had experienced must have been one hell of a nightmare. He supposed it made sense, the dream covered everything he feared the most: Dean abandoning him, being hunted down like a monster, innocent people suffering because of him, and the consequences of releasing Lucifer. He let out a breath he didn't notice he had been holding and turned to look at Dean.

His brother smiled at him cordially. "Good to see Sleeping Beauty's finally back with us," he gibed affectionately, and Sam relished everything about that moment. Dean's grin, the tone of his voice, his teasing eyes. Things Sam had been sure he'd never enjoy again. Sam smiled back and felt his heart ease. "You're welcome, by the way," Dean offered.

Sam's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "For what?"

Dean rolled his eyes and scoffed. "For what, he asks. For bringing you back."

Sam's breath caught in his throat and his heart rate accelerated. He felt pain and looked down, seeing his hands digging forcefully into his thighs. "Bringing me back from where?" he asked, almost certain he wouldn't like the answer.

"From the dead." It wasn't Dean's voice that answered him. Cold blossomed in his gut. It was — Sam glanced up and his suspicion was confirmed. Lucifer smiled at him and Sam's fight or flight response went into overdrive. He spun in his seat and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Relax, Sam. I can't get to you right now. I just thought we should talk about how things are going to go from here on out."

Sam turned back, his chest heaving. "I'm dreaming again, aren't I?" Lucifer nodded, not taking his eyes off the imaginary road stretching out endlessly before them. He calmed slightly, reassured that he wasn't in the archangel's clutches just yet. "What do you mean, here on out?"

Lucifer sighed and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, thinking. After a pause, he looked at Sam earnestly. "This situation that you're in now, Sam. It's bad. These hunters are going to figure out you're indestructible. I can't afford to let my true vessel be destroyed, so every time they kill you, I will resurrect you. The torment you'll go through… Unimaginable. But it doesn't have to be this way."

Sam snorted, masking his fear. Dean would be proud. Well, the old Dean would have. Dean despised him now. "What, all I have to do is say 'yes' and you'll make it go away?"

Lucifer smirked at Sam's insolence. "They did say you were smart. But yes, Sam, let me in, and I will obliterate everything that ever dare hurt you. You are my vessel, and I care about your wellbeing. Dean's, too. You know Dean is putting himself at risk by hunting alone. You know something will happen to him, whether it be Zachariah and Michael, demons, horsemen, or maybe just some bad tacos." Sam twisted away from the devil's assessment. "I can protect Dean from all of it if you say 'yes'. It's within your power to do one last good thing for your brother. I think you owe him that."

Sam stared at his reflection in the window, so many emotions warring for control. He knew Lucifer was manipulating him, using the promise of Dean's safety to get what he wanted from Sam. Just like Dean had predicted. He lived in a cruel universe that used love as its most effective weapon. Dean would want him to say 'no' at any price. He had to hang on to that.

"No, I'll find a way to keep him safe. He'd never forgive me if I said 'yes'."

Lucifer shrugged. "What's one more tally to add to the list?"

"What list?"

"Of things he'll never forgive you for. Think about it, Sam. You stole his perfect family from him six months after your birth. He sold his soul to bring you back and you didn't save him from Hell. You were too busy being like your father, obsessed with revenge, though I doubt your father would forgive your interactions with Ruby, either. You chose a demon over your brother, almost killed him, and set me free, all in less than 48 hours! Hell of an accomplishment, if you ask me. Your very existence has turned his life upside down and inside out. How can he ever forgive you for such an egregious crime?"

With every accusation, Sam shrunk into himself further and further. Lucifer was right, he was guilty of all those things, but it didn't justify unleashing Lucifer's uncontained power on a defenseless world. He'd hold onto his 'no' and never let go. Sam shook his head. "He can't and he doesn't have to. But I'm still not going to say 'yes'. Try whatever you'd like, my answer will always be 'no.'"

The archangel sighed with disappointment. "That's alright, Sam. I'll give you one more chance to change your mind and then we'll go from there." He reached over to pat Sam's arm, and every time their skin touched, violent, spasming pain erupted through his entire body. Lucifer smiled sympathetically before the whole scene blinked out of view.

Sam's return to consciousness was greeted by the same electrifying agony as Lucifer's contact. He cried out and was rewarded by a cessation of the pain. He opened his eyes and saw Tim standing over him, a long black rod in his hand, pressed against his skin. "1.7 million volts," Tim snarled, treating Sam to another taste of what that felt like. His muscles clenched painfully and anguish convulsed his nerves. The wretched sensation stopped and Sam struggled to catch his breath. "I'm gonna take these cuffs off and you're gonna march your freaky ass into that basement and we're gonna have a nice little chat. Or you get more of this." He waved the wand in Sam's face. "Got it?"

Sam nodded and averted his eyes, unwilling to see that much disgust aimed towards him. Memories of Dean showering him with equal disdain pressed in on him and he wished for death.

But Lucifer had been clear: Sam was to be denied even that mercy.