Thank you so much Ncsupnatfan and VegasGranny for pre-reading. This chapter is un-beta'd, so I apologize for any mistakes. Hopefully, they're not bad enough to make it hard to read.

Chapter Thirteen

Sam stood in the ruined living room of what had been a family home and looked at the photographs on the walls. The glass and frames were spattered with blood that partially concealed the pictured faces of the people, the children, that that were even now on their way to the morgue in body bags.

According to what he'd overheard from the cops that were even now milling around the place, oblivious to his concealed presence, the husband and eldest daughter had died in here while watching a movie together. The middle two children, twin boys, had been murdered in their beds, and the youngest daughter's body had been found in the playroom. The baby, the only true survivor, had been found lying on his father's chest, crying and alone in the room. The mother survived but was gone.

Though the police were searching for her, ignorantly blaming her for the deaths, Sam knew she would never be found. Michael had her now.

The deaths were brutal and cruel. However, Michael had done it, and he had confirmation from Billie that it had been him, he'd had help.

He'd wanted to kill Michael before for the larger picture, to save Dean and the world, but now he wanted to do more. He wanted to make it hurt. He wanted Michael to suffer in the same way he'd made these people suffer had to draw the consent from the poor woman he was riding now. The only hope he had was that her awareness had been canceled out when he took her over, and she wasn't watching what the monster was doing now.

He examined the woman's face in a wedding photo on a mantle, her husband's face concealed by blood, and fixed it in his mind. She was pretty, and her cocoa skin was radiant with the happiness she'd obviously felt the day she'd married.

There was no sign in the house that she was devoutly religious, but he supposed she didn't need to be. It wasn't faith that had drawn consent from her; it had been her last attempt at gaining mercy for her baby after the rest of her family were killed.

He stepped aside as a man with a large camera walked towards him to line up a shot of the bloodstained couch.

His wings spread at his back, waiting for the instruction to take him away from this place of horror, but he stayed in place. He didn't know where he would go if he left. He couldn't go back to hiding in the cabin now Michael was out there in a vessel. He needed to hunt him, though he had no idea how.

"Help me! Please, someone!"

The voice ripped through his mind, desperate and familiar. He'd never heard a prayer before, but he knew that was what it was and who was calling for help.

It was Jack, and he sounded terrified.

Sam fixed on the voice, and his wings tingled as they moved to carry him away. He wasn't sure where the voice would lead him, but he thought he knew where to go anyway. If Jack was vulnerable, there was one safe place where Dean would be keeping him.

He came to a stop outside the bunker's concealed entrance and saw that the door was hanging crooked on its hinges with dents at a level that Sam thought meant it had been kicked open.

He ran through it, hearing the voices calling in panic inside, and rushed down the stairs into the library, still concealed.

Mary was a pace behind Nick, and he had his arms spread to defend her. Dean and Castiel were a little ahead of them, shouting threats. Jack was pinned to the wall by Michael, wearing the face he'd seen in the woman's pictures, with one hand around his throat.

"You hurt me, child," Michael said. "That was wrong of you."

"Let go of him!" Dean shouted.

Michael smirked. "Perhaps I will if you say yes."

"No, Dean," Nick growled.

Michael lifted his head and looked around, a smile curving his lips. "I can feel you," he said. "You might be able to fool the seraph, but I know what an archangel feels like. Show yourself."

Sam grabbed Michael's wrist and yanked it down so that Jack crumpled to the ground and crawled back a few steps before scrambling to his feet and running to stand with Nick and Mary. Nick pushed him behind him and held a hand out in front of him, taking the place as protector, even though he was only able to do that by shielding him with his body.

At the same moment, Sam made himself visible and saw the looks of shock and horror that filled the faces of his family.

"Lucifer," Nick growled.

Michael smirked. "You'd think so, wouldn't you, Nick? I know better."

"Get away from them, Michael," Sam said, his blade slipping into his hand. He raised it to point at Michael's heart.

Michael pushed the blade away roughly and said, "You're not strong enough, Sam, and you know it."

"Sam?" Mary murmured.

Michael's incredulous eyes moved between Sam and his family then came back to Sam. "You haven't told them?"

"No," Sam said, drawing his blade up again.

Michael shoved it away and laughed. "Why not? I would have thought you'd want to be with them again."

"It doesn't matter," Sam said.

Michael frowned. "That's not what I expected. My brother told me all about you and your family. You were supposed to have bonds that went deep as my family's had once been."

Sam glanced back at Dean, seeing the confusion and fear on his face, and he realized how this would look to him. He had two archangels in his home, Jack had been attacked, and they were now speaking in riddles.

Sam wished they weren't riddles, that Michael's words would reach something in him and he'd remember who Sam was, but he knew it wouldn't happen. Chuck was too powerful and too clever to have his plan destroyed by well-chosen words.

"That was before," Sam said.

Michael smirked. "And this is you now… Lucifer. Do you have his memories, too? Do you remember what he did?"

"No, I only have my memories."

"Then this all must be so confusing for you," Michael said. "How long did it take you to harness the power?"

"I had help, so not long."

"Interesting. And have you seen Dad since? Has he…"

Sam yanked up the blade again, determined to strike while Michael was distracted with his enjoyment of Sam's situation, but he pushed it down with a hand, though it seemed to take effort.

"You can't kill me, Sam," he said. "You're not strong enough. I will let you watch, though. I am going to punish the Nephilim and take the son as a vessel." He plucked the front of the sweater he was wearing. "This one is strong, but he will be much stronger."

"You're not going to touch him," Sam growled, fire racing through his veins.

"I really am," Michael said.

Michael turned and pointed a finger at Nick, who began to choke and gasp, his hands flying to his throat and his eyes bulging.

"Stop!" Dean shouted, his hands falling on Nick's shoulders and his face tautening with fear.

Sam acted automatically. He didn't care about seeing Nick hurt, but the fact Dean was scared burned him. He grabbed Michael's arm and twisted it, surprised that he had the strength to do it when he'd not been able to wield the blade against him before.

The pressure on Nick's throat dropped, and he staggered back against his mother, who cradled him and whispered reassurances.

Michael raised his free hand, fingers poised to snap, and said, "I don't need parlor tricks, Sam, and you know it."

Sam's heart raced, and he fixed his eyes on his family and bellowed, "Run!"

He wasn't sure what reached them, the threat to Nick or his own order, but they turned and sprinted away. Nick stumbled slightly, and Dean put his hand on his elbow to support him.

Michael watched them go with an amused air. "Do you plan to stay here to protect them all the time?" he asked.

"You mean when I'm not hunting you?" Sam asked, braver now that his family were gone.

"You can't kill me, Sam. Even at the peak of his strength, Lucifer was no match for me, and you're nowhere near as powerful or skilled as him."

"And you can't kill me," Sam said. "I already know whose hands will end my life."

Michael sighed. "I see Death has been talking to you. She's refused my calls. I didn't expect her to hitch her wagon to you."

"She knows me," Sam said. "You're the bigger risk."

"Then why doesn't she kill me? We both know she's capable of it."

"Because she knows that's my job," Sam lied.

Billie hadn't given him any guarantees, but Michael didn't need to know that.

Michael seemed surprised by the answer, and Sam thought he saw some fear in his brown eyes.

"Did she say whether I would kill your entire family first?" he asked.

"No, I already know that's impossible with me alive. She did tell me one more thing, though. I can kill you when it's time, but there is another way it could end. If I don't kill you, if I find the other part to what I need, I can send you back to your world, so no one here needs to die."

"Send me home…" Michael said thoughtfully.

Sam nodded, forcing himself to hide the sense of triumph he felt at Michael's apparent acceptance of what he was saying. "God didn't want you dead. If we can send you back to your world, he'll let you live, and he'll leave me to live in this world without my family."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "I can't lose Dean, and if you get his consent, that's who I'll have to kill. Just because he doesn't remember, it doesn't mean I don't. I'd rather die than do that to him. I want this world safe, and I want you gone."

Michael looked pensive. "So, my options are to wait for you to send me back to my world, or to take Dean and focus on avoiding you?"

"You won't be able to avoid me forever," Sam said. "I will find you. Which is it going to be?"

"I will… think about it," Michael said. "I'll give you an answer when I have decided."

"You know I'll protect them," Sam said. "If you come near Dean, I'll hurt you. I can do that?"

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Will you really? You don't have the strength now. How are you going to get more?"

"There are ways to get power," Sam said with a smile that he knew would intrigue and confuse Michael, perhaps make him a little wary of Sam and the risk of going after Dean. "I know them all. Do you?"

Michael considered him a long moment and then nodded and said, "You've given me a lot to think about, Sam. I'll be in touch."

Before Sam could answer, Michael's tawny wings spread behind him, and he took flight away.

Sam stood for a moment, trying to calm himself, and then he heard Michael's voice again, speaking just beyond the door that would lead towards the garage. "I owe you this, at least," he said.

There was a cry of pain, and Sam started toward the sound, and then a bright pulse of power formed of blue-white light slammed into him, and he felt himself being yanked away.

He slammed into the ground, creating a deep crater in the rocky red dirt, and his head swam. He got to his feet and looked around. He was surrounded by rock monoliths and a clear blue sky with a scorching sun.

He'd never been here before, but he'd seen pictures so knew where it was. He was in the Utah Badlands, and unless he was much mistaken, he had just been banished for the first time in his angelic life.

So… Michael and Sam had a face to face, and there are going to be some questions asked now Dean and the others heard what they were saying. And let's not forget that cry of pain ;-)

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx