AN: This took longer than I would have liked. I'm in a rush to finish the last two chapters of this story. I'll probably be posting the last chapter on Tuesday or Wednesday. The story is coming to an end. I'm actually pretty excited about these next two chapters. Personally I think what is going to happen is kind of awesome but maybe that is just me. Also, is anyone feeling like this fanfiction is kind of like Paranorman in a way or is that just me? Speaking of Paranorman, the imagery for Lucifer in this chapter (once you read it you'll probably know what I'm talking about) is based off of Aggie has a ghost in the movie. I just kind of loved how they did it okay. If you haven't seen Paranorman then just ignore me or Google "Paranorman Aggie" and look at images.

Also, once again thank you for all of your support. Combined with all the sites I've posted this story on I've got almost 2000 views which is pretty awesome and crazy. Seriously all the feedback, followers, likes, kudos, ect, means the world to me and I love you. Alright on with the chapter!

Okay lastly, I know there is one chapter in this story that has a few mistakes in it. (Blame that on editing at two in the morning.) Once I have the time I'll fix up all the errors I missed while editing. That will probably happen once I've posted the Epilogue in November.

"What is it like?" Dean Winchester asked. His head was tilted slightly to one side in order to glance at the man standing beside him.

"What is what like?" Castiel Novak questioned with one eyebrow raised as if he knew what Dean was getting at but wasn't completely sure.

"Being a ghost?"

This made Castiel stop walking. A small sigh escaped from his lips. The slightly shorter man put his back against one of the second floors hallway walls. Dean was a little surprised when Castiel didn't slip right through. The ghost didn't look at Dean. He seemed lost in thought.

"It is hard to explain.I'll tell you though, you're lucky to be alive and not have this weight on your shoulders." Dean nodded in agreement because seriously what the fuck was he supposed to say to that? How do you comfort a ghost? Dean didn't know how to comfort anyone alive for heavens sake! Cas shook his head to clear the thoughts.

"We've got work to do, this is no time to stand here talking," he said softly.

"I wish we could just talk," the other mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

XXXX

Over the years Michael had started to try and figure out a way to break the curse. He was sure there must have been a spellbook that his brother had used but finding it wasn't going to be easy. The one room that the family had never had access to in their life as the dead was Lucifer's. As a result, it was only logical that if they could get in the room then all their problems would be solved a lot quicker. Every room that had been blocked off for 172 years was once again opened up in hopes of finding the book or a way to get to it.

Gabriel Novak and Sam Winchester were assigned to search the rooms on the first floor. This included the ballroom, dining room, Michael's bedroom, and the servants quarters. Michael, Balthazar, and Anna got the top floor and the basement which now too was unblocked. Finally, Dean and Castiel were told to search the second floor. The two men had already searched yet another office, two bathrooms, a room that Castiel had said was the families Nanny when he was only a young boy, and now they were headed to the library. After the library the only room left unsearched would be the Novak children's parents room.

"You seem excited?" Dean Winchester pointed out. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips. Castiel shrugged.

"This library was always my favourite room in the house," he admitted. "I used to spend hours in there. It was one of those libraries most could only dream of visiting," the youngest Novak explained. This made Dean chuckle a little despite of himself. For only a second, Castiel smiled at him in return. In the blink of an eye, the man wore a blank expression once more.

"Would you like to do the honors of opening the door into your nerdy world of knowledge?" Dean smirked as he leaned against the wall beside a dark wood door. The puzzled expression on his companions wore was priceless. Castiel had a confused look pasted on his face but he seemed to be trying to work out just what Dean had meant. With no luck of course.

"Are you going to open the door?"

"Oh, I suppose so."

Dean wasn't much of a bookworm. Libraries weren't his scene but even he had to admit that the Novak's library was pretty sweet. There were rows upon rows of books. Sam would have been a drooling mess at the sight of all the books. For Heavens sake, even some of the shelves had those movable ladders you know about but don't ever actually see in libraries.

"Quite the uh collection," Dean breathed as he did a full turn in the center of the large room. Castiel nodded.

"My family started this library years before they even moved from England to America. It has all just been passed down from generation to generation," he explained.

"There must be books in here about everything," the oldest Winchester pointed out.

"Close to it," Castiel replied. "Shall we start looking then?"

The two men started on opposite sides of the room but only after a short period of time they had once more drifted back together. Dean and Castiel pulled out every book silently and flipped through them before putting each book back.

"What is 2012 like?" Castiel finally broke for a second. There was a pause before Dean replied.

"I don't know if I can truly answer that, Cas. I've never been out of time like you are," Dean explained without looking up from the book in his hands. The youngest Novak thought for a second.

"Okay, what has happened in the last 172 years?" Castiel asked. The other man placed the book back into its place on the dusty old book shelf and pulled out another.

"A lot," Dean began before opening up the new book. "Do you want the good or the bad first?"

"I'd much prefer the bad. It is always best to remember to good but the bad needs to be moved on from," Castiel explained. He flipped mindlessly through pages in a dust covered book.

"How positive of you," Dean couldn't help the snicker that escaped his lips carelessly. He didn't allow Castiel time to reply though.

"Well, we've had two world wars since then. The second seems more well-known than the first. A lot of people died for no reason other than because of their race, religion, or sexuality. People often get assassinated for wanting change. We've harmed the Earth with pollution. There are terrorists. Hate crimes. An example of a big one would be when a plane crashed into two big towers. The list goes on an on."

There was another moment of silence before Dean nervously added. "Have you lost faith in society?"

"Not yet," the youngest Novak replied.

"I guess on a more positive side we've advanced a fair amount. Cars have grown more efficient. Some are even battery powered. We're finding new ways to find energy, like through wind and the sun. Phones have turned into more than phones. We travel by airplanes because the sky is quicker than moving on the ground. Man has walked on the moon. We've got robots on mars. People fight for their rights. Women are starting to be treated just as equally as men. There is currently a black president rather than white," Dean explained. His eyes lifted up from the pages in the book and fixed on the ghost standing to his side. A smile was spread on his face. It was the kind of smiles that makes you smile because of just how genuine it is. Without any notice, Dean found himself matching Castiel's warm expression.

XXXX

"Seriously," Sam Winchester laughed lightly.

"What?" Gabriel Novak questioned. His eyebrows furrowed closer together as he looked up at the much taller man.

"Your family has a ballroom," the youngest Winchester pointed out.

"I don't see what is so funny about that,"Gabriel huffed as he placed his hands on his hips. The man pursed his lips. Sam couldn't help but snicker at that expression.

"It is just that you don't really see people with ballrooms in their houses now a days," the taller of the two explained. "I can't say I've really even been in one."

"Is that so?"

Sam just nodded. A grin spread across Gabriel's lips..

"You look like you're plotting something," Sam questioned. He raised one eyebrow before stepping away from the shorter man who just stepped closer to him once more. A hand was outstretched. Sam blankly stared at it. Gabriel's fingers moved impatiently.

"What?" the darker haired man questioned.

"Take my hand," Gabriel said as he beckoned Sam closer. "You said you've never been in a ballroom before so I guess this is a once and a lifetime chance to really experience one."

"I don't know how to dance," Sam admitted sheepishly. His hand met the back of his neck as he always did when nervous. Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes. Without saying another word he grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him into the middle of the dusty ballroom.

"Just follow my lead and you'll be fine," he ordered softly. "Place your hand on my shoulder."

Sam did as he was told. The height difference made the whole ballroom dancing thing seem a little awkward or at least more so than it already was. Gabriel placed his free hand on Sam's waist. Both men began gliding around the room which was only lit by the streams of sunlight coming in through the large windows.

Gabriel was a fair dancer. Whenever the Novak's held a ball for whatever charity the family was currently supporting it was the children who were the main attraction. While Mrs. and Mr. Novak socialized it was up to the kids of the house to dance with as many people as they could. They were the ones who kept the partying really going. No one really enjoyed it all that much. However, no one complained because it would only do more harm than good. Sam on the other hand clearly had no dancing experience. He would often trip over his own feet or step on Gabriel's but naturally it didn't hurt the shorter man.

The ballroom turned from a dusty forgotten space into the grand thing it had once been. No longer was it dark and dusty but bright and alive. Silence turned into the sound of people talking, dancing, and playing music. The empty space was filled with men, women, boys, and girls, all dancing in time with the music. Gabriel knew he was only imagining the grandeur which he had once called home but he didn't want to shake of the nostalgic feeling just yet. As a result he just went on dancing in time with the music. A smile spread on his face at this almost old memory. Gabriel found himself humming softly along with the melody the violins were currently playing.

All too soon the last note disappeared into the air and the ballroom faded from what it once had been into what it currently was. Neither men spoke. Gabriel stood frozen in spot apart from his eyes which scanned the room almost as if he were seeing things that were no longer there. It was clear to Sam that the man was lost in a memory which he didn't want to be shaken out of just yet.

XXXX

Hours later Dean and Castiel still hadn't found the spell book. Not only was the oldest Winchester frustrated but he was just about ready to give up. There was only one shelf at the very back of the library which hadn't been gone through. Dean moved over to the dusty shelves.

"The book better be in these shelves or I will not be happy," he mumbled to himself.

Both men began going through the books. Dean's eyes were caught by a fairly large book with a black spine on a top shelf. He reached out for it and slowly pulled it out of its spot. The book gave a slight protest but it didn't take long for it to be yanked free. An odd clicking sound made both men freeze.

"Holy shit," Dean breathed out as the shelves began to open up into a staircase going down. Castiel looked over to Dean who looked back at him.

"I think this might be worth checking out."

It was dark. The stairs were surrounded only by darkness. There were no windows or anything so the only light source was the distant setting sun coming in from one of the library windows. Carefully and slowly both men reached the bottom of the stairs. The room which they found themselves in was pitch black as well.

"Where are we, Cas?" Dean asked as he moved slowly forwards trying to find his way around the room.

"Basement or first floor is my guess," Castiel replied. The ghost was illuminated in a light shade of blue. It was almost a little more sad than eerie. A beautiful sort of sad though. Maybe even a little melancholy. Dean didn't truly know what melancholy meant but it seemed fitting.

"I guess we better start looking for anything that seems like a book," he suggested. Castiel agreed.

The room itself from what Dean could tell was fairly small. He guessed it was either another office or a bedroom. Finding things in the dark was almost impossible and Castiel wasn't producing enough light to truly see. Dean was left to feeling his way around the space and often tripping over objects.

His hands met an old wooden surface. After moving his hands around it he came in contact with what seemed like a book.

"I think I've got it!" Dean called out into the blackness.

"Fantastic," Castiel replied. "Shall we head back up to the library?"

"Sounds like a plan. Problem is we need to find the stairs first," the light haired boy said.

"I'm pretty sure I know where we are now. I know this room fairly well. If I'm not mistaken we are standing in Lucifer's room on the main floor. It has always been blocked off and now I guess I know why," the ghost explained.

A cold hand grabbed at Dean's wrist and he jumped at the contact. Standing in Lucifer's room made him feel nervous and on edge enough as it was. When the man looked over to his wrist he saw a long slender fingers wrapped lightly around it. Dean's gaze wandered up to meet Castiel's. Their eyes locked for a second before Dean looked away. His hand shifted into Castiel's.

"Lead the," the man gulped nervously. "Just get us out of here."

XXXX

"This is pretty dark stuff," Dean spoke. A dark navy book sat open on one of the libraries wooden tables. Everyone had been called together after Castiel had assured Dean that this was most likely the right book. Michael flipped through the books pages pausing occasionally to scan over some nasty spell about bringing back the dead or turning people into creatures of the night.

"Here," the oldest Novak pointed to an entry near the end of the book. "I think this is it." Everyone scanned over the few sentences which Michael's finger had been pointing at.

"At least it doesn't sound too gruesome," Sam Winchester joked nervously.

"It won't be easy though," Balthazar pointed out. "It will be like trying to unsink a ship."

"Not only will it not be easy but it will be dangerous. The spell says first we need to burn the bones of the sinner which I'm guessing would be Lucifer," Michael began.

"But we don't know where to bones are," Dean added.

"That isn't exactly true. We've always known where Lucifer was buried. He has always been watching over us, taunting us," the oldest of the group explained, "Crowley, his nanny, buried him just in front of the old tree which hangs over our mausoleum. Here is the bad part. By burning Lucifer's bones we are setting his spirit free meaning he can take shape like the rest of us."

"How wonderful. I'm going to be murdered by a psycho killer," Dean grunted. Anna gasped slightly at his choice of words while the rest of the group didn't really respond to the comment.

"If the people working on the second part move fast enough everyone should be fine. There is however one more problem. None of us can truly help with these steps. One of you two will have to burn his bones while the other works out the second step and burns the item which Lucifer held most dearly," Michael said.

'I call object," Sam yelled out before anyone else had a chance to speak. Dean only grumbled unhappily.

XXXX

Dean checked his pockets once more making sure he had the box of matches which this plan counted on. In his other hand was a shovel which had been in the basement where Balthazar had found it.

Dean was not excited for this in the slightest bit. Not only did he have to dig up a grave but then proceed to burning bones which had been rotting in the ground for 172 years. He really hated Sammy for making him do this.

"Be quick Dean," Michael said once more. He only got a nod in reply. No one was giving him great words of encouragement.

"Try not to die," Sam patted his shoulder before giving his older brother a quick hug.

"I'll try not to," Dean replied. "Now you guys need to hurry along to find and burn whatever step two wants you to."

Castiel was the only one who didn't quickly run off to begin the mad search. The ghost just looked at Dean.

"I wish I could help," he spoke softly. "All I can do is wait for you here."

The other man just shook his head and gave the best confident smile he could muster up.

"I'll be fine I promise, Cas. I better get going though," Dean laughed nervously before stepping to the back door. He gulped before turning the handle and stepping out into the cold October night.

The garden was huge. Dean was glad that there wasn't a maze because he would be so screwed if there were. Quickly the man made his way across the rows of dead plants which crunched underneath his heels. The wind was harsh and cold now as the sun had fully set. The moon was covered almost completely by the dark clouds. Now Dean really wished he had a warmer coat on. He shivered while his teeth chattered away.

Finally, after what seemed like years the garden ended and the graveyard started. An old metal gate surrounded the area. It wasn't very strong and only took one good kick to be pushed open. As Dean walked through the rows of graves an eerie feeling settled in the air. No matter, the oldest Winchester boy didn't stop until he was standing in front of a white marble mausoleum with the name Novak etched into the stone. An old dead tree loomed over it. Dean moved around to the back quickly. A chill ran down his spine as he looked up at the dark tree. He could have ran, every fiber wanted him to but he wasn't going to. Dean knew that everyone was relying on him and now wasn't the time to be a wimp. No. Dean Winchester was not a wimp. With that thought in mind he began to dig.

Grave digging was not fun especially when the ground was frozen solid because it was pretty much Winter. Dean's back ached. His arms felt as though they were about to fall off. No matter how much pain he was in Dean didn't stop until the shovel came in contact with what looked like a wooden coffin. It didn't take long for Dean to break open the old wood box which held Lucifer's bones. The sight he was greeted with was not pleasant too say the least. No one would ever know that Dean had gagged a little at the sight of what used to be Lucifer. The human bones were old and coloured with age. He quickly climbed his way out of the shallow hole. Oil was spread all over the bones and coffin before a match was lit and thrown in as well. This caused the bones too catch on fire. A burst of flames erupted which made Dean stumble back slightly before once more catching his balance. The flames danced around blazing bright yellows and oranges. Dean just watched.

The flames died down and for a second there was nothing but the smell of smoke lingering in the air. Just as Dean thought that maybe he was safe an explosion of light burst out from the coffin. The force this explosion created was enough to throw Dean off his feet and send him falling into the cold ground with a thud. Pain shot through his spine. Dean couldn't stop the yelp that came out of mouth. He however didn't stay on the ground for too long. Dean quickly scrambled back up onto his feet.

The light looked in a way like bursts of electricity. It violently flickered. It crackled and snapped at Dean. After a few second the light began taking a little more shape. A head flashed as if there were two people stuck together both with very different facial expression. It was as though the electricity had created a image of someone with multi personality disorder. Hair was substituted for bright bursts of what looked light lightening. The creature had a torso but the lower half was a blaze of bright static.

Dean was screaming at himself to move but his legs wouldn't seem to listen or respond. The creature snapped its flickering head towards him. A smirk spread across its lips. If Dean didn't move now there was no way he'd live much longer. The man stumbled, almost fell again, caught himself, and ran as fast as he could to the house. He didn't look back. He didn't think about anything but running. Running fast.

XXXX

Michael had always wanted a younger brother. He was six now and being an only child was lonely. All his friends around town had brothers and sisters so why didn't he? It was almost a miracle when Lucifer was born on December 13th, 1815. The young child had fascinated Michael. Once he was allowed to hold his little brother, Michael had never wanted to put him down. Little Lucifer would often fall asleep in his big brothers arms. The two oldest Novak sons hadn't always been enemies. For the longest time they had been the best of friends. For far too many years that was no longer the case. Neither liked hating one another but it was just the way things were now. Both accepted that fate.