Chapter 11: A Familiar Face

Six Months Later

Lucifer appeared in the living room of the Singer house looking around curiously for the ones who had summoned him. Bobby looked up from his books at the Fallen. With a shake of his head the hunter pointed upstairs. Lucifer frowned not liking the look on the hunter's face. Heading towards the stairs he was met by Michael at the top. He sent a curious glance at his older brother but Michael gave him a grim look in return.

"How bad is it?" Lucifer asked softly.

"Sam was out in the garage earlier. Gabriel stayed out there for a few days. Sam was out there cleaning and he found something of his. A sketchpad. It was filled things he drew. Sam had a breakdown when he started going through it. That was how Dean found him. He called me first hoping the maybe I could get through to him but Sam threw me out followed by throwing Dean out." Michael explained. "We were hoping that maybe you could get him to open up."

Lucifer let out a snort. "And what makes you think I can reach him?"

Michael glared. "He's your vessel. You have a connection with him."

"You have a better chance of getting me to release my pet." Lucifer said.

"I was hoping that you might be able to help him because of your past with Gabriel." The First Born said, a faint flush taking over his face.

Lucifer smirked and took his chance to make his older brother uncomfortable. "You mean because Gabriel and I were fucking that I might understand him better?"

Michael turned bright red and looked away. "Must you do that Lucifer?"

The Devil smirked. "Yes I must. Now I need to go talk to my vessel."

Lucifer walked away hearing Michael mutter under his breath about him being a pervert. Going the short walk down the hall he was greeted by the sad face of Dean Winchester. The hunter was standing outside the door to Sam's room. Dean flicked the door handle to show that it was locked. Lucifer nodded and vanished, reappearing in Sam's room. The hunter looked up with a glare but it quickly faded. Lucifer walked over and sat on the bed next to his vessel. Sam held in his hands a very battered thick book.

"I remember that. I gave it to him as a present right after we got together." Lucifer said quietly.

Sam opened the cover to reveal a lean, nude, dark haired man. The only truly identifying feature were the huge white wings that were spread out on the huge bed. Lucifer let out a small chuckle.

"It wouldn't surprise me at all if most of the first ones in there are only of people sleeping. He used to complain that it was the only time we sat still long long enough for him to work." The blonde said. "I think there are quite a few in there of Michael and myself that he did."

Sam flipped to a different page and Lucifer tried not to blush at the picture of himself thrusting into the body of another dark haired angel with eggshell white wings. "Michael was a one time thing."

The next picture was of a young male brunette sitting in a field surrounded by roses. The style of the drawing was different from the previous drawings and after a moment Lucifer realized that the page was loose. He picked it up and swallowed the lump in his throat at the sight of the six golden wings contrasting with the red roses in the setting sun.

"I didn't realize he kept this." Lucifer admitted, the shock clear in his voice. "This was the last thing I drew for him before the war started. I thought for sure he destroyed it."

"There are more. I found a second book in his bag. I think it's yours." Sam said softly, picking up a second book that had been sitting next to him that Lucifer hadn't seen. "The first one is of him."

Lucifer took the book in his hands, surprised that it still existed. "This was his present to me. I thought... Raphael said he had destroyed it."

"Nothing's missing out of it." Sam offered as Lucifer opened the book to the first page. "You really loved him didn't you?"

Lucifer took in the sight of the brunette laying in a bed, half asleep, his six wings laying limply along the bed. Lucifer's eyes took in every curve and line, the messy brown hair, lazy smile, and the gold eyes. He reached up and ran his finger along that smile. With a sigh he closed the book.

"Yeah. Yeah I did." Lucifer said. "It was never my intention to be more then his brother and mentor. He just had a way of worming his way into your heart. The hardest thing I ever did was telling him that I no longer loved him and sent him away. I didn't want him to share my fate. It was better for him to believe I hated him and be free then to be trapped with me a suffering a fate he didn't deserve."

"It's been six months Lucifer." Sam said. "He said he'd come back. Why isn't he back?"

"I wish I could tell you Sam." Lucifer admitted.

"How did he come back last time?"

"I don't know. I wish did. If I knew I'd bring him back for you Sam. I know how much you love him." Lucifer said. "We just need to believe he'll be back. We have to believe in Gabriel."

Sam nodded and broke into fit of harsh sobs at the angel's name, clutching the book in his hands close to his chest. Lucifer sat his own book down and pulled the hunter close to his chest. Sam fought against the Devil's hold trying to get away from him but soon Sam was clinging to the Fallen, burying his face the his plaid shirt. Lucifer held on tight to his vessel letting the young man cry.

Lucifer couldn't help but let his wings out to wrap around the hunter; Sam may not be his vessel anymore but Lucifer still considered Sam to be his. Right now Lucifer was going to make sure that Sam was taken care of. His vessel needed rest and a night without dreams of helping to kill Gabriel. He waited until Sam had cried himself out before picking up the hunter and tucking him into the bed before curling around the human and wrapping him tight in his wings. Right now everything else could wait.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Dean sighed and walked away from the door. It hurt in more ways then one that Sam refused to open up to him. Hell, it took the Devil himself before Sam would even speak about what he had found. Seeing his brother doubled over in the garage and gasping for breath through his tears had sent a shock straight through him, certain that Sam was injured in some way. He had been half right. Sam was injured and Dean had no idea how to fix wounds to the heart.

Not knowing what else to do Dean had helped Sam into the house and up to his room and that was when he caught sight of the books the younger was holding, figuring out that one was Gabriel's sketchpad. He had recognized the battered cover from the car ride after the angel's wing had been broken. Castiel, having sensed his mate's distress, had appeared followed closely by Michael. The eldest Winchester explained what he had seen and admitted that he had no idea what to do. Michael, having lost his first mate, had gone in to talk to Sam to see if he could help.

Castiel, who was watching from the door, shook his head and decided that he would go out once more and search for Gabriel. Dean had given his mate his blessing and the dark haired angel left in search of the youngest archangel again. Not even ten minutes later Michael had been booted from Sam's room and when Dean tried to go in the door had been slammed in his face. Not knowing what else to do Michael called Lucifer.

The Fallen had become strangely close to Sam since Gabriel's death. Michael said that it was because that even though it had only been a short time, Sam had been Lucifer's vessel and as such having two souls in one body like that left a bond. A very strong one. Much like the way Michael's bond with Adam had progressed. It had been Castiel that pointed out to them they also shared a common love in Gabriel and now both were grieving for him; one for a love that never really ended and one for a love that never really began.

Coming downstairs Dean was met, not by Michael, but Adam, which Dean was only able to tell due to the level of worry on the younger man's face. "How is he?"

"He just cried his heart out again." Dean said. "Where did your other half go?"

"Mike went to go help Cas look. He won't say it but Michael's getting really worried." Adam said. "It's been six months and there's no sign of...you know."

Dean nodded, knowing that Gabriel's name had become a bit of taboo since his death unless you felt up to dealing with a very upset Sam. "I just wish there was more we could do."

"I know." Adam said. "Michael has tried every summoning spell he knows and he's even gone to a couple different angels, Joshua included, but no one seems to know anything or how to find him. I'm beginning to think that maybe he's really-"

"Don't." The hunter said softly. "Just don't Adam. They say that if you say bad things out loud then they come true. I know that it's just superstition but in this case I'd rather not risk it."

Adam nodded. "Good point. Better to be safe then sorry."

"Speaking of sorry I have a case for you boys." Bobby said. "Looks like there's been several signs about hundred miles north from here. One of my contacts says it's a group of demons."

Dean nodded. "Okay. Give me twenty minutes and I'll be ready to go. Keep an eye on Sammy for me would you Bobby?"

"I won't need to because he'll be going too." The elder hunter said. "The poor kid has been cooped up for months Dean. He needs to get out and start living again."

The eldest Winchester looked at his father figure in disbelief. "Are you nuts Bobby?"

The older man glared at him. "No!"

"You must be unless you were watching a different fight then I was six months ago." Dean growled. "Sam just lost his boyfriend and to make it worse he had to help his boyfriend take his own life! He isn't ready to get back out there yet Bobby! Sam's mind is not in a good place."

"Dean I know you don't want to hear this but it's time for Sam to start moving on." Bobby said simply. "Gabriel is gone. We don't know when or even if he's coming back at this point."

"You heard what he said Bobby. All we have to do is wait for him."

"While we're waiting for Gabriel's grand entrance, Sam is wasting away. He needs to get out and enjoy the little things in life. Gabriel wouldn't want Sam to stay locked in his room mourning for him." The hunter pointed out. "Gabriel loved living. He enjoyed it. He made sure to have fun. He embraced what it meant to be alive. He's be more then upset to see how Sam's fallen apart since he's been gone."

Adam nodded. "He has a point Dean. Maybe we should see about getting Sam out for a little while. A hunt might do him some good. We can take even take our angels just in case. I know Michael would love to let his warrior side out again."

Dean let out a huff. "Fine. As soon as Cas and Michae get back we'll talk to them about it. If they both say yes then I'll talk to Sam."

"This is the best thing for him Dean." Bobby said. "Sam needs some normality in his life. This hunt might just pull him out of his funk."

"Now I can see why John didn't invite me into the life if going demon hunting is what you consider normal." Adam said. "It sucks though. What you guys do is so much better then anything out there in the mundane world. I'd rather help you guys then sit in some boring job."

"Grab a shot gun. There's still time to practice." Dean said. "We'll be out back Bobby. Give us a call when Sam gets up that way I can call Cas."

"You got. Have fun boys."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sam quickly moved forward, his demon killing knife held tight in his hand. He felt Lucifer move behind him, making sure to watch their backs. He gave the Devil a tap before he kicked a plastic bucket making it clatter and they ducked behind a stack of crates and waited. Two demons on patrol walked past them drawn to the sound. Sam grabbed the first one and slammed the knife into the back of the demon's head. Lucifer slid his archangel blade right into the demon's heart before pulling it back out and watching the body drop the the ground.

"I can see why you and your brother do this for a living. It's actually quite fun." Lucifer said. "I think I might join you more often when you do this."

Sam gave the Fallen a strange look. "You want to hunt demons?"

"I wasn't always bad Sam. I used to help Michael lead armies. I trained other angels." Lucifer said simply. "Beside it beats being stuck in heaven trying to help Michael straighten Raphael's mess."

Sam shook his head and quickly found the door that led inside. The two quietly made their way into the building, pleased to see Dean, Castiel, and Adam had already made it inside and were on the other side of the building. It looked like everything was going smoothly for once. Dean made a sign to attack on three and Sam nodded. The countdown started but before the eldest Winchester could even make it past one ten more demons appeared to join the twenty that had already been there.

"We lost him." Said one of the new demons.

The leader stepped forward looking quite pissed. "What do you mean you lost him?!"

"We were following him south and then he just stopped. He looked like he got confused and then he just vanished. We tried to follow his trail but it's like he was never there."

"We've been tracking that angel for over a month! How could you just lose him?! Angels aren't hard to miss!" The demon snapped.

"It's not our fault. Maybe someone alerted him or he found out that we were onto him." The messenger said. "Maybe another angel told him."

The leader suddenly spun and the messenger was dead, his throat sliced open. "He doesn't talk to other angels! He's been alone this whole time! He's not going to suddenly have friends!"

"Maybe he saw one of us." Another suggested. "He feels pretty powerful to me."

"Powerful or not I want that angel!"

"How do you expect us to take him down? All angels are armed."

"This one isn't."

"Why don't we just kill him?"

Another demon fell to the floor dead. "I WANT HIM ALIVE!"

Sam looked over at Dean who looked just as confused as he did but Castiel had a grim expression on his face. Looking over at Adam, Sam realized that Michael, who had taken the backseat to let his vessel hunt, had taken over and was listening closely. Turning to his own partner Sam wasn't surprised to see the rage on the Fallen's face.

"I need you to get out there and find that angel! We're going to use him as a way to take over hell and for that I need him in one piece." The demon said turning to face his followers. "Now does anyone else have any stupid questions?"

"Yeah. I do." Dean said. "Who's thirsty?"

The hunter came out of hiding flinging holy water on the closest demon, watching them scream and they began to smoke. Cas followed Dean out stabbing one of the demons going for his mate. That demon never knew what hit it. Michael joined as well, his blade flashing as he took out demon after demon. Lucifer tapped Sam and pointed at the leader who was trying to sneak away. The two ducked around the back and managed to block off the leader's escape route. The demon nearly had a heart attack when he came face to face with the Devil.

"F-Father!" The demon said locking eyes with the Fallen.

Lucifer smirked. "What's this I hear about you going after an angel?"

"We...We were going to capture it. Find a way to steal it's power." The demon said backing up. "We just wanted to get you back on the throne of hell. We were doing this for you, My Lord!"

The snarl Lucifer let out made everyone uncomfortable. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Despite what you may think I am still an angel; an archangel. As such that makes me big brother to almost every angel out there. Let me tell you right now, child of mine or not, when you threaten my baby brothers and sisters, I get very mad."

The demon's eyes went wide in fear before they shifted past the blonde to land on Sam. "You! You are the reason for this! You turned our Father against his children Sam Winchester! You deserve death and so much more!"

The demon leapt at Sam but was caught around the throat by Lucifer who slammed the demon to the ground. "Lesson two. No one threatens my vessel. He is my soul to protect. I would let you live to tell others but I doubt you'd be smart enough to remember, much less follow, my orders."

"Please...I can! I can do anything you ask!"

"Good. You can die." Lucifer said, his blade finding it's mark under the demon's chin.

Lucifer pulled back and cleaned his blade on the dead demon's shirt. Looking around he realized that the rest of the demons had been taken care of. Dean was praising Adam for a job well done. It seemed that Michael had let his vessel spread his wings a little after all; about time if you asked him. Turning around to check on Sam he was greeted with the broken expression on his vessel's face.

"Sam?" Lucifer asked watching those green eyes lift from the demon to him. "He was right. If it hadn't been for you I would still be in the Cage. You helped him reach out to us and that helped us get free. I have changed Sam. I'm almost back to the angel I used to be and for that I can't thank you enough. I have my family back because of you."

Sam gave him a weak smile and he returned it. A screech rang out and the group turned to find a female demon standing on the stairs leading to the second level of the factory. She glared at them and began screaming in a different tongue. Dean looked at Castiel who just shook his head, he did understand her either. Lucifer however was chuckling at her screams. She glared at Lucifer and let out an evil smile. She raised her hand and let out a burst of power. The Devil vanished and reappeared, stabbing the woman before throwing her body over the railing.

"Sam move!" Dean shouted.

The demon's power had hit the heavy metal crates the were stacked next to Sam. The younger Winchester stilled as the metal containers began to tip. He was frozen, there was no way that he was going to be able to move in time. A heavy weight slammed into Sam from the left and knocked him clear of the boxes and a heavy weight fell on him as he landed. The metal crates smashed into the ground behind him with a loud crash.

Sam was stunned by the impact but he felt the weight move off him and hands began checking him over. There was a wave of warm angelic healing energy that passed over him and then he was firmly pulled to his feet. He saw Dean, Castiel, Adam, and Lucifer staring at him and realized that the hands hadn't left his arm. Someone who was not part of his family had just saved him.

Turning he was greeted with a worried face framed by blonde hair that was a bit shorter then he remembered it being. Taking a minute he took stock of the much shorter man standing before him and realized that his eyes weren't deceiving him. The only thing that wasn't the same were his eyes. The weren't the same color he remembered them being. Before where those eyes had been a brilliant gold, these eyes were duller with flecks of hazel in them.

That warm hand held his hand a bit tighter, not like how Sam was staring at him in shock. "Sam are you okay? Did I miss anything?"

Sam pulled his hand free and pulled back and landed a solid open handed slap against the man's face, sending him tumbling to the ground. The man let out an 'oof' as he hit the ground. Rolling over he wiped his mouth pleased to see there was no blood. The man looked up at Sam with a mixture of hurt and confusion on his face.

"I'm not sure I deserved that." Gabriel said softly.