Sam's head shot up from the desk where he had fallen asleep. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, looking around. It looked like Dean was still out. He sighed and stretched, raising his comically long arms above his head. Sam headed towards the door, intending to find something to eat and maybe call Dean.

"Sam?" Dean paused in front of the door. Slowly, he turned around. As he did so, he realized that this wasn't Xander's room. This was his room. At Stanford.

"Sam?!" a soft, scared voice called from above the bed. Sam looked up.

Jessica was there, pinned to the ceiling. She was staring at him with terror in her eyes.

"No!" Sam yelled, fearing what came next.

"He's coming, Sam. Don't give up. You can still-"

The rest of her words were drowned out by the sudden, deafening roar of the fire as it enveloped her. The flames consumed her body almost instantly.

"Noooo!" Sam yelled again, feeling tears begin to prick the corners of his eyes. "Jessica!"

"You couldn't save her, Sam." Sam spun around at the new voice coming from behind him. "You couldn't save me either," Madison said reproachfully. Sam stumbled backwards, away from her. "You can't save anyone..." she accused, the bullet hole still bleeding.

"This isn't real..." Sam whispered, staring at her in horror. Madison tilted her head. Sam got his breathing under control as the realization sunk in. "This is a nightmare," he said more confidently.

"Well," a masculine voice began behind him, "maybe, maybe not." Sam didn't turn around. He had no desire to see the owner of that voice. "Doesn't mean she's wrong." Sam stood stone still as Lucifer's vessel Nicholas slowly circled up from behind. He stood across from Sam, taking Madison's place as she shimmered out of existence. "Hello, Sam."

"This isn't real, you're not here," Sam said gruffly. Lucifer grinned.

"You sure about that?" He drawled.

Sam tamped down viciously on the frisson of fear and uncertainty that rose up. He glared.

"Yes." Lucifer stared at him for another minute before shrugging.

"Alright, so it's a dream. Doesn't make it any less real," he said smiling. Sam frowned.

"What?"

He followed Lucifer with his eyes as he began to pace.

"Go ahead, try to wake up." Sam spared him another glare before closing his eyes. He squinted hard and tried to connect with his physical body enough to wake up. When he opened his eyes again Lucifer was smirking at him, a mixture of amusement and superiority on his smug face.

"See what I mean?"

"What is this? Who are you?" Sam demanded.

"Aw, it hasn't really been that long Sam, has it?" Lucifer spread his arms. "You still remember your old friend the devil, don't you?" he chided. Sam shook his head violently

"No. No, if this isn't just a dream, then you can't be Lucifer. Even if you had managed to get out of the cage, you wouldn't have been able to follow me here."

"Well then who am I, Sam? Who else has a backstage pass to that bundle of hypocrisy and angst you call a brain?"

Sam stared at him for a moment, trying to think. It had to be someone from this world, someone or something with the motivation to want to invade his dreams. Since they had been in this world, he and Dean had encountered only one being that 1.) was hostile, and 2.) they hadn't killed yet.

"Hmm? Time's up, we need an answer contestant," Lucifer taunted.

"You're the shadow creature. The one Dean and I faced." Lucifer slapped his hands together and laughed.

"Aaah, you got me Sammy!" He spun around and whooped before coming back at Sam. He grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "You're not half as dumb as you look, kiddo."

"Just cut the crap. What do you want?"

"I wanna help you, Sammy."

Sam snorted.

"Sure. That's why you attacked us. And why you appeared in my dream looking like that," he spat resentfully. The shadow creature shrugged apologetically.

"Hey, I needed to talk and my power lies in darkness. It's how I get in," he drawled suggestively. Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes, opting instead to glare more intensely. "But seriously, Sam," his voice sharpened, "I'm sorry about how I was when you first saw me. You have to understand, I'd just woken up after being asleep for a reeeeeally long time. Let's just say I 'woke up on the wrong side of the bed.'"

"Really?" Sam asked incredulously. "You're telling me that the reason you nearly killed me and my brother is because you woke up cranky?"

The shadow creature cocked his head curiously.

"You care about him. Your brother."

Sam's jaw clenched.

"You don't need to say it, Sam. I've seen your darkest thoughts. He's threaded all through them-a confusing mix of love, guilt, and crippling co-dependence. What you two have is really special," he mocked.

"So you read my mind. So what?" Sam asked tersely.

"So I know why you're here. I know what you want." Suddenly, the shadow creature shifted from Lucifer to Cain. He held up his forearm. "The mark."

Sam schooled his features and tried not to let on how the sight affected him.

"What about it?" he asked coolly.

"I can tell you how to get rid of it."

Sam blinked.

"What...why? Why would you do that?" Sam asked, genuinely befuddled.

"It shouldn't be here, Sam. It doesn't belong in this world. Every second that it stays here the danger surrounding your brother increases." Sam shook his head.

"What danger?"

"That mark was put there by god. It makes him a big, glowy target."

"For creatures like you, you mean?" Sam spat.

"No, dingus. I don't want the power; I don't want it to exist. It's wrong, and I can't go back to sleep until it's gone." Sam paused thinking that over.

"Why should I believe you? I don't even know who or what you are."

"I'm a grumpy old man who just wants to go back to sleep. I also happen to be the guy offering you what you want most; a way to make sure your brother is safe."

"Say, just for argument's sake," Sam started slowly, "that I believed you. How do I get rid of the mark?" The shadow creature smiled.

"The key to your dilemma – you'll get that later – lies with a very special brunette." The figure of Cain morphed into a slight, twenty-something girl with brown hair and big beautiful eyes. "Pretty, isn't she?" the figure of the girl mused, looking down at herself. The shadow creature looked back at Sam.

"Prettier than the package is what lies inside." The shadow creature extended the girl's wrists, bare in a short sleeve top. Slices appeared down her arms and blood began to flow from her wounds. The flow became a waterfall which began filling the room. Sam looked down at his feet in disgust. He looked back up at the shadow creature, who was studying him curiously with eyes far too old for the young face.

"I'm not killing some girl," Sam yelled, trying to ignore the sensation of cool tacky blood seeping into his socks.

The girl grinned, mouth open much too wide.

"Nah, just some blood on the mark will do the trick. You don't have to kill her. Although I suppose you could if that's what you're into." The shadow smiled wider, literally stretching from ear to ear and warping the girls face to something inhuman. The blood was up to Sam's waist now.

"Where do I find her?" he shouted against the sudden roaring sound that was filling the room. He realized belatedly that it must be the sound of her blood rushing out of her veins. His vision disappeared in a haze of metallic red. The last thing Sam heard before reason gave way to panic was the Shadow's raspy, genderless voice murmuring in his ear:

"The whisper streams say you'll see her soon. Just a little blood, and Dean will be safe."