Co-authored with princess_aleera.

Written for spn_ficmatchup's Co-Writing Challange.

A huge thanks to our lovely betas, auntmo9 and cashay. Also, thanks to the mods who've been lenient with us, seeing as both authors have had quite a few things to deal with on a personal basis.

Warnings: lots of angst, bad words and falling!Castiel, character death and other unpleasantries.

Pairings: Dean/Gabriel, Sam/Lucifer

Spoilers: up to and including 5.18, but goes mostly AU after 5.08.

"Gabriel has decided to join our quest," Castiel said.

Dean had seen Castiel do stupid things before. But appearing in the middle of their motel room, bringing an archangel with him? The same archangel they'd left dripping wet in a warehouse, after insulting him and his family and trapped him in a ring of Holy Fire?

Besides, Gabriel didn't really look like he was about to join anything at all. He looked smitey. Dean wasn't sure if that was a word, but it was still the truth. He took a small step backwards.

"Why did you bring him here, Cas?" he finally heard Sam say.

Castiel turned towards him. "Because Gabriel is joining us."

"Yeah?" Dean chimed in. "Then why does he look like he's two seconds away from putting us in another Nut Cracker?"

He saw Sam wince at the memory.

Gabriel glared at Dean. "I am standing right here, you know."

Dean pointedly ignored him, focusing on Castiel. "Why'd you bring him here, Cas?"

Castiel looked... defiant. That was strange, Dean thought. He'd seen that look many times, but he'd seldom been the focal point of it. "Gabriel's staying," was all he said. His voice was final. It was the 'I am an Angel of the Lord' voice, which he didn't use often.

So Dean and Sam shared an exasperated-but-still-kinda-afraid look, and then shrugged.

"Do you promise not to use your mojo on us, or, you know... kill us?" Dean asked Gabriel.

Gabriel smirked. "Nope."

"Fucking great."

"He won't harm you, Dean," Castiel assured him.

"What can you do to stop him?" Dean pointed out.

Castiel gave him a look. Dean suspected it was the 'This angel works in mysterious ways' look, but it could just as well be the 'I can't, but that's not really my problem, is it?' look. So, Dean wasn't really reassured.

"So," Gabriel sighed, snapping his fingers and producing a candy bar. "What do you kids do for fun around here?"

Dean glared at the faintly smirking Gabriel and didn't answer the question. Gabriel didn't look like he'd suddenly acquired any kind of team spirit in the last few moments. At least he looked less like a very pissed off archangel who was seconds away from snapping them all into little bloody bits. That didn't actually make Dean feel any better about the situation, because it meant that he looked a lot more like the Trickster they'd come to know and… well, know.

Whatever Castiel had done to throw him off balance, it seemed like Gabriel was regaining his cool.

"So, you're going to help us?" Dean asked and didn't even bother trying to sound like he believed it.

"I didn't say that," Gabriel smirked.

"Then why are you here, Gabriel?" Dean recognized Sam's 'I'm going to be mature and responsible' voice. It had been Sam's idea to try talking the Trickster into helping, Dean thought. No doubt Sam would think there was an even better reason to do it now that they knew who he really was, and if Dean had thought for a moment that Gabriel would actually help, he would have been right there with Sam.

Gabriel gave a small shake of his head and gave them a look that might have been disappointment before turning the TV on with a snap of his fingers. The unmistakable sound of Dr. Sexy's voice flowed into the room as Gabriel vanished from sight only to reappear sprawled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in his arms.

Sam looked pointedly at Dean. Dean frowned at him, there was no way Sam could blame this on him.

Sam's gaze flicked meaningfully over to Castiel and then back to Dean.

Oh… Right.

"Cas, I need to talk to you." He considered the motel room for a moment. "Outside."

He shared a look with Sam wanting to ask if Sam was sure about this. Dean was not happy at all about leaving Sam alone with Gabriel even for a moment.

"I can hear you, you know," Gabriel pointed out, sounding… annoyed.

Dean glared at the back of Gabriel's head; he hadn't even bothered to look away from the TV. From the corner of his eye he could see Sam shake his head in that way that meant he wanted Dean to keep his mouth shut.

"Don't listen," Dean bit out and headed to the door. If he yanked the door open with a bit more force than necessary, at least no one felt the need to point it out.

It took a moment before Castiel followed him and for a brief second Dean wondered if he even would. Then the door clicked shut quietly behind Castiel. And hey, at least he'd actually used the door this time.

The way Castiel looked at him made it pretty clear that he knew exactly what Dean wanted to talk about and he wasn't about to change his mind. It felt just as unsettling now at it had moments ago to have Castiel look at him like that. He wasn't used to it.

"Look, Cas, we all know we can use the help." Dean wasn't stupid enough to not admit that if they could get an archangel on their side, that'd certainly be something. Maybe they'd even have a chance. "But the guy doesn't exactly have any reason to like us and he probably still wants us as meat suits for his brothers."

For a moment Castiel looked pained. "I was there, Dean." They still didn't know what Gabriel had done to Castiel while they'd been stuck in TV Land and Dean suddenly felt like he should have asked.

Dean sighed. "How do we know this isn't just another trick?"

"Gabriel is... unpredictable. But he won't harm you," Castiel told him. Dean couldn't help but notice that he hadn't actually answered the question.

"Yeah, you said that."

Castiel gave him a look that Dean took to mean 'so, why do you keep asking?' "I must return to my search," the angel said abruptly, before vanishing with the familiar sound of unseen wings.

Well, Dean thought, that could have gone better.

"Not gonna join, Sammy?"

"It's Sam," Sam gritted out, pointedly not looking at the archangel perched on their couch. He saw Dean re-enter, Castiel not following. Dean shrugged and shook his head, and Sam sighed.

"So," Dean said, "you staying here long?"

"As long as I'm needed," Gabriel drawled, and Sam couldn't help it: "All the time?"

"Not necessarily."

"Thank God," Sam heard Dean mutter under his breath.

"Not in the likely," it came dryly from the couch.

The silence that followed was awkward. Sam noticed Dean seemed... torn, somehow. His eyes kept shifting back and forth, and he kept shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

Then; "Fuck it." Dean flopped down in the couch. "Which episode?"

"The one where Doctor Piccolo finds out about Johnny Drake." Gabriel shoved the popcorn box towards Dean.

"Oh, I love this one," Dean said.

Sam noticed he didn't touch the popcorn.

"Hello, Sam."

Sam groaned inwardly and didn't answer.

"Still not talking, I see," the Devil nodded. He was smiling. "No rush, Sam. I've got all night. Well, all eternity if I want to, but I doubt that will be necessary."

"Why do you keep visiting my dreams?" Sam snapped. "You know I won't say yes."

"Really?"

"Yes, fucking really. I'll never say yes."

"Very well," Lucifer nodded, in the way that meant he didn't believe Sam at all. "Maybe I just enjoy pushing your buttons."

Sam didn't answer. He just stayed in the chair, pointedly ignoring the elephant in the room. Or the Devil in the room. Whatever.

Lucifer sighed. "You know, Sam-"

"Don't." Sam raised a finger at Lucifer. "Don't come here with your oh, so righteous bullshit speeches. I've heard them all before."

Lucifer laughed. "Very well, Sam. No bullshit speeches."

Sam nodded.

The rest of the night went by in silence. There wasn't a single moment the Devil's eyes weren't locked on Sam.

Sam couldn't wait for morning to come. Again.

It was fucking creepy trying to sleep with an angel in the same room, trying not to think about whatever it was angels did while normal people slept. One day, if they lived through this, he was going to ask Castiel about that. Somehow, he just didn't think that skulking around Dean's room while he slept was part of the job description. It had been bad enough when Castiel had done it, but Gabriel? Not fucking happening. Dean got little enough sleep as it was, he didn't need Gabriel to make it worse.

As plans go, telling Gabriel to get the hell out of there hadn't been the best one, but surprisingly enough it had actually worked. Which was why Dean hadn't expected to jerk awake from his dreams to find Gabriel in the room with him.

For a brief moment they just stared at each other, the nightmare still too fresh in Dean's mind for him to think of anything to say that wouldn't make Gabriel pissed off. He was just about to open his mouth and say it anyway. "Nightmares," Gabriel said and Dean wasn't sure what to make of the tone. At least he'd spoken quietly enough that he hadn't woken Sam up.

"How'd you guess," Dean drawled out, managing to keep his own voice low. Then he thought better of it and stalked quietly to the bathroom, determined to ignore Gabriel.

Gabriel didn't do anything, but Dean was sure he could feel his eyes on him.

He spent as much time in the bathroom as he could without making it seem like he was trying to spend as much time as possible in the bathroom. There was still the issue of Dean feeling uncomfortable about leaving Sam, especially a sleeping Sam, alone in the same room as Gabriel.

Fuck, Dean thought before stepping out of the bathroom, he could use a drink right about now. Or a whole damn bottle. If nothing else Dean really needed coffee, but there was no way he was leaving to get it.

Still ignoring Gabriel, Dean pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, the same ones he'd had on yesterday in fact. Then he pulled out the stack of newspapers from the day before and started leafing through them; if he wasn't going to get anymore sleep he might as well try to find them something useful to do, or, well... something to do.

Dean threw down his third newspaper on the table. "Just fucking do something," he hissed at Gabriel, remembering at the last minute to keep his voice down.

Gabriel's lips quirked up a bit. "Like what?"

He threw a stack of newspapers at Gabriel, who caught them out of instinct. "Make yourself useful."

Dean was pretty sure that was genuine surprise on Gabriel's face. He smiled a bit as he went back to flipping through the newspapers.

"See you tomorrow, Sam," Lucifer said.

Sam woke up. He peered around him, quickly making certain that there was no danger, then put his head back down.

"Bad dream?" he heard Dean ask.

Sam grunted something vaguely affirmative, before he rolled out of bed. "You're up early."

"Always am," Dean said, which was kinda true these days, when Sam thought about it.

"You got coffee," Sam pointed at the steaming cup on the table.

"I got coffee," Gabriel said, throwing away a newspaper before starting on a new one.

"Um," Sam said, looking at him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making a new dress," Gabriel said dryly. "My old one's all holy. Get it? Holy?"

"Hilarious," Dean rolled his eyes, but his mouth was quirked upwards. "He's helping."

"Ah," Sam said. "Of course?"

"Coffee?" Gabriel asked.

"Sure."

"Go do your geek thing," Dean said and gestured at Sam's laptop.

Sam rolled his eyes.

Then they all went to work.

"Is it always this boring?" Gabriel asked conversationally and snapped his fingers. This time Dean didn't startle when the newspaper appeared in front of him.

"No one's making you stay," Dean pointed out distractedly and picked up the newspaper Gabriel had just sent him.

"I could just tell you all of this." Gabriel waved one of his newspapers in Dean's direction.

The latest article Gabriel had pointed out was placed into the small pile of things that looked promising. "Yeah, but I don't trust you."

"Did you want some more coffee Dean?" Gabriel asked with a small smile.

"Only if you're going to leave to get it."

Sam resisted the temptation to slam his laptop shut; it was his laptop after all. "I'm done," he announced instead.

Dean looked up at him in surprise.

"See, this is boring," Gabriel said smugly, like Sam had just proven a point.

Sam had been listening to those two on and off for the whole morning and sad as it was that had been a whole lot more interesting than anything he'd found. So not a lot of new information about anything, and Sam was tired and still hadn't had any breakfast.

Dean's eyes turned back to Gabriel. "It's supposed to be," he snapped. Going by the slight grimace that showed a moment later Sam was betting he'd just realized he hadn't quite thought that argument through.

"We're not going to find much more Dean," Sam said, since ignoring the exchange between the two seemed the safest course of action.

Dean grabbed the small pile of possible hunts and shrugged. "Breakfast?"

"Breakfast," Sam agreed.

No one bothered to ask Gabriel.

They were sitting at the diner, enduring a semi-awkward silence, when the waitress came over.

"What can I get you boys?" she smiled at them.

"Stack of pancakes with chocolate syrup," Gabriel grinned.

Dean ordered eggs and bacon- mostly because he wasn't gonna order the same thing as Gabriel. He had standards, after all.

"Um," Sam said as he peered at the menu. "What's today's special?"

"Pig'n a Poke," the waitress said cheerily, and Sam paled.

"I'll take an omelet," he said, his voice small. He gave the waitress a fake smile, and dropped the menu so she wouldn't notice how his hands were shaking. He knew Dean had.

Dean's lips drew thin, and he sent Gabriel a glare.

Gabriel frowned, before realization seemed to hit him. "You know, Sammy-" he started.

"Don't," Sam said sharply as he watched the waitress leave. "Just don't."

Gabriel opened his mouth, then nodded and kept quiet.

They were back in their room, Dean and Gabriel sitting at their table with a cup of coffee each. Dean grudgingly had to admit to himself that Gabriel made really good coffee.

He noticed Gabriel's smirk.

"I told you to stay out of my head, Gabriel."

"Couldn't help it," Gabriel answered lightly, before throwing away yet another newspaper. "I'm booooored."

"Yes, thank you, we know. I'll let you know when I start giving a fuck."

Sam sighed. "Would you guys please stop acting like an old married couple? I'm trying to concentrate."

"Sam, ew!" Dean exclaimed, his mind immediately bringing up images he did not want in his head, dammit. "Gross!"

"And I'll never be old, let's not forget," Gabriel said helpfully.

"Shut the hell up."

Gabriel huffed in annoyance. "Booooring."

"Gabriel!"

"Dean!" Sam barked.

Dean didn't want to admit it, but Gabriel was more than right. This was boring. Part of Dean still wanted to insist that they should stay here and do more research (pointless as it seemed to be at the moment) only because of how much it seemed to annoy Gabriel. But Dean had his limits and he was really fucking bored.

Without thinking about it he glanced over at Gabriel, who wasn't looking at Dean, but was smiling faintly. It looked a whole lot like Gabriel was feeling kind of satisfied about something.

Oh, he hadn't just... Screw you Gabriel, Dean thought distinctly. The smile on Gabriel's lips grew wider, even as he continued to look at the newspaper he was holding.

"You found anything useful, Sam?" Dean asked, turning his attention to Sam who was staring at the screen on his laptop.

Sam frowned. "I'm starting to think there isn't anything to find," he muttered, looking like the lack of information was a personal insult to him. "There are more reports about all the weird stuff going on all around the world, but none of it is useful."

Dean looked at Sam for a moment. Well, obviously he wasn't the only one feeling frustrated. "Maybe we should go check out one of those." He pointed at the newspapers, maybe a good old fashioned hunt would make them all feel better. That had been the reason Dean had started going through the newspapers in the first place.

"If we could at least figure out a way to use it to track down the devil..." Sam continued like he hadn't even heard Dean, but Dean was pretty sure he was just being ignored.

"Well that's a stupid plan," Gabriel told them, the condescending tone making him sound a lot more like every other angel they'd ever met. "Besides, it's not like I don't know where dear old Luci is."

Both Dean and Sam turned to look at Gabriel who was still holding on to a newspaper, which he wasn't actually looking at now. Neither of them asked the obvious question, but you didn't need to be a mind reader to hear that one.

The silence grew.

"I'm not going to tell you," Gabriel said like it should have been obvious.

"Why the fuck not?" Dean demanded.

For a moment Gabriel looked like the very pissed off archangel they'd gotten a glimpse of earlier. Then his lips twisted into a slightly bitter grin. "And what would you do with that piece of information?"

It wasn't Dean's fault that he didn't have a good answer for that.

It didn't take long after that for Dean to pick a hunt, Sam was pretty sure he'd just picked one of the articles at random. At that point it didn't really matter. They were all more than happy to just get out of the motel room.

Sam should have been happy that both Dean and Gabriel were staying quiet, because having to hear those two bicker about everything would have made for one long car ride. Except now with Dean quietly pissed off and Gabriel sulking (and it felt wrong to think of an archangel sulking, but there just wasn't any other word for it) in the backseat the quiet was anything but comfortable.

He was annoyed at Gabriel too, but he wasn't really surprised that Gabriel had refused to tell them the whereabouts of the devil. Gabriel hadn't promised to actually help them and he was right; they'd have to figure out a way to kill the devil before that information would do them any good. Sam was kind of surprised about how angry Dean was about it, though.

Sam sighed quietly. It seemed that with Gabriel around, one way or another Sam was in for a very uncomfortable car ride.

"So," Lucifer said, "how is the 'not sleeping' thing working out for you?"

Sam sighed and looked around. The room was bland, white, and there were no other furniture than two old-looking chairs in the middle of the room. "Why is it so boring?"

Lucifer looked around. "Well, it's your head, Sam. You can make it as boring or interesting you want." He smirked. "My guess? You try to be as neutral as you possibly can, as to not give me any leads about your thoughts, whereabouts or anything else."

Sam flinched.

"Struck a nerve?"

"Shut up." Sam stayed where he was, with the Devil on the other side of the room.

"How is Castiel?" Lucifer suddenly asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, he is my little brother. Has he found Dad yet?" The voice was strangely void of any mocking- it sounded almost sincere.

Sam looked at the Devil for a long time, then shook his head. "No, he hasn't."

Lucifer nodded. He looked... sad, almost.

"Do you care?" Sam snorted.

Lucifer sent him a glare, and the air crackled for a short second. "Of course I do."

"I thought you'd want Daddy to stay gone while you ruin his toys," Sam drawled.

"I know Dad isn't coming back. I know this." Lucifer's expression softened almost imperceptibly. "This does not mean I do not wish for Castiel to find some sign that he is still around. There are few things so horrible as to lose faith, and it's a fate I want few to suffer. Least of all Castiel." The Devil looked at the ceiling.

"Why not?"

"I like him," The Devil said simply.

Sam frowned, but didn't say anything else.

Lucifer suddenly glanced at him. "I will see you later, Sam."

"Sam."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Sam!" Dean said again, and Sam jerked awake.

"What, huh?" Sam mumbled as he sat up. He'd obviously fallen asleep in the Impala.

"Lunch," Dean said and got out.

Sam noticed Gabriel was frowning at him from the backseat. "It's fine. I'm fine."

Gabriel nodded slowly. "If you say so."

"You should worry about him," a voice behind Dean said.

Dean whipped his head around, to find the archangel leaning against the wall. He turned his gaze back to his sleeping brother. "You really think I don't?"

"Nope," Gabriel said. "Just that you should maybe, I don't know, talk to him or something. I've seen that look too many times before."

"What look?"

"The look on Sam's face every time he wakes up. Have you seriously not noticed?" Gabriel walked over to the beds, standing not too far from Dean. "It's like someone just told him a secret- one he's not sure he wanted to know. Luci was always good at telling half-truths."

"You think he's messing with Sam's head?" Dean was pretty sure himself, but he had to ask.

"I'm sure he is. It's what my brother does."

"Fuck." Dean dragged a hand across his face, tired. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Hell if I know," Gabriel replied dryly.

"Can you spy on his dreams?"

Gabriel shook his head. "There's something in the way- I don't know if it's mine or your brother's doing, but everything gets muffled. Not like your thoughts," he said and smirked.

"I told you to stay out my head," Dean grumbled.

"But you know I won't."

Dean didn't have anything to say to that. Instead, he laid down and closed his eyes. "Go away," he said loudly.

"Whatever you say, pumpkin. Sweet dreams." A snap, and Dean was alone.

He felt strangely lonely after that.

"I see you've tried a new color," Lucifer noticed.

"Seemed a bit stupid to stare at a white wall every night," Sam said, shrugging.

"Why green, if I might ask?"

"I like green."

"Ah."

Sam kept looking at Lucifer suspiciously in the tense silence that followed.

"If there's anything on your mind, Sam, feel free to ask." Lucifer sat very quiet, but not really angel-like. He still moved slightly, breathed, so the impression of a human being was still intact. Not like Castiel, who sometimes could seem like a statue if he wasn't concentrating.

"Why aren't you doing something?" Sam asked.

The Devil merely arched a questioning eyebrow.

"To win me over, to get me to say yes," Sam elaborated. "You're just sitting here, night after night, doing nothing. By all means, it's really uncomfortable and annoying, but it's not like that will be enough."

"You think I should try harder?" Lucifer asked, and his voice was painted with amused curiosity.

"I think you should stop trying altogether," Sam said dryly. "I'm just wondering why you aren't trying harder."

"All in good time," Lucifer said. "Besides, you're interesting."

Sam snorted.

"I don't expect you to believe me, Sam," Lucifer said calmly. "But while I do not thoughtlessly cherish and adore you like the rest of my siblings, even I admit you hold a certain... interest."

Sam actually laughed. "Cherish and adore? Have you met any other angels since you fell? They hate our guts! They've been trying to kill us ever since they started coming down from Heaven!"

Lucifer frowned. "Everyone?"

"Yes, every- Well, no. Not Castiel, obviously," Sam admitted. "And not-" he stopped before he could say Gabriel- he knew he had to keep the news of the archangel a secret to Lucifer. "And not Anna, either," he finished.

Lucifer nodded, as in deep thought.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Dean asked, leaning against the hood of the Impala. He'd wanted to talk to Castiel about this, but with Gabriel around Castiel didn't seem to find the need to check up on them quite as often and there was no telling when he'd decide to show up next.

"Like I said, you could try talking to him," Gabriel pointed out less-than-helpfully. "You know that thing where you say something and then he says something and..."

"Yeah, thanks." Dean interrupted dryly. "'So Sammy, is the Devil dream-stalking you?' That'll go over so well."

Gabriel shrugged, looking up at the cloudy sky. "It's better than nothing."

"Isn't there something you can do to... I dunno, keep the devil out of his head?" Dean asked, ignoring the faint bitter taste that came with the knowledge that he was as good as begging Gabriel for help. But this was Sam they were talking about and dammit, if Gabriel could do something... Yeah, Dean would beg. He'd fucking do a lot more than just beg.

Gabriel turned his eyes back toward Dean, the expression on his face seemed... sad, somehow. "No, he is my brother's vessel..." He gave a small half shrug. "There's a connection between them, nothing I can do about that."

Wasn't that convenient. Gabriel wouldn't do something, because he couldn't. And for a moment Dean really, really wanted to ask if he would have done something if he could. But what would be the point? It'd just annoy both of them, better to just keep his mouth shut for once.

Gabriel smirked faintly at him, but his words were still quiet and oddly serious for him. "I don't know. But I can't, so... it doesn't matter."

Dean blinked. That had been a bit more heartfelt sharing than he'd come to expect from Gabriel. For once Dean really didn't have much to say about his thoughts being read.

"So..." Dean said after an awkward little silence. "How come Michael isn't hanging around in my dreams?"

"Not his style. He's more..." Gabriel's words trailed off as he turned his head to look at Sam stepping out of the dingy little gas station shop.

Dean pushed himself away from the Impala. "...straightforward."

Fuck. Did he actually hear that? Gabriel smirked.

Keep the fuck out of my thoughts Gabriel, Dean thought as loudly as he could. Gabriel's smirk grew wider.

"Did you remember the pie?" Dean asked Sam once he was close enough.

"Dude," Sam said, sounding offended. "Have I ever forgotten the pie?"

Dean gave him a meaningful look and snatched the bag out of his hands.

"I could make pie a lot better than that," Gabriel said with an innocent smile.

Gabriel seemed to watch Sam. It was kind of disturbing, when earlier the archangel hadn't paid attention to the younger Winchester at all. Almost. The last time Gabriel had paid Sam this much attention, he'd been stuck in a time loop for a half a year. So yeah, he was a little disturbed.

"Any particular reason you keep watching me like I'm a bomb about to go off?" he asked out of the blue the next time Dean left to get food.

Gabriel looked away from the TV to frown at him. "Why do you wonder?"

"Because you've always had a reason for following me before," Sam pointed out. "And I'd rather not be turned into the Impala again."

Gabriel chuckled briefly at the memory, then grew serious. "I know you've been talking to Lucifer."

Sam went cold. "How do you know that- have you been spying on my thoughts?" A flare of anger seeped through the fear, and he welcomed it wholeheartedly.

Gabriel shook his head. "I can't get into your head, Sam. Much as I'd like to."

"You can't? Why not?" Now he was just confused.

"Beats me," the archangel shrugged. "I'm guessing it's either got something to do with Lucifer, or the demon blood, or just the vessel-deal. Point is, I'm not spying on you. But I've seen how you look when you wake up."

Sam opened his mouth, and shut it again. There really wasn't any point in arguing.

Gabriel looked more miserable than Sam had ever seen him. "Sam... You gotta be careful, buddy. I know he's been talking to you- about what I can't say, though I can make a pretty good guess, I think. But you gotta understand how he works- I mean, his silver tongue could get Jesus himself to commit genocide. Hell, almost did."

"What?"

"Yeah, they didn't put that part in the Bible," Gabriel shrugged. "Wanted the guy to seem stronger, I guess. But my point is, Sam, that he's gonna twist everything he says, everything you say, to his advantage. He'll mess your head up so badly you'll say 'yes' before you can blink. So you can't talk to him. At all. If he shows, ignore him, because he can't hurt you in your dreams as much as he'd like to. Don't answer him, don't look at him, don't acknowledge his presence. 'Cause if you do, you're screwed. It's as basic as that."

Sam didn't answer, just sat down in the couch next to Gabriel. He stared at the TV-screen, not really looking. Gabriel's words floated around in his head, and he thought of the previous nights with the Devil. "He hasn't..." he glanced over at the archangel, who was looking at him with worried interest. "That's the weirdest part, Gabriel. He hasn't done that. He hasn't been twisting the words, hasn't been discussing bullshit with me, hasn't even asked me to say 'yes'! He just sits there and makes small talk, and backs off whenever we get into an argument." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think that's the scariest part; I don't know what he's trying to do."

Gabriel frowned. "Gotta admit, kiddo, that doesn't sound too good."

"I know." Sam sighed.

"Will you tell me what happens during the night?" Gabriel asked, and it sounded like he was honestly interested in Sam's well-being. Then again, Gabriel didn't want the world to end, so Sam guessed that sort of made sense.

"Okay," he nodded. "I will."

"Hello, Sam."

Sam didn't answer.

Lucifer frowned. "I thought we were past that childish phase where you refused to talk to me?"

Sam pointedly ignored him, and instead counted calmly down from 3,000. The walls were neutrally white again.

The Devil sighed. "Sam. I really thought you were more mature than your brother."

He kept talking to Sam the rest of the night, asking questions, teasing, making assumptions and suggestions.

Sam didn't say a single word.

"I didn't say anything," he told Gabriel the next morning.

Dean looked between the two of them. "What have you two been talking about now?"

"Good," Gabriel nodded. "I think. What did he say?"

"You know, the usual bullshit," Sam shrugged. "He seemed pretty pissed to be ignored at the end, though."

"You've been ignoring Lucifer?" Dean asked, finally catching on.

Sam nodded. "He's been talking to me in my sleep, so I've been trying to ignore him at Gabriel's request."

Dean flashed a surprised look at Gabriel. "Really? Why'd you do that? I thought you didn't give a damn."

Irritation crossed Gabriel's features briefly, before he settled for a neutral expression. "Well, I do. A little, at least."

"Huh," Dean said, before turning back to his younger brother. "So, did it work?"

"No idea," Sam shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

The next night, Sam was alone in the white room. He sat there for an unknown amount of time, being bored. When he woke up, he did it with a smile on his face. "He's gone," he said to Gabriel and Dean, who was sitting on Dean's bed. They were both watching him.

"We sorta guessed," Dean said softly.

"What?" Sam asked, confused. "How- what's wrong?" There was something closed-off about their expressions.

Dean threw him today's newspaper without a word, and Sam glanced at the headline. He gasped softly, and felt something heavy settle in his stomach. "He- he wiped Hawaii off the map?" he asked, almost whimpered.

Gabriel nodded. "He made the hot spot under Hawaii spray out lava until nothing was left." He looked grim. "I really liked Hawaii."

"This is my fault," Sam whispered and let the map drop to the ground. "This is all my fault."

"No, Sammy, it's n-"

"Actually," Gabriel interrupted him, "it is. Well, mine too, obviously, since it was my idea in the first place. But he's doing this to punish you, Sam, for ignoring him. Obviously I... misread my brother's intentions." He sounded deeply disturbed.

"What am I gonna do?" Sam whimpered.

"I don't think you've got much of a choice," Gabriel said softly. "You gotta talk to him, Sam. Really talk to him."

"I hate this," Dean said quietly, his eyes on the sleeping Sam. Sam was frowning deeply, even in his sleep, and Dean felt the urge to shake him awake. He'd had that same urge every night since... since Hawaii.

"Yeah, well," Gabriel's voice rang out a bit flatly. "I don't think anyone likes it." Dean hadn't even realized he'd gotten back from wherever he'd been to. After... that night Gabriel had started popping in far more frequently, never gone for very long at a time.

Gabriel didn't sound worried, exactly, but over the past few days Dean had both seen and heard enough worry in Gabriel's voice that he was pretty sure that particular emotion hadn't gone anywhere. It was almost gratifying to know that the Winchesters actually warranted some concern from the archangel, at least it would have been if the situation wasn't what it was.

Dean jerked his eyes away from Sam and looked over at Gabriel leaning against the wall, his usual casual pose looking forced now. Or maybe Dean had just gotten better at seeing it?

"He hasn't talked to you about...?" The sentence trailed of into an uncomfortable silence, the question too obvious too need actual words.

"No," Gabriel answered. "Not a word."

"Yeah," Dean said, his eyes wandering back to Sam. "Me neither."

In fact Sam hadn't talked all that much at all since he found out there was no way he could avoid talking to the Devil. And Dean knew the guilt about what had happened had to be eating Sam alive, but in true and tried Winchester fashion they were all pretending like nothing had happened.

And Sam never said anything at all about his dreams, but since there hadn't been any more sudden genocides it was pretty obvious that whatever it was that the Devil wanted from Sam, he was getting it. And there was nothing at all Dean could do about it, because... Hawaii.

There was a hand on Dean's shoulder, and when had Gabriel moved in the first place? Not that he needed to actually walk to get there, so...

"I'm sorry I can't do anything," Gabriel said, his voice his voice filled with more regret and sincerity than Dean had ever expected to hear from him, that just a couple of weeks... hell, maybe just a couple of days ago, Dean would never even have believed in. "I don't know what my brother's after," Gabriel added, just as Dean turned to look at him. He wasn't really prepared to see the genuine anguish in Gabriel's eyes.

"I can't..." Gabriel began, his expression turning into something Dean didn't quite have the words for. Then without another sound he was... gone. Just, gone.

Before Dean had the time to even start trying to figure out what the hell had just happened he could hear the completely unmistakable rustle of feathers.

"Cas?"

"Gabriel said you needed me."

Dean looked at Castiel, then back at his sleeping brother. "Yeah, we need to talk. Just. Not here."

Since Castiel was actually here for once, Dean wasn't going to lose the opportunity to talk to him about everything that had been happening lately. About Sam. Because while Gabriel might not be quite as much of a bastard as Dean had thought, Dean wasn't about to just start trusting him blindly.

And maybe Castiel could give him some clue about what the hell was going on with Gabriel while he was at it.

The first night after Hawaii, Sam had been alone in the white room. Though the room wasn't white anymore, of course; it was scorched black, with a deep tinge of red to it. Obviously something his subconscious had added to drive the knife of guilt just a little further into Sam's chest. Thanks for that, Sam thought grimly.

After staring at that for a whole night, Sam didn't speak a word when he woke up. Dean and Gabriel didn't ask, so Sam didn't answer. Although he felt their gazes on him constantly, waiting for him to... What? Suddenly be Lucifer? Say 'yes'? He didn't know, and he didn't want to know.

He was alone the next night too, and had the same grim view. He didn't mention anything when he woke up.

"There you are," Sam said the third night.

"You missed me that much?" The Devil asked, lips curling in an amused smile. "I'm touched, Sam. I really am."

"Why?" Sam said.

"Why I'm touched?"

"Why Hawaii?"

Lucifer shrugged. "I needed to... blow off some steam, as you call it, after our last meeting. You left me feeling frustrated. Hawaii was convenient."

"You son of a bitch," Sam said quietly, and hid his face in his hands. "So this is my fault."

"Yes."

Sam exhaled slowly. "And did it help?"

"What?"

"To fucking blow up Hawaii?"

Lucifer frowned. "No. Strangely enough."

Sam grunted in surprise. "I thought you lived to destroy mankind."

"You are mistaken," Lucifer said. "I live to create Paradise on Earth again."

"Funny," Sam said, "I thought that was what the other angels were doing as well."

"It is," the Devil nodded. "We just have a different view of Paradise. Mine is without the human race."

"How is that different from living to destroy mankind?"

Lucifer just stared at him with an unfathomable expression.

"Right," Sam said tiredly. "And we've reached full circle. Brilliant." He stood up to walk around a bit.

"I like the decorations," Lucifer said as he took in the room around them.

Sam snorted. "Was that a taunt, or a really, really gross compliment?"

Lucifer frowned almost imperceptibly and didn't say anything.

"It's my bad conscience," Sam snapped. "It's supposed to be Hawaii. Or what's left of it."

"Ah." He looked around. "I still like it," he offered.

Sam just stared. Was Lucifer really trying to be nice? After removing a fucking state of America because Sam didn't want to talk to him? "You're fucking unbelievable, you know that?"

"Many people find difficulty believing in me, yes," the Devil nodded seriously.

"Oh, for-" Sam turned his back to the Devil and pounded his fist against the wall. He howled of pain. "I thought I was supposed to be sleeping!"

"You are," he heard. "But there is still a physical manifestation of you here, and it is real enough."

"So... you too?"

"Yes, I am here too."

Sam stayed with his forehead leaned against the wall, clutching his aching hand. He had his eyes closed. "I've lost either way, haven't I?"

"Yes, I believe so," Lucifer said calmly. "But please, do enlighten me on your thoughts."

Sam turned around and slid down the wall until he was sitting. "If I say yes, the world ends. If I say no, you stay in my dreams. If I keep talking to you, the odds are greater you'll be able to manipulate the living daylights outta me. If I don't talk to you, you'll blow up another state. Am I getting close?"

"Very," Lucifer said, and smiled warmly.

The fourth night, the first thing the Devil said was: "You will say yes to me in the end, Sam. And we both know it. So why do you keep holding on?"

"Because I started the Apocalypse," Sam spoke without even thinking about the answer. It was that deeply embedded in him. "I am not about to finish it."

"You do realize I have been patient with you, Sam?" Lucifer asked, his voice silken smooth. "I know where you and your brother are. If I'd wanted, I could have had you by now."

"You're bluffing," Sam snorted. "If you'd known where I was, I'd been your vessel by now. And Dean would have been dead."

"Don't be so sure, Sammy," Lucifer purred as he kept the hunter's gaze firmly.

"Fine," Sam said, "I believe you." They both knew he didn't.

Lucifer nodded calmly. "I am in a good mood these days," he said quietly. "Pray for your brother that it does not change." And he was gone.

Sam spent the rest of the night pacing his little dream cell, and when he woke up, there was a black rock lying on his night stand. "What is it?" he asked Gabriel as soon as the archangel showed up.

Gabriel closed his eyes and touched it. "It's volcanic ash," he whispered. "From Hawaii."

Sam paled along with Dean.

They drove all day, and that night, Sam keeping himself awake with cups and cups of strong coffee.