"Sure you are."
Suddenly Lucifer popped up behind Mick. "Look out!" Sam yelled.
"He's mine," Lucifer said, grabbing Mick. "I'll be back," he promised Sam and they both disappeared amongst a fluttering of wings.
Sam tried to open the door to no avail. He needed to get out of the car. First and foremost so he could be gone before Lucifer got back. And secondly because it was really hot in here. Black car. parked in the sun. He opened the glove compartment and found a gun. He smashed it against the window, trying to break. No good. Apparently the glass was unbreakable.
SSS
"Where are we going?" Mary wasn't quite oriented yet, but this didn't seem to be the way back to the bunker.
"Last dream Sam had he said Lucifer took him to Crowley's dungeon. That's my best guess on where to look for him."
"Who's Crowley?" John asked.
"A demon," Dean answered. "Sometimes he's the king of Hell. But, with Lucifer out there somewhere, I'm not sure who's in charge."
"Will he be there?" Mary asked.
"Hope not," was all Dean could say as he pushed the gas pedal closer to the floor.
SSS
They pulled up to the abandoned warehouse Crowley used as his earth headquarters.
"Who's car is that?" Mary asked. "It's not Crowley's, right?" She had never heard of demons driving cars, but then again there were lots of things she had never heard of that seemed to be very commonplace nowadays.
Dean glanced towards the warehouse and then back at the car. "We should probably check it out before we go in," he decided.
All three Winchesters pulled their guns out and warily approached the car. Dean was in the lead. When he got closed enough, he looked in through the window and saw Sam sprawled across the front seat.
"SAM!" he yelled and opened the door. "No, no, no," he said as he felt the heat escaping." He reached in to pull hi brother out. "He's alive," he said with relief and lowered him down onto the ground. Mary and John knelt down next to their two sons.
Sam took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
"Thank God," John let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"What happened?" Dean asked.
"Lucifer brought me here."
"No, Sam. He didn't," John said sternly. "We saw the security footage. You were alone."
"That's because Lucifer made himself invisible so you would think I just took off on my own."
Dean sighed. Sam had an answer for everything just like that time. "So, where is he?"
"This other guy showed up. he said he was with the British Men of Letters. This is his car. Lucifer popped off with him somewhere and said he would be back."
"It wouldn't take lucifer long enough for you to pass out to pop somewhere and back," Dean reasoned. "Speaking of which why didn't you get out of hte car?"
"The doors were locked and wouldn't open and I couldn't break the window," Sam explained.
"The doors weren't locked. sam, you obviously stole this car, drove yourself here, and just sat in the car until you passed out," Dean said as gently as he could.
"Rowena," Sam said.
"What about her?" Dean asked.
"She's downstairs in the dungeons. She'll back up my story."
"Fine, we'll go check it out," Dean said.
"Who's Rowena?" Mary asked.
"Crowley's mother and a witch," dean answered.
"Demons have mothers?" John asked.
"Not good ones," Sam grumbled.
Dean laughed despite himself.
They reached the basement and opened the door to the cell. "It's empty," Dean pointed out.
"He must have moved her," Sam protested.
"Let's just go home," Dean said defeated.
SSS
Sam had gone upstairs to sulk. John, Dean, and Mary were in the kitchen.
"We need to get him some help," Mary said.
"how?" Dean asked. "They'll lock him up."
"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing," John argued.
"Dad!"
"Dean, if we hadn't shown up when we did, Sammy could be dead. A psychiatrist might be able to help," John tried to reason.
"They won't help him if they don't believe him. They'll just think he's totally nuts."
"You mean instead of partially nuts?" Sam asked, walking into the room.
"That's not what I meant."
"Dad's right. So far I've only hurt myself, but that could change. I'd probably be better off locked up in some psych ward."
"No, Sammy. End of discussion."
"Then, what, Dean? What happens when I go to sleep tonight?"
"I'll watch you again. Nothing happened the night you were restrained and I watched you."
Nothing that you saw, Sam thought. "We can't do that forever."
"Maybe there's something in the archives," Dean said.
"For nightmares?" John asked skeptically.
"It won't hurt to look," Mary said.
"Fine. But, if we don't find anything today, I check into a hospital tomorrow," Sam stated firmly. He was not going to be a burden to his family or a danger to society forever. A mental hospital would be equipped to deal with him.
"We'll see," Dean said, non-comittally.
SSS
"Bingo," Dean said.
"You found something?" Sam looked up from the book he was reading. He had actually just been randomly reading stuff, since he had no faith in this working.
"Check out this picture," Dean held the book up.
"That's your amulet," John said. "But, I haven't seen it since I've been back."
"I, um, lost it a few years ago. God took it. He gave it back, but I figured while He was around I should hide it."
"Not even going to ask any questions," John decided, thinking the whole thing was crazy, beginning with Dean losing his prized possession besides the Impala.
"What does your amulet have to do with anything?" Sam asked.
"This says it has three purposes. God EMF, a key to something, and a nightmare repellent."
"You were wearing after you came back from the pit and you had nightmares," Sam remembered.
"But, I never confused them with reality. This doesn't say it gets rid of nightmares, but it dulls them. You'll just have normal nightmares. They'll suck, but it says here it keeps away hallucinations, sleepwalking and excessive terror."
"OK, we'll try it. Where is it?"
"It's in a hex box in my room. I'll go get it," Dean headed to his room.
John's curiosity overcame him, "How did Dean lose it."
"he didn't lose it. He threw it away."
"Why?"
Sam sighed. "Let's just say he was mad at me and leave it at that."
Dean walked back in the room and Sam hoped the subject was dropped. Dean handed the amulet to Sam. Sam slipped it over his head. It felt weird to be wearing this. The last time he wore it Dean was dead. "Thanks."
"Ready for bed?" Dean asked.
"About that," Sam said, "I think you should just lock me up downstairs tonight."
"You have the amulet," Dean said.
"It's untested. I don't want you to have to watch me. It's just for one night."
"Fine," Dean agreed. Sam would see that this worked and he wouldn't have to worry about him tonight.
Sam said good night to his parents and went downstairs with dean.
"If we're going to do this, I should chain you, Sam. This place is soundproof and if you hurt yourself I won't be able to hear it upstairs. If you really want to stay down here tonight you're on your own until morning."
Sam nodded. He had expected nothing less.
Against everything he believed in Dean fastened the shackles that had imprisoned Crowley for months around his brother's wrists. "You sure about this?" Dean asked.
"Good night, Dean," Sam said in answer.
SSS
"Hi, Sammy," the devil said.
"You can't hurt me tonight," Sam said.
"Oh, but I can," Lucifer said as he yanked the chains from the wall. Sam once again found himself in Crowley's dungeon. Except that it wasn't. It looked different somehow. At least he knew he couldn't actually get himself there tonight. When Dean came for him in the morning he would insist on the hospital. This dream was as real as the others.
"I needed this key," Lucifer said and ripped the amulet from Sam's neck. "So, I made you think you were crazy. I planated the book with the info about this amulet in the bunker and you finally, finally got it out for me. Thanks, Sammy."
"I told you he was a master manipulator," Rowena said from her place on the wall. "I was just wrong about what he wanted."
"All part of the plan," Lucifer said as he stroked Sam's cheek.
Was this real or wasn't it? Lucifer cuffed Sam's hands above a pole in the middle of the room and grabbed a whip. "This is going to be so much fun. We have so much lost time to make up for," Lucifer leered.
SSS
"Sammy, how'd it go last night?" Dean asked as he opened the door. He stopped cold. Sam was nowhere to be seen. The chains were ripped out from the wall. And the one thing Dean knew for certain was that nobody could escape this room without help. Sam hadn't been crazy after all.