Chapter Text
Prologue
Dean snapped open his phone, relief and anger coursing through him in unison. "Sam? What the hell, man? I've been trying to get a hold of you for over a week!"
"...Sorry, Dean." Sam's voice sounded strained.
"Are you okay?" Dean asked immediately, concern winning out over anger for the time being.
"I'm..." There was a pause, and some murmuring in the background, then Sam took a deep breath and replied, "Yeah, Dean, I'm fine. Why were you calling?"
"To talk," Dean told him, his tone implying that it should be obvious. "I...some serious crap went down after you called me, and I changed my mind. I wanted to tell you, but you wouldn't pick up the damn phone."
"Sorry. I've been...busy." Sam's voice sounded strange, but Dean couldn't pinpoint why.
"Can we meet up?" Dean asked hopefully. He'd been ready to bring Sam back in over a week ago, when Castiel had pulled him away from Zachariah, but all the time he'd spent trying to find out why Sam wasn't answering his phone and getting worried had made him even more prepared to accept his brother again.
Sam took a deep breath. "The thing is, Dean, you were right. It's probably better if we stay away from each other for now. I'm...off the grid, I guess, and you shouldn't look for me."
Dean inhaled sharply. "You serious, Sam? Because I don't think that's the smart thing anymore."
"Just, trust me. You're much safer if you stay away from me. I...it's just better, okay?" Sam sounded off, but Dean still wasn't sure why.
"Man, what about Lucifer? You want to just deal with that crap by yourself?" Dean challenged. He was more than ready to help shoulder some of that burden. They were family first, right? He could let go of his anger if it meant protecting his little brother.
"I got myself into this mess, Dean, I can handle it," Sam said firmly.
Dean scowled at the phone, even though he knew Sam couldn't see him. "This isn't going to end well, Sam. We need to be together. We're stronger as a team."
"No, Dean, we're not. You're better off on your own. Just, stick with Cas and take care of yourself, okay?" Sam sighed slowly into the phone as he said this.
"What are you going to do?" Dean asked belligerently.
"Hold on," Sam replied simply, then the line went dead.
Dean stood there for a moment, glaring at his cell phone, before rolling his eyes up to the ceiling and praying for Castiel.
"Yes, Dean?" Castiel appeared directly in front of Dean, just a breath away from being inside what Dean had referred to as his personal bubble.
"Cas, something's wrong with Sam," Dean said with no introduction. "I don't know where he is. I know you can't find him directly, but I need someone to help me look, and you're all I've got."
Castiel's brow furrowed. "Why do you believe he is in trouble?"
Dean scowled. "First, he calls me, panicked because Lucifer has shown up and informed Sam that he's Lucifer's vessel. I told him to pick a hemisphere and hung up on him, because I was still pissed. After Zachariah's field trip though I changed my mind. So, second, I called him, repeatedly, and he never picked up. For a week. Unless he's dead or dying, he doesn't do that. Third, I just finally talked to him, and he sounded really off. I don't know what's going on with him, but I'm not letting him go. I need to find him, Cas." He took a deep breath after his monologue, leveling his stare at Castiel as an invitation to be challenged.
Castiel considered Dean for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. I will make inquiries. Do you know where Sam was when you last spoke?"
"I called Bobby, and he said Sam had asked him to send someone to take care of something he'd found in Oklahoma," Dean offered. "I guess Sam was holing up there. No garuntees he's still there though."
"I will search," Castiel promised, vanishing from the room.
Dean breathed in and out carefully, tapping the cell phone against his lips. What the hell happened to you, Sam?