"Jack…"
Jack sat on the the library floor, books scattered all around him. Sam, Dean, and Claire were still in the front room, scouring for their own information. Jack had left them a while ago to research alone. He needed space to think. Even by himself, he still couldn't shut out the annoying, persistent voice in the back of his head.
"...Jack."
The voice ringing in his ears was similar to the ones he heard on angel radio. However, unlike the high pitched screams that gave him migraines, this voice was softer.
But he knew better than to trust any of the angels.
"Jack, I need you to listen to me."
He buried himself back into his research, trying to ignore the voice.
Claire had filled them in on the basic details during the car ride home. He wasn't sure which issue was more pressing; Castiel's empty vessel being kept from them, or Lucifer finding his way back into their world. Apparently, even more trouble was going to follow his father through the portal. But he knew Lucifer wasn't actually to blame- Jack was the one who had opened the portal in the first place.
"We can still fix this, together..." the voice whispered.
He suddenly heard footsteps from down the hall. He looked up to see Sam standing in the doorway, looking slightly worried.
"Hey... uh, you've been down here for a while... Find anything interesting?" He asked, glancing between Jack and the piles of opened books all around him.
"No. There's not a lot of information on how to bring back an angel's old vessel… and there's nothing on how to close an alternate universe." he told him grimly.
Sam examined the distraught boy in front of him. "What about you, Jack... Are you alright?" He asked, looking at him with concern.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." His voice was flat. He turned back to his book, avoiding Sam's eyes.
It was obvious that he hadn't learned how to tell a decent lie yet, so Sam walked towards him, eager to comfort the kid. "Hey, it's okay if you're not feeling good... I know things are pretty complicated right now with Cas being so quiet inside Claire… And Lucifer coming back…"
Jack pushed his eyebrows together. "Sam, I'm the reason all of this happened."
"This isn't your fault," he told him earnestly. "Asmodeus and Lucifer have their own agendas, and you're just unlucky enough to be caught in the middle of it. You weren't even born when that portal opened."
"But I was the one to open it. And Asmodeus almost killed you all just to get to me…" he countered. He buried his face farther into his book, deep in thought. "...Maybe I should just face them alone."
"Jack, no," Sam immediately argued. "Asmodeus, Lucifer- they're dangerous."
"Maybe to you. Neither of them even want to hurt me, though. They can't."
Sam sat down on the floor next to him. "We don't know that for sure… Not that it matters anyway. We're not risking it. You're a part of our family, now. So we'll fix it, together."
"I'm your family, Jack. Talk to me."
"-No," Jack responded out loud to the voice in his head, snapping his head back up. He saw Sam flinch at his abrupt change in demeanor.
"No…?" Sam asked him slowly.
"You're my son, Jack. My biggest accomplishment. Let me help." The voice rang louder this time, causing Jack to grab his head in pain as he finally realized who the voice belonged to.
"I'm sorry Sam, I…" he tried to explain, but how could he? Sam was the one who had always believed that Jack was good; what would he think once he found out Jack had the devil inside his head?
"Jack, are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked urgently.
Jack knew that Lucifer shouldn't have been able to reach out to him. He was weakened, right? Jack decided to be honest. He owed Sam that much. "...I think Lucifer's grace is growing back..." he explained reluctantly.
Sam's breathing got heavier. "Why? What makes you think that?"
"I can hear him."
Claire looked around the front room of the bunker, taking in her surroundings.
"It's like the batcave in here. How'd you guys manage to score a place like this, anyways?" she asked Dean.
"It's pretty sweet, right?" Dean flashed her a proud smile. "Long story short, we inherited this place from our grandfather. We're legacies," he gleefully bragged.
Caire chuckled. "That must've been a kick-ass grandpa."
"Yeah, he was... I didn't get along with him at first, but he pretty much turned out to be a hero." he reminisced.
"Wait, seriously? You're actually telling me that he was involved in all of this," Claire gestured to the room around her. "...And he still lived long enough to meet his grandkids?"
"Well… No. He used a time-traveling spell to get to the future. That's how we met him. He never made it back to his own time, though. Our dad grew up thinking that he walked out on him as a kid. He hated the guy for it. That's why we didn't get along." Dean explained.
"So what really happened, then?" she asked curiously. "How'd he become a 'hero'?"
"He sacrificed himself to bring down a demon, a real evil bitch... It's hard to be mad at the guy for doing the right thing."
"Guess I know the feeling." Claire said, the lingering comment bothering Dean. A few moments passed as they each turned their attention back to their research.
Dean finally broke the silence. "...You know that your dad never meant to leave you, right?"
"He still had a choice," she told him. "...Which is probably why Cas is being so damn quiet right now."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Claire hesitated. "Back in Hell… I was dreaming. I was at my old house. Castiel was there… Except you know, since he wears my dad as a meat suit, I thought…"
"...You thought it was him?" Dean finished for her.
"Asmodeus messed me up pretty bad... I thought I died. Castiel was just trying to help me, and... I yelled at him," she confessed.
"What for...?" Dean asked. As far as he knew, Claire had forgiven the angel a long time ago.
Claire breathed a huff of air. "Leaving his family for an angel. Letting us think he was insane. Coming back home with demons on his trail. Leaving again. Just... ruining my life in general." She explained.
"Oh," Dean commented awkwardly, realizing that it wasn't actually Cas that she was talking about.
"I thought that I was dead. That I was talking to my dad. I didn't realize it was Cas... But you know how he is, he took it personally. I was barely able to convince him to possess me after that."
"Wait, so this whole vessel thing wasn't his idea?" Dean raised his eyebrows.
"He was just trying to wake me up. He wanted everyone to escape. He told me not to worry about him." Claire wrinkled her face at the thought. "There was no way I was waking up, though. I threw up like, a ton of blood. I told him that he might as well just hitch a ride out of Hell with me."
Dean shook his head. "Of course... Don't know why I expected anything different from Cas."
"He was going to leave right after we got out, too... but I convinced him to stay. I thought we could find a way to get his real vessel back..." her voice was heavy with concern. Despite everything, she still cared about Castiel.
"Don't worry, we will…" He reassured her. "Thank you, Claire."
"For…?"
"Saving Cas."
Just then, Sam came through the hallway. His worried eyes met their confused expressions.
"We have a problem," He announced, out of breath.
"Of course we do," Dean complained, rolling his eyes. "What is it now?"
"Lucifer's grace is growing stronger again… He's- I think he's trying to reach out to Jack."
And then, Claire heard it; the flutter of wings coming from the library. It was the sound of somebody leaving. A switch flipped in her brain as she stood up from her chair.
"He just left," she heard her own voice say, but she wasn't doing the talking.
"What? No, I was just with him. He's still in the library..." Sam insisted.
"No, he's not. He's gone."
"...How do you know, Claire?" Dean asked.
"I'm not Claire, Dean."
Jack suddenly stood before the throne of Hell, Asmodeus sitting comfortably and looking down at him.
"Jack," the demon greeted warmly. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon. How are you?"
"I have a headache." Jack told him with no context.
Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. "That seems very much like a human problem. I'm sure Sam or Dean would be able to help you better than me."
"It's actually more of an angel problem," he said, staring up at the demon.
"Ah, is it angel radio?" he asked curiously. "I hear that can be quite annoying."
"Yes."
"Well then... What can I do for you, Jack? I'd love to help you." Asmodeus insisted, eager to gain his trust.
"I think you're the one that needs my help," he told him.
"And what do you mean by that?"
"I don't think you can't keep Lucifer locked up much longer. He's too strong for you."
"I assure you, I have Lu completely under control." he insisted.
"Then why do I hear him calling to me in my head?" Jack asked.
"So he's the one on thel radio, then? That's... interesting."
"It's annoying, and I want it to stop," Jack retorted.
"I'm sorry, Jack. Maybe you'd like to tell that to him?" Asmodeus suggested.
"Yes, I would. Bring me to him," Jack ordered.
Asmodeus smiled. Already quite the fearless commander, he thought to himself. "Of course. Follow me."
He started towards the nearest hallway, gesturing for Jack to follow as they both walked deeper into the depths of Hell. They eventually came to a room full of cells. The first cell Jack saw held Castiel's lifeless vessel inside, making his heart leap out of his chest. And then he saw the next cell…
Inside stood a man with dirty blonde hair staring right at him. He breathed a happy sigh and smiled. "It is so great to finally see you, Jack."
Jack stared at him for a full minute before responding. "So… It's really you," he breathed. It was less of a question, and more of a statement.
"I've been dying to meet you, kid. It's too bad we couldn't have this moment sooner." His gaze shifted to the demon and back. "I'm sure Asmodeus has been playing real nice, though."
"Cut it, Lu. He's not here for a family reunion," the demon interrupted.
Lucifer glared at him menacingly. "Excuse me, but I believe that I'm having a conversation with son," he snapped, then turned his attention back to Jack with a bright smile. "So, kiddo, how have your first few weeks on earth been?"
Jack didn't bother with the small talk. "Why have you been calling out to me?"
He gave him a genuinely puzzled look. "Why wouldn't I? I'm a concerned father."
Jack glared at him. "I don't trust you."
Lucifer heaved a dramatic breath and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Your old man is evil, blah blah blah, I know. But you still came to see me, right? So hear me out. I can help you."
Asmodeus spoke up again. "You're not in the position to help anyone, Lu."
Lucifer pressed his forehead to the metal bars and looked straight at Asmodeus. "I'm in the position to do whatever the hell I want, Asmodeus." he growled, then turned back to Jack. "So tell me, Jack, has 'Mody over here been helpful at all lately?"
Jack turned to Asmodeus "You have been nothing but trouble..." he trailed off. The demon watched Jack nervously. He knew that if Jack was upset enough, he could easily end him right there and then. He was relieved to see that Jack seemed to remain calm.
But Jack was the least of his problems.
"You know what? I completely agree with you right there, kid." Lucifer said." He was always way in over his head." He looked to the demon and snapped his fingers.
Asmodeus suddenly exploded into a million pieces.
Jack stared at his own father, completely surprised. He knew Lucifer's grace was growing back fast, but he didn't know that he had already gotten that strong. "How did you just do that?" he demanded.
Lucifer suddenly appeared on the other side of the prison cell. He looked at Jack and winked.
"You see, son, anything is possible if you put your mind to it."
Hope ya'll liked this chapter! It was a fun one to write. Please please please review!