Amenadiel appeared in the center of the bunker, where he found Sam and Gabriel were seated at the large table in the center of the room. "Hey."

"Hey, bro. You been gone awhile," Gabriel said. It had been over a month since Amenadiel left to retrieve the ingredients Michael had told them about. Not that Gabriel was overly surprised. There were some very unique items on that list. It would be hard even for an archangel.

"Yes. You would be surprised how hard it is to track down those ingredients," Amenadiel said.

"Did you?" Sam asked.

"Yes. I've left them to be safeguarded in Heaven. How has everything been here?" Amenadiel asked. He had to admit, he worried about being gone so long with so much tension going on, especially between Michael and Lucifer. Well, Lucifer was tense anyway. Michael was mostly oblivious, which likely just pissed Lucifer off more.

"No one's dead. I think that's the best you can ask for right now," Gabriel said.

Amenadiel nodded. "How is Michael doing?"

"Still mostly crazy. The doc's been talking to him, but it doesn't seem to be doing much," Gabriel said. He wasn't too surprised by that. A human psychiatrist wouldn't even know where to begin to heal an archangel's mind.

"Oh, actually, she's asked to speak with you, Amenadiel. She wanted you to call her as soon as you got back," Sam said.

"Alright. Would you assist me with your computer, Sam? I haven't a clue how to use that contraption," Amenadiel said.

"Of course," Sam said before standing up and leading the way out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Hello, Linda," Amenadiel said as he sat in the library in front of the computer.

"Amenadiel, I'm glad you called," Linda said.

"Yes, I was told you needed to speak to me. It isn't a bad time, is it?" Amenadiel asked.

"No. Thankfully my last patient cancelled. I've been asking to talk with you for days. Everyone says you've been gone," Linda said.

"I have. I had some things I needed to retrieve. It took a while. You could've spoken with Lucifer."

Linda chuckled. "I get the feeling that would've been a bad idea, since what I have to say concerns him."

"I can only guess it's Michael. What has he said?" Amenadiel asked.

"I can't tell you that. Michael is my patient. Telling you anything he says is a breach of confidentiality," Linda said.

"Linda, I think it's safe to say that these are extenuating circumstances. You don't need to worry about losing your license or anything, I promise," Amenadiel said.

"It's a matter of ethics, Amenadiel. Without telling you anything he's said, I can tell you that I am more sure than ever that his break began with whatever role he played in what happened to Lucifer. I also believe that he's close to remembering what happened himself."

"Okay. What do you need me to do?" Amenadiel asked.

Linda sighed. This wasn't going to be easy and she knew it. "I think that Lucifer is the key to helping Michael. Now, I've tried to get him to speak with Michael about what happened, but he refuses."

"Yes, I can imagine. It's in Lucifer's best interests for Michael to come out of this, but he's not going to take an active role in making it happen. That means making himself vulnerable," Amenadiel said.

"Amenadiel, this needs to happen. Michael and Lucifer have to deal with each other. They both need to face what destroyed their relationship," she said.

"What do you want me to do, Linda. Lucifer is never going to agree to talking with Michael about the past. He doesn't want to talk to Michael at all," Amenadiel said.

"I have a suggestion to get him to agree," Linda said.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Gabriel laughed when he heard Amenadiel's suggestion from the doctor. He and all the others, aside from Michael, were gathered right outside the library. "Are you crazy?"

"I'm not too wild about it either, but Linda things it might help Michael for us all to be there," Amenadiel lied. What Linda really thought was that group therapy was the best way to get Lucifer to show up.

"How the bloody hell is some sort of group session going to help with that?" Lucifer asked

"Okay, I think this is getting a little out of hand. We've got a human shrink trying to get into the mind of an archangel. Now you want us to let her into all of our heads?" Gabriel said.

"Look, I know it seems insane, but Linda has done a lot of good work. She's helped Luci, and I believe talking to her is helping Michael," Amenadiel said.

"The she can keep doing so the way she is. I refuse to do this. Linda is trying to make me talk to Michael. Either that or she's just trying to shrink us all. Actually, it's probably both. I won't do it," Lucifer said stubbornly.

"Lucifer, it's not always about you! Linda is trying to help Michael, and we need her to do that! We need Michael," Amenadiel said.

"I don't get how us doing this is going to help that though," Gabriel said.

"Well, maybe talking about it with all of us there will make Michael feel safer to remember," he said.

"Maybe it's worth a try," Sam spoke, causing everyone to turn to him. "Michael isn't really improving much as it is, and the more time we waste, the more we risk alternate Michael making his way here. We need to try anything we can, even if it doesn't seem likely."

"It's worse than a long shot, Sam," Gabriel said.

"I hate to say, but he's right. This is stupid," Dean agreed.

"Why? We went to therapy once," Jack said.

"That was grief counseling, and we weren't crazy ass archangels," Dean said.

"We don't have many options," Sam said.

Gabriel sighed and looked at Lucifer. "I guess it is worth a shot. Look, just show up, Luci. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

Lucifer huffed in annoyance. "Fine, but I will be exercising that right.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The four archangels sat around a table in the library in front of Linda.

"I'm glad you all agreed to this. Is everyone comfortable?" Linda asked.

"Can we just get this bloody thing over with?" Lucifer asked impatiently.

Linda sighed and turned to Michael. "Michael, do you want to tell your brothers what we've been talking about? You don't have to."

"It's okay. We've talked about Samael and Father," Michael told them.

"What about Father, Michael?" Amenadiel asked.

"The doctor wanted to know about his rules," he said.

"How do all of you feel about his rules?" Linda asked.

Amenadiel shrugged. "His word was and still is law. His rules needed to be followed. There was no way to feel about them. It was our responsibility to follow them."

"Yes, or incur punishment," Michael added.

"I didn't care much," Gabriel piped up. "I loved the old man, but I was more concerned with my brothers. Day to day, that was what I knew. I followed Dad's big rules until after he was gone, so it really wasn't a huge concern for me.

"You were raised by Luc… Samael, just as he was by Michael, correct?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah."

"You said you loved your father, as in past tense. Do you not feel the same now?" Linda asked.

"It's hard to love someone who has utterly abandoned you," Gabriel said coldly. He would say he still loved his father, though he certainly resented him before, until Hell. His father had left him to be tortured and caged by Asmodeus. He could've, yet didn't, help him. "Why are we talking about me?"

"Because your feelings are just as important as everyone else's," Linda replied.

"Well, thanks, but feel free to move on," Gabriel said.

"What about you, Amenadiel? How do you feel about your father?"

Amenadiel frowned a little. He was tempted to ask the same question Gabriel did. Why was Linda focusing on them instead of Michael and Lucifer? Was she just building up or was Lucifer right that she was trying to shrink them all? "Uh, well, I guess I've had my moments of not understanding the things he does, but I believe he's doing what he believes is best for us."

Lucifer did nothing but roll his eyes in response.

"No. Best for him, not us," Michael said.

All three remaining archangels looked at him like he grew an extra head. Gabriel was the one to speak. "Mike?"

"What?" Michael asked, completely oblivious to his brothers' shock.

"Michael, would you like to tell us how you feel about your father?" Linda asked.

"I already told you I hate him," Michael said matter-of-factly.

"You hate him?" Lucifer asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Father? You hate Father?" Lucifer asked, still trying to wrap his head around the information. There was no one that was more of a suck up to the old man than Michael. He worshiped him. He stared a bloody apocalypse for him. Now he said he hated him.

Michael nodded.

"Why? Lucifer asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"You have to have a reason, bro. What is it?" Gabriel asked.

"Is it because of the Cage?" Lucifer asked.

Michael flinched. "Don't want to talk about that!"

"It's okay, Michael, you don't have to…" Linda started. She was soon cut off by Lucifer.

"Why do you hate him? You worshipped the bloody bastard! You cast me out for him!" Lucifer snarled before standing up. He didn't know why, but Michael stating he hated their father made him angry. Perhaps it was because of what Michael had done to him for their father.

"No," Michael said.

"Yes, you did! You threw me out! You cast me into Hell!" he yelled.

"Okay, we need to stop," Linda said. When she said she thought Lucifer might bring Michael's memories to the surface, she didn't mean for it to happen this way, though she supposed she should have realized it was more than a possibility.

"You've got to back off a little, bro," Gabriel said gently.

"No! Why should he get to hide from it?! I can't," Lucifer said angrily. He was tired of this game. He was tired of holding his tongue around the brother that betrayed him. He had a right to unleash his anger at him if he was forced in his presence.

"Samael, why…?"

"My name is Lucifer!" he interrupted Michael.

Michael scrambled out of his chair and backed away. "No! You're not that monster!"

Lucifer grabbed him and pushed him against the wall. "I am Lucifer! I am not the creature that tortured you, but I am the brother you kicked out! I am the one you called evil for wanted to make his own choices! You condemned me to eternity in Hell!"

Michael shook his head wildly.

"Yes! Stop hiding from it!" Lucifer yelled as he flashed his red eyes.

"Lucifer!" Linda called.

Gabriel immediately lunged forward and shut the computer. This was going to get ugly, and it would reveal a lot that the human doctor didn't need to see.

Michael felt memories he tried to bury make their way to the surface. His eyes glowed white and he place his hand to his younger brother's forehead, almost on instinct.

Memory

Michael walked slowly to his father's thrown room with a somber look on his face. His younger brother was slowly falling apart. Samael, or as he now called himself, Lucifer, had just led a rebellion against their father and lost. Father was going to punish him severely, unless Michael could somehow plead his case.

Michael stopped outside the doors to the thrown room. He could hear his parents arguing through the walls.

"You cannot be serious! He is your son!" his mother said.

"He has led a rebellion against me! That mark is destroying him more every day!" his father yelled.

"The mark you forced on him! It is your fault!" she yelled back.

"I am aware of that! It was mistake to make him wear it!"

"Then take it away!" she said.

"I can't! It would release her! I would be trading one evil for another! Actually, as it is likely too late by now, I would have two evils!" he yelled

"Our son is not evil!"

"He will be. I can't allow it!" he said.

"So, you want to kill him?" she asked

Michael gasped in horror. They were talking about killing his little brother. The angel he'd raised since he was created. There had to be a way around it. He couldn't let his brother be murdered. He wouldn't. He would go against Father if he had to.

"What other choice is there?" his father asked.

Things were quiet for a moment, which only led to Michael fearing the worst. If his mother was giving up, there was no hope for Samael. He would be killed. 'No', Michael thought to himself. He would warn Samael. He would tell him to run. Though how could one run from God?

Finally, Michael heard his mother speak again. "Send him to away. If you merely killed him, you'd have to reposition the Mark on another anyway. If you send him away, you keep them both from harming anyone."

"And where would I send him? Certainly not Earth. Imagine the damage he'd do," Father said.

"Hell," she said after a minute.

Michael shuddered. That was a terrible punishment as well. Hell was an awful place. But it was better than death, wasn't it? Samael would live, even if it was away from everyone he knew.

Michael didn't wait to hear his father's response. He didn't need to hear it. He would make the choice before his father could. "It is better than death. I will save you, little brother."

Memory

Lucifer gasped as he came out of his brother's memory. He staggered backwards and stared at his brother, both in shock and absolute horror. "N…No! It can't be!"

Michael, meanwhile fell to the floor and hugged his knees, all the while whispering incoherently to himself.

Gabriel went to Lucifer's side. "Hey. You okay, Luci."

Lucifer felt his hands shake. All this time he thought his brother had betrayed him. He thought he'd sent him to Hell to please their father. If what he'd just seen in his brother's mind was true, he'd done it to protect him from their father. A part of Lucifer wanted to deny that it was true, just because he'd spent so much time believing something different, but deep down he knew.

Lucifer took a few steps towards his older brother.

"Lucifer, don't," Amenadiel said. His brother had already caused Michael to have a meltdown. He didn't want him to make it worse.

Lucifer ignored him. He made it to his brother's side and fell to his knees. He looked at Michael for a minute before pulling him into his arms and holding him as tightly as he could. "I'm sorry, Michael."