"You want me to what?"

Sam thought for a moment that he might've heard the other boy wrong, but he couldn't have. Cass always enunciated very clearly and matter-of-factly.

Sam stared at Cass in confusion and disbelief, trying to keep his voice down so that he wouldn't attract the attention of the rest of the cafeteria. (They had asked their siblings to sit away from them for the lunch period, to discuss their "confidential" plan. Cass had spent the last three days coming up with a plan with Crowley to ensure Sam's safety. Hopefully.)

Cass shifted uncomfortably. "I understand your concern, Sam, and I know that this is a lot to ask of you right now. However, if you could just try?"

"Cass, I barely know Crowley. I would love to help you, but isn't your brother dangerous? You and Anna warned me away from him just a few days ago!"

Cass sighed, nodding. "Yes, well…I understand if you would not want to do this. But I will make sure you will not be hurt! Crowley will be in the shop almost every day that you will be, and Luke would not do anything to harm a customer in public."

Sam looked away, weighing the pros and cons.

He definitely wanted to help his new friend. Why wouldn't he? But he was also a bit afraid of his mysterious brother, Luke, and didn't exactly feel like seeking him out and spending time with him. On the other hand, it would only be for a few days, and only a few days a week…surely nothing horrible could happen?

With a sigh, Sam looked back up at Cass. "Okay. I think I can do it."

Cass's face lit up with gratitude, and he placed a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder. "Thank you. Would you like to go through the plan once again?"

Sam nods an affirmative, and Cass consults the notebook he had written notes in.

"Alright…. Sam, every Monday and Friday of the week, you will visit Luke's coffee shop. Here's the directions. Precisely after school, you will order a coffee of your choosing from Luke. He will be working there doing those hours. He will be the one with blond hair, blue eyes, and he'll walk a bit odd due to a back injury he received years ago…."

As Sam stood outside the coffee shop, he took a deep breath.

Okay. You can do this.

Summoning his courage, he stepped forward and walked through the front door. The first thing he noticed was that the shop was fairly empty, aside from a few customers. One of them looked like he was high, sitting in the back, and the other two were a couple in the middle of ordering. There were only two employees, and Sam's heart jumped a bit when he saw that Crowley wasn't one of them. He hadn't been scheduled today.

He could recognize Luke, who was currently on the register, and the other employee was a dark haired young woman who was fixing one of the drinks.

Trying to calm his nerves, he waited patiently in line, rehearsing his order in his head.

Finally, the couple got their drinks and left the shop, leaving Sam free to order. He approached the counter, trying to act normal. Luke fixed his gaze on him, and even though he was smiling, his eyes were cold and, the longer Sam looked into them, the more disturbed he felt.

He looked away, pretending to read the menu.

"Hello, kid. What'll it be?" The shop owner's crow's feet deepened as he squinted at the boy in front of him. Sam can feel himself freezing. He's always had trouble in social situations, and a possibly dangerous one is ten times worse.

Suddenly, he recalls something Crowley had muttered to him in math class the other day.

"Luke can be a fickle fellow, but if there's one rule to follow, it's this: don't hesitate if you value your life. Ever."

"Um, a coffee with two creams and sugars and a cinnamon roll. To go, please."

"You got it." Luke nodded back to the young woman, whose name tag read "MEG", and she began to make his coffee as the owner ducked behind the display case to grab a cinnamon roll.

"Bit young for coffee, aren't ya?" He asked as he straightened up. Sam noticed that he didn't stand perfectly upright, and instead leaned slightly to the left.

"I'm in honors classes." Sam replied with a shrug. "I need to keep my energy up. There's tons of homework and stuff."

Well, it's not a lie.

Luke smiles again, although Sam isn't sure if he's ever stopped. His mouth seems to be perpetually curved upwards in cold amusement, but every now and then he smiles a real smile, a face-splitting grimace of violent satisfaction, and then it's gone.

Sam stands awkwardly, holding his pastry bag and waiting for the coffee. He tries to maintain a normal appearance, but it's hard. Luke seems unable to look anywhere but at Sam's eyes, and the more Luke looks, the more Sam is tempted to look away, but he doesn't. He holds fast, for fear that any glance to the side might reveal him.

Sam almost thinks that the suspense, that the wait, will drive him mad, as those blue eyes bore into him, as if attempting to extract his soul, when Meg plunks a Styrofoam cup on the counter. Quickly, quicker than he meant to, he grabs it and hands Luke the money he owes.

"Thanks." He utters, and turns to leave, doing his best to not run out of the coffee shop.

"Leaving so soon?" Luke calls after him, and Sam turns to see he and Meg smirking a bit. As if they can sense his fear.

"Yeah." Sam replies, still moving to the door, and he's surprised that his voice isn't shaking. Luke seems surprised as well, and something else. Impressed? Without hesitation, he makes up an excuse. "School project."

And then he's gone, the bell on the door jingling cheerily after him.

The turbulent blue gaze stays on him all the way down the street.