Every rose has its thorn

A strange fellowship

Seeing a ring on his wedding finger was weird. No doubt about it. Far weirder though, was who put it there.

This wasn't an actual marriage, he knew that, but he was surprised at the wistful emotions it brought up. Sam had always harboured a faint dream of being married someday, with a handful kids. School runs, soccer games, thanksgiving dinners... All the things that he never had and never would.

Lucifer brought him out of his pensive reflection. "Go on. Try it. Take it off."

Did he want to? Had to.

The ring seemed more solidly constructed than the world around him. He had to look harder to see its elements, to recognize the strands of Lucifer's gold that enmeshed it.

Sam took a deep breath, and pulled the gold band off.

Immediately the world changed around him. Couch, walls, wallpaper, tiny animal figurines...they were all solid, dense and flat. Like heavy gravity had been injected into the room. His perception was simpler, as Lucifer had said it would be, but colourless.

He also felt something missing deeply in his core. That insane, intoxicating and lethal bond he shared with Lucifer had severed and he felt its absence like drug withdrawal.

Paradoxically, when looked up at her it was a huge relief mentally to see just one façade. Yes, the world was no longer vibrant, but it was definitely easier on his sanity to look at Lucy this way. Being without the ring was a double edged sword, for sure.

"Is it still Christmas? Who knows. Who cares? Merry Christmas anyway, Sam." She laughed, and this time it sounded a lot more pleasant to his human ears.

"Ho fucking ho..." he replied.

"What'd you just call me?" She asked, eyes were twinkling with amusement.

"So are we doing this?" Sam asked. "Really doing this? Walking right into lion's den?"

"You having second thoughts about rescuing your brother?"

"No, not at all. Count me in for the road trip no question. But being honest, there's no way we're getting away with it."

"Do you doubt me?"

He laughed. "Always. And...never. It's kinda odd ...."

"Yeah, I get that."

"Lucy, what's gonna happen when Michael catches up to us? Cause he will..."

"Are you scared Sammy?"

He put the ring back on. But his old stubbornness made him place it on a different finger. His head swam with the warmth of the pins and needles. Felt connected again.

"No".