they ran into Sam's room, Dean leading the way.
"Sammy, wake up," Dean shouted, shaking his brother.
"Dean?" Sam looked around. Had he screamed because of a nightmare? How embarrassing.
"What was it?" Dean asked, while JOhn and Mary watched awkwardly.
"Lucifer," Sam whispered. He would never admit this to Dean, but he was always afraid that if he said his name too loudly, he would show up.
"It's OK," Dean said. The last time Sam was having hell nightmares Dean had been able to assure him the devil was securely locked in the cage. Now, he had no idea where he was.
"Sorry I woke everybody up," Sam said. He felt weird with his parents staring at him.
"Dude, what happened to your shirt?" Dean asked.
Sam looked down and it was torn just like in the dream. "Lucifer ripped it open," Sam said in a panic. It must have been real.
"Calm down," Dean said, knowing what Sam was thinking. "You probably did that yourself, acting out the dream."
"But, I was paralyzed in the dream," Sam protested.
"Sammy, do you think if Lucifer were actually here, he would have been scared off when we ran into the room. I know I'm awesome and all, but still."
"You're probably right," Sam said, not really sure, but not wanting to worry Dean anymore.
"Go back to sleep, Sammy," John said, thinking his youngest looked totally beat.
"Are you insane?" Sam huffed out. He was never sleeping again. Oh, no, not that again. OK, he would sleep again, but not right now.
"Go to sleep, Sam. That's an order." John walked out of the room to head back to his own. He was worried about Sam, but he knew what was best for him.
"John," Mary said following him back to their room where they had spent the night so far, laying side by side, not saying a word, not touching, and not sleeping. "A little harsh don't you think?"
"He needs sleep. Did you see how exhausted he looked."
"Well, I won't argue about that," Mary conceded, "but I don't think you can order him back to sleep. He's a grown man."
"He's my son. I know what's best for him. Even if he doesn't always see it."
Sam and Dean could hear their parents arguing from Sam's room. "Great. Now I made them fight," Sam grumbled.
"It's not your fault, Sam. We're all going to have to get used to each other again. And Mom and Dad only parented really little kids together. Potty training me was probably the biggest challenge they faced as parents together."
"We're adults, Dean. I don't really know that we need 'parenting.'"
"Well, whatever," Dean got up to leave.
"Dean?"
"Yeah, Sammy."
Sam was more embarrassed than he could ever remember being, but he had to ask. "Could you sleep in here tonight?" He waited for the snarky comments or insults.
"Whoah, you're really freaked out. You've never asked me that before."
"When I was having the Lucifer nightmares before I didn't have to ask. We always shared a motel room," Sam pointed out.
That was true. Dean hadn't thought about it, but before the point that he had just given up on sleep altogether, Sam had always waited until Dean was back from hustling pool or drinking or hooking up, before he would go to bed. He always claimed to have needed to do some research, or wanting to see some movie on TV. How could he have been so blind?
"Yeah, Sammy, I'll stay."
SSS
"You're looking better," John said as Sam and Dean walked into the kitchen.
"Are you making breakfast?" Sam asked.
"Just bacon and eggs. Don't get too excited," John answered.
"That's what I assumed. It's the only thing I ever remember you making. That and frozen pizza."
"You boys didn't starve to death," John grumbled. "So, we should find out more about these British Men of Letters. In case more of them come for us."
Sam couldn't repress his shudder. "Maybe we should move out of the bunker. We're kind of sitting ducks here. What we once thought of as the most secure place on earth has probably become one of the most dangerous for us."
"Since when do we run?" John asked.
"There's a difference between running and minimizing your risk," Mary argued. She thought that Sam might have a point.
"No, this is our home. We need to make a stand," Dean decided.
Dad and Dean ganging up on me again, Sam thought. Mom's on my side, though. He wondered if that would become the new family dynamic. Dean and John against Sam and Mary. For now he just shrugged. Dad wanted to research them and he had to admit they probably had the best resources for that here. And maybe there would be some way to warn of their approach for next time.
John noticed that Sam once again wasn't arguing with him. He wondered if the kid had finally grown up or if something else was going on.
"Let's get some motion detecting camera up around the perimeter that will alert us when there's movement," Sam said. "Whether we're here or not. I don't want to walk into another ambush."
"Good thinking," John praised.
Sam snapped his head towards John. That may have been the first compliment he'd ever gotten from the man.
SSS
Later, Sam had gone down to the archives and found the documentation for every other branch of the Men of Letters. There were several. The British, French, Russian, Southeast Asia, Egypt, Australia, plus about a dozen others.
"We better hope they don't all gang up on us," Dean said as he hauled Sam's find upstairs. "We've got some reading to do," he announced to his parents.
Mary groaned. "Research was always my least favorite part of hunting."
"Mine, too," Dean commiserated.
"So, we're all in agreement," John said, happily, reveling in the family harmony.
Well, not all of us, Sam thought. But, no need to point out, he was the oddball.
SSS
"Well, that seemed like a fat waste of time. We spent from breakfast until midnight reading and learned nothing useful," Dean summed up.
"Yeah, it's a little outdated," Sam pointed out the obvious. They knew it would be, but hoped that there would be something helpful somewhere.
"Well, we'll try something different tomorrow," John said. He put his arm around Mary as they headed upstairs. They had somehow managed to bond overe their hatred of research today and he was hoping to continue their progress of getting to know one another again in the bedroom. (A/N I did not mean to make that sound so creepy and gross, but without leaving it out altogether don't really know how to fix it, so just live with it).
"Do you want me to sleep with you again?" Dean asked.
Sam shook his head. He did, but there was only one bed in his room and Dean had ended up sleeping on two chairs and had looked really uncomfortable when Sam woke up and seemed stiff all day. He was a big boy. He should be able to sleep on his own.
"You sure?" Dean asked, sensing hesitation.
"I'm sure. Last night was an aberration. I love doing research, so I'm in a good mood now,, which should mean no nightmares, right?"
"Right," Dean agreed, more out of optimism than actual belief.
SSS
Sam woke up to a hot room and a red light under the door again. "Oh no. Wake up," he said to himself.
"Sammy," Lucifer said as the door swung open.
"go away," Sam said and rolled over. If he ignored him, maybe he would go away.
Sam gasped as he felt Lucifer's icy cold fingers gripping his biceps. "Get up, Sammy."
"Get up? Why?" Lucifer usually tortured him or raped him lying down.
Lucifer yanked him up and slapped his hand over his mouth. "Becaue I don't want to be disturbed tonight." Sam found himself transported to Crowley's throne room.
"Why are we here?" Sam asked.
"I told you. I don't want to be disturbed." He pushed Sam down onto a cold metal table. "New shirt?" he asked, as he ripped it in the same manner as the night before.
"DEAN!" Sam yelled. He really needed to wake up.
"Dean, can't hear you here," Lucifer said and ripped Sam's pants off.
"No," Sam cried.
"Yes," Lucifer countered and flipped Sam over on his belly. Sam tried to think of anything else besides what was happening to him. Of course, he failed.
"Was that good for you?" Lucifer whispered, a he flipped Sam back onto his back.
Lucifer started tearing Sam's shirt into strips. "What are you doing?" Sam asked.
Lucifer didn't answer him, but stuck one strip in his mouth and tied another around his head to keep it in. Then he blindfolded him. Sam felt a gust of air, then he felt his hands lifted up and cuffed around a pole or something above his head. Lucifer's cold hands were pulling the ropes tighter and Sam let out another whimper.
"Ah, music to my ears. You've been whimpering so beautifully all night."
Sam felt his legs being forced apart and he was afraid Lucifer was going to take him again, but his feet were just being chained to something. Lucifer whispered into his ear again, "Good night, Sammy." Then Sam felt a cold touch to his forehead and felt himself slipping away.
SSS
Sam woke up and tried to open his eyes. He couldn't see anything. He tried to move. He was all tied up. Last night came back to him. It was all real. He was with the devil. He started screaming behind the gag.