Chapter Thirteen: Found A Way To You

So three hunters and two angels walk into a bar...

No, it's not a joke, its Dean's current predicament.

After a long drive to the city, they all were tired and strung out, looking for a quick way to relax. Even Cas and Anna seemed twitchy, and Dean thought that the perfect way to release some tension was to get tipsy. And maybe find some drunken brawl to get in the middle of...

Dean knew it was wistful thinking to believe he could get involved in some mindless violence to shake the feelings of guilt from his gut, but it was how he normally vented. That wasn't really possible this time; he needed to be in top shape for saving Sam. He could ignore the grief for the time being...

Okay, okay, so his dad and Bobby had to stop him from starting a fight, but could you really blame a guy for trying? By the looks on all of the faces around him in the motel room in the morning as he took two aspirin, you could. After their little glare-at-Dean fest, thankfully, they started to work out a plan.

The thing was, Lucifer wasn't exactly hiding his presence. Why would he? The fucker probably had enough power to spare that he didn't have to worry about anybody coming after him. He was in an underground garage that belonged to an abandoned building just outside the city, and that posed as many problems as it did blessings.

Good thing: it was out of the city, which meant less chance of civilian involvement and should things go horribly wrong and they needed to say, blow up the entire compound, they could with minimal chaos.

Bad thing: if they died, who the hell would notice?

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Sam was strung up by his arms again, only this time, he was surrounded by holy fire that surprisingly worked even on a half-angel. He filed that away in his thoughts as another thing for him to be wary of should he escape from the Devil.

Yeah, that sounded about as impossible as it was… and then some. He had already tried to free himself, but with the amount of power he had expended to save Dean, it really was as useless as banging his head against an iron wall. He considered himself lucky just to be left alone by this point; he had figured that Azazel or any number of demons would have already been in the room he was held, competing for the best method to make him scream the loudest.

So Sam was definitely happy to be left alone.

Of course, it was at the tail end of this thought that Lucifer had to walk through the door.

"Samuel Hawk," Lucifer said, beauty and grace and song purring over Sam's form, a feel of an angel's power that Sam had never been subjected to before. "Such a majestic creature as you, even half human, should not be named from such a lowly creature,"

"I'm fine with the comparison, thanks," Sam almost rolled his eyes at the Archangel's attempt to flatter him, "Hawks are near perfect hunters,"

"Hunters of vermin, to be sure," Lucifer practically smirked, "Easily taken down or captured by such pathetic things as humans,"

"What do you want?" Sam shook his head, not really believing the conversation that they were having. At a time like this…

"A perfect Eden," Lucifer said, drawing closer, "The eradication of all humans and animals so that I can rebuild this beautiful world to what it should have been: A home to all angels,"

"I don't think the demons are going to be happy about the light show up here," Sam raised his brow, "And hell, how do you know that any angel would actually follow your plan? They all seem pretty gung-ho to have your ass blown to oblivion,"

"Not all…" Lucifer said, smiling slightly for the first time, "But don't you worry yourself about them. You never wanted to be a part of the Host, not even when the choice was offered to you. As for the demons… when they have served their purpose, I will no longer have any use for them,"

"I take it they don't fit in with your idea of the 'perfect world', now do they?" Sam chuckled bitterly. He would have felt sorry for them, had the demons not been so easily manipulated… or evil in the first place.

"Not in the slightest," Lucifer cocked his head, an expression of contemplation shadowing his features as he looked carefully into Sam's eyes. "You are powerful, even as a half angel Sam. You would be more than welcome to share in the new world. Where you belong, with your true family,"

Sam's eyes flashed in anger and budding power, but the holy fire prevented any release, letting it simmer within and burn behind his eyes. "The only family I had died months ago. If anybody is going to take their place, it will be Dean and the other hunters. The angel have betrayed me one too many times," He growled out.

"I can understand your feelings," Lucifer conceded. Sam huffed an indignant breath, begging to differ. The other turned away, knowing now that there was no chance of converting Sam if the half-breed still had inclinations toward humans. Just before he walked out again, he said, "I hope that Dean and all those other humans are worth the pain you're about to experience,"

The door opened again as he strode out, revealing Azazel and three other demons who grinned maliciously when Lucifer nodded toward them.

Sam wondered if there was any point in trying to convince them that Lucifer was planning to kill them in the very near future, but closed his eyes instead when he saw the table full of knives and chemicals roll in with the demons.

He had a feeling it was going to be a long night. I guess they're going to torture me after all… he thought.

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The demons all seemed to be inside this time, no guards were flanking the building at all, not in the three checks they ran around the building. Castiel and Anna both said that the presences were all grouped in the south-east corner and that Lucifer was among them. Both angels had their unique daggers held at the ready, and Bobby was holding the one Sam had given him. John had salt and an iron pipe with a rock salt gun strapped across his shoulder and a pouch full of reloads. Dean led them all in with the Colt, which he had four full rounds of ammo stashed in a satchel on his hip.

They didn't bother with sneaking in; all of them had protective charms and no way of really surprising Lucifer and the demons, but their footsteps made no noise and their breaths were measured as they attempted the impossible in spite of their handicap. The building, Dean sees a sign on a broken-hinged door, used to be a testing facility for water treatment. It certainly explained why there are so many doors and rooms, even if it is a high-ceiling one floor structure.

They search every room for any other hostages as they move, rolling out mats with devil's traps on the bottom on the floor in the middle of the hallways and in each corner. It's a pretty maze-like floor plan, but they manage to systematically block off most of the exits with sigils and traps and salt as they go. Even if they aren't able to do much to Lucifer, or if he leaves prematurely, they definitely want no demon left alive to help him again.

One hour later, and they reach a main corridor that heads to the largest room in the facility, called the Observation Lab. When Dean kicks down the double-doors without even checking the handle, they are given their first real glance at the Devil himself.

Who smiled pleasantly, like he had been awaiting dinner guests. The guy's demeanor was already starting to piss Dean off, and he had only seconds before laid eyes on him for the first time. If the smile Lucifer had offered been anything akin to devious or mocking, it wouldn't have creeped him out as much as this genuine happy grin he saw. Like Lucifer wanted them here…

"You made it," Lucifer finally said, "I was beginning to wonder if Sam meant anything to you, Dean. Almost thought you were going to leave without even attempting to save him. But you couldn't pass a chance to take a swing at me, could you?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Lucy-boy." Dean rolled his eyes, "Saving Sam is the priority, kicking your ass is just a bonus."

"Still, you really should have hurried more," Lucifer said, continuing on like Dean had never interrupted. He turned to the door at the right corner where heavy footsteps approached.

As it began to open, Anna spoke, "What do you mean-"

She was cut off when Azazel opened the door, stepping into the low light with a gray and splotchy towel in his hands, cleaning them absently. What made Anna pause was the slick fresh blood covering him up to his elbows and staining his shirt.

The yellow-eyed demon took in their new guests and smirked, looking smug. "Hey, Johnny and Dean-o have finally joined us. Won't they be happy to learn how quickly a half-angel can heal?" A scream punched through the still air through the slightly open door, male and agonizing. "You can cut in the same spot over, and over and deeper every time and it still heals up," He laughed "Fuckin' miraculous, isn't it?"

"You've been torturing him?" Castiel looked broken, devastated at his fallen brother. "One of your own kind…"

"You're pretty low on the paid grade, angel babies; otherwise you wouldn't be so shocked. It's not like I've never tortured anyone before, or many of your brothers and sisters," Lucifer raised an eyebrow at Anna and Castiel. "I see he hasn't completely rejected his father's linage,"

A heavy, tense pause stole the human's breath away before another groaning scream filled the air.

"Let's see how much that helps Sam," Lucifer said.

The gunshot sounded flat in the close, stale-smelling room.

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Umm... Don't hurt me? *hides*

I know, I know, its been a long, long time since I last updated anything, let alone this one. But I am working on all my unfinished stories now! I promise!

Hope you like this new chapter. Review please!