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[ 𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤. 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱. 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔡. ]

SUMMARY: Sam Winchester makes an appearance at the Halloween Masquerade at Lux despite all the dangers it poses to warn Charlie of a vision he’s had in which she dies. The two agree to leave the party to try to prevent that vision from happening. Will they make it out in time or will this be the night in which death dies in the arms of someone she loves? TRIGGERS: Demon Blood, Death Mentions, Violence Mentions, Mild Sexual Humor WRITTEN WITH: @ofsamwinchester, @ofwaywardsons, @ofjackkline, @mcrninqstar, @zztophat, @mazikeenofmurders, @ofhellsbells, @ofcupidslove

LOCATION: THE FOYER AT LUX

DEAN: He gave the keys to the valet before adjusting his tie and looking at his brother and Jack. "Well, shit, this is fancy." Maybe he'd see Batman. This seemed like the kind of party you'd find Batman at. "You two sure you wanna do this?" Dean was here to back Zatanna up if things got hairy. He was surprised Jack and Sam decided to tag along given that Lux was literally the devil's playhouse. "I won't shame you if you decide to leave, but I will take this tie off if either of you two bail."

JACK: He'd never been a party this fancy before, but Jack was still pretty excited. Mostly. The fact it was being thrown by someone named Lucifer lessened his excitement and sparked up a bit of worry. For all he knew, it actually was this universe's version of him. Something which, well, he didn't know how to feel about it. At the very least, he felt safe with Sam and Dean here. Plus, they were all wearing matching ties. How cool was that? "What's wrong with the tie?" He asked, eyes taking in the sights around them. He'd never been in a place like this before.

SAM: He admittedly was nervous about this whole thing. A building full of demons and Lucifer was nerve wracking, but he felt like he needed to be here anyways. He didn't want to, but he needed to. "Yeah, I'm sure." Sam nodded as they arrived in. He was surprised Dean actually passed off his keys instead of insisting he parked it himself, but he guessed his brother was just distracted by how fancy everything was here. "I'm not planning on leaving soon," not unless something happened like he thought it would. "There's nothing wrong with the tie," he assured Jack.

LUCIFER: Lucifer held out his hand to help Charlie out of the car. She was kind enough to accompany him tonight. Although, he knew she would be busy keeping an eye on Belphegor and Cupid no doubt. He was thankful for that though; he didn't want a repeat of the gala. The party was already underway, but he didn't mind. Fashionably late was how he liked to show up anyway. Except, he wasn't exactly in the party mood tonight. "You alright?" he asked her as he handed his keys off to the valet and held out his arm to her.

CHARLIE: She smiled and took Lucifer's hand as she pulled her dress out of the car. She nodded a thank you to the demon valet as he gave her a small assist when her dress caught on the car door. "I'm good," she laughed. "I don't have any reapings tonight, but if something comes up I'll be sure to get Maze on Belphegor and Cupid watch," she assured him as they began to walk through the foyer. She wasn't going to have a repeat of the gala incident. The place was packed already. To be honest, she was looking forward to tonight. It was a chance to let loose and they all needed to break some of the tension after everything that happened at Cupid's flower shop. "Looks like it's going to be one hell of a--" she stopped both midsentence and midstride when she saw a familiar face in the crowd. Sam? He wasn't supposed to be here tonight. It wasn't safe here - demons were all over the place. "Lucifer, um," she patted his hand. "Would you excuse me for a moment? There's a friend I need to talk to about some kitchen flooring."

DEAN: "All right, but keep your phones on the both of you." He adjusted his suit to hide the demon killing knife he'd stashed in one of the inner pockets. He wasn't planning a fight tonight, but sometimes it was better to be safe than sorry. These demons weren't like the ones in his universe, but he had to admit it still made his palms a little sweaty to be around so many. He gave Sam a look when he replied there's nothing wrong with the tie. There was everything wrong with the tie. "All I'm saying is next time I'm picking the color scheme." He didn't seem too pissed about it. How could he be? He was in a room full of fucking superheroes. That in and of itself overshadowed the tie fiasco. Batman forgive him, though, it was still not his best look. "Speak of the devil and Sam's girlfriend," he grimaced when he spotted Lucifer. "Incoming, boys."

JACK: Sam's assurance was all Jack needed to let the tie comment go. He gave a nod of his head at Dean's words. He wasn't as powerful as he used to be, not at all. If things went wayside he'd need to call Sam and Dean asap. He was curious to meet all the new people in the club, in the world. It looked like they were there to stay, he may as well make the most of it. Sure, Jack was a bit nervous. Even more so when Dean mentioned Sam's girlfriend was there. He wanted to make a good first impression, though Jack wasn't entirely sure how to do that. In retrospect he hadn't made a good first impression on any of the people he was now closest to. Though, there was something else Dean said. Speak of the devil. He couldn't mean... That man didn't look anything like the Lucifer Jack had known, his birth father. Though, that was probably a good thing all things considered. "He's not anything like the other Lucifer... right?" He asked Sam and Dean uneasily.

SAM: He tapped his pocket, indicating that his phone was there. He saw the way that Dean adjusted his suit, noticing the knife there. Sam had the one from his own universe on him now too. Apparently they were both being cautious here. Good. "Okay, sure, next time then." He hoped that next time, he wouldn't feel the same need to go to one of these things. He rolled his eyes at Dean's comment about Charlie. "She's not my girlfriend. I'm just helping her renovate her place." He frowned at Jack's question. The truth was that Sam didn't know everything about this Lucifer. It would've made sense if he was just as bad, but Sam had seen a softer side of this one. He'd seen the way he actually cared for his brother and how he'd helped Charlie and Cupid. He didn't trust him, and he certainly wasn't comfortable seeing him, but "He's not the same as the Lucifer where we're from. Just don't let your guard down. Just to be safe."

LUCIFER: He chuckled knowing that if there was a good cop and a bad cop in that duo, Maze was the bad cop and Charlie was the good cop. "Let's hope no reapings pop up tonight. Not just for Bells and Cupid's sake but yours too. When's the last time you had a bit of fun? 1920?" he teased as they walked through the foyer. He bumped into her when she stopped abruptly. Lucifer held out his hand in front of her to steady her so that she didn't go down as they collided. He followed her gaze and saw that she was staring at the tall Winchester. What in Father's name was he wearing? Lucifer needed to remember to add suit ties for the Winchesters onto his Christmas list. "Kitchen flooring?" he repeated. "Well, alright, just don't let Cupid see. She'll want you to build a whole house," he teased. "In case I don't see you again tonight, please promise me you'll call either me or Maze if anything happens with Bells and Cupid. They're going to make you promise not to call either of us, but this time I'm beating them to the punch." He knew how those two operated, and they were really good at it too.

CHARLIE: "I could say the same for you," she smiled. Despite his efforts to remain cheery and chatty on the drive here, she could tell he didn't really want to be here. He didn't want to be anywhere . "Sorry," she apologized as he bumped into her. He caught her before she had a chance to fall. It's ironic in a way when a fallen angel catches your fall. "I wasn't expecting Sam to be here tonight," she admitted before turning to look at Lucifer. It was clear he was worried about Cupid and Bells. He'd nearly lost them both not too long ago. "I'll look after those two and if anything happens I'll call you," she promised. "but I think they've both learned their lesson from last time. Now, you can do me a favor. This is your party. Please enjoy it. Responsibly, of course, but enjoy it. You'll see me again. You have to save a dance for me. Oh, and Cupid and Bells too. We're gonna tear up that dance floor and we're taking you with us," she grinned, hoping to get a laugh out of him as she turned and walked toward Sam and Dean.

As Sam moved, she also noticed a kid with them who was wearing the same tie combo. When she got closer she realized she recognized the kid from pictures on Sam's phone. It was his son Jack. The son whom God had killed was standing very much alive next to him. "Hey, guys," she replied. "Fancy seeing you here." She tried to keep the worry out of her voice but as she looked at Sam her eyes only said one thing: please explain.

DEAN: "Right, renovating," Dean nodded. And for all he knew, that's exactly what they were doing, but it didn't mean Sam didn't care about this girl. She was clearly a lifeline of some kind. When he came home at night, his shoulders seemed less heavy and for that alone Dean was grateful. He knew there were things Sam felt like he couldn't talk to him about, but at least he was talking to someone and she was listening. Jack being here helped too. Dean knew hope was a dangerous thing to have, but maybe this universe could be different. Maybe he and Sam would be okay here.

He observed the interaction between the devil and the reaper and felt himself flinch when Lucifer caught her. The hunter fought the urge to pull Charlie out of the situation. Just like Sam said, this wasn't their Lucifer and it wasn't their universe. There was something gentle about the way this Lucifer interacted with her. He'd never seen the Lucifer of his universe act gentle with anything. He wasn't even sure Lucifer was capable of it. "Is he a, uh, friend of yours?" he asked Charlie.

JACK: He wondered if he should have packed like Sam and Dean did, with weapons on them. However Jack feared not being as suave as them, and misfiring or accidently hurting himself in the process. So he opted not to. Perhaps one day he could do different. "Is that one of those words that actually mean something else?" He asked. Dean had called her Sam's girlfriends, Sam had denied it, said that they were 'renovating'. Perhaps it was a code word of some sort. Jack gave a firm nod. Hearing he wasn't the same as the other Lucifer, his father (someone he hated) was something assuring. He wondered briefly what Sam had told her of him, if he had told her anything at all. He would have, right? "You're..." Jack paused stopping himself from calling her Sam's girlfriend like Sam had denied. Instead he said. "Not Sam's girlfriend." Yeah, that was accurate.

SAM: He was pretty sure that Dean was thinking that it wasn't just renovating that he and Charlie had been up to, but as long as he thought that he was forging some kind of relationship with her instead of what was actually happening there, Sam could let it go. It was better for him to think they were hooking up instead of knowing that they were building a room to help Sam detox from the demon blood. "No, it's not an innuendo. She's got a really old house that just needs a lot of work," he explained to Jack, not wanting him to jump onto the train Dean was on. He smiled at Charlie as she came up to them, taking a long look over her. She looked beautiful obviously, but he wasn't looking to check her out. He was checking for injuries, anything that might've been an indicator for what he'd seen in his vision. Nothing looked out of place as far as he could tell, which was a relief. His smile was replaced with a palm over his face as he was overcome with embarrassment when Jack called her his not girlfriend. He didn't blame Jack though. He didn't really know. Besides, from the look in Charlie's eyes, he already felt like he had a lot to explain anyways. "Jack, this is Charlie. Charlie, this is Jack. He's not dead anymore, and he came here and found me all on his own," he said proudly, putting his hand on Jack's shoulders as he pushed the boy towards the reaper a little, wanting to show her what he was proudest of. He also wanted to position himself to where only Charlie see him giving her a look that he'd explain once they were alone.

LUCIFER: He smiled when the reaper sanctioned him. “That’s not fair. I have literal hell to go back to. There’s no fun in that,” he reminded her. Tonight’s party was bittersweet; he tried not to think about it too much, but he wasn’t sure when he’d be back on Earth again. He nodded when Charlie replied that she wasn’t expecting to see Sam tonight. “I mean, he is pretty good at hide and seek. I’d go catch him before he disappears again if I were you,” he chuckled. Lucifer nodded at her promise; he trusted that she would make the right call. “Alright, I’d call that a deal. One dance before the party’s over.” In all honesty, it was just nice to considered part of the family again. He’d been on the outs with Bells since Aamon’s banishment and Levi generally kept his distance too. With Father’s curse still hanging over Chloe’s head, Lucifer kept his distance from her. She was still processing everything she’d seen; he didn’t need the curse influencing her decision on how she felt about him and his family. That being said, he felt so terribly alone and isolated. Even in a crowded room like this it was hard to fight that feeling. He waited until Charlie was off safe with her friends before descending down the staircase and toward the bar to check in on Maze.

CHARLIE: She looked over her shoulder as she watched Lucifer descend down the staircase. “You can say that,” she replied, turning her attention back to Dean. “He’s also the host of tonight’s party so play nice.” Her eyes glanced knowingly at Dean’s suit jacket and then back up at him. If Maze caught either of them with with the demon killing knives, she’d do more than just take them away. Charlie could see concern reflecting in Sam’s eyes as he looked her over. He was nervous for her which confused her because she wasn’t in any danger. She was among friends here. Was he seeing a hallucination maybe? She imagined if he stuck around here, he’d see more than a few given he was surrounded by temptation and damnation on all sides. They needed to talk, preferably somewhere private so that she could convince him to take himself and Jack home. It wasn’t safe here for Sam or for the club’s demons.

A smile tugged lightly at the corners of her lips at Jack’s comment and Sam’s reaction to it. She had no doubt this confusion was somehow Dean’s doing. He was almost as relentless as Maze and Cupid. “I’m not,” she agreed. “You can tell Cupid that too if you see her tonight,” she grinned. It was her way of letting Sam know he wasn’t the only one who’s friends were razzing him about this. It was hard for Charlie to stay upset with Sam, especially when she saw his face light up as he talked about Jack. The last time they’d spoken about Jack, it had been sorrowful. Sam was still reeling from the blow of that loss, but now Jack was here and he was alive. His presence explained so much to Charlie. Jack was not of this universe - he was an anomaly. And when an anomaly entered the universe, deaths were either pushed forward or pushed back. The last time she greeted Sam at the manor, the reaper tingle hadn’t been as intense. Something had pushed back his death and now she knew that something was Jack. “Its good to meet you, Jack,” she grinned. “I’m Charlie. I’m a private investigator some nights and a reaper always. I’ve heard good things about you. Sam’s very proud of you and I can see why,” she nodded. “Traveling between dimensions isn’t an easy feat but it seems the Winchesters have a knack for it.” Three Winchesters from different universes. What were the odds?

DEAN: "It's definitely innuendo," Dean laughed. He felt like Cupid would agree with him on this and she was the leading expert. He was just grateful she wasn't a fat naked dude trying to hug him like the Cupid in his universe was. Dean missed Jack's innocent and well meaning questions and Sam's attempts to explain the world. He hadn't realized how much he missed it until now actually. In his universe, when Chuck killed Jack, Sam fell off the wagon hard. He became everything Azazel hoped for and more in an effort to stop Chuck. "I always play nice," he protested. "Wasn't it Churchill or Roosevelt who said speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." In his opinion you can't really be over prepared when going to a party hosted by the devil. Dean bit back a laugh at Jack's comment about Sam's not girlfriend. God he missed this kid. Having to wear this tie was worth it just to see Sam walk himself back from this one. "Guess we just got lucky," he shrugged. He hadn't intended to end up in this universe and to be honest, he wasn't sure why The Boy King of Hell as the hunters dubbed Sam sent him here. Dean was honestly waiting for the other shoe to drop. This universe was too good to be true compared to what he was used to. There had to be a catch somewhere.

JACK: "Not an innuendo, got it." Dean had said otherwise but Jack had a feeling he outta agree with Sam on this one, Dean had a habit of embellishing. In all fairness, Jack hadn't known the word for it was innuendo until Sam proclaimed it, but now he knew. Sam was helping her renovations, and it wasn't an innuendo. Though, it give him pause at the actual implications. "So you're... fixing a house?" It both sounded not much like Sam, and also so much like Sam. It wasn't something Jack had personally see Sam ever do, but it felt like something he would do. The kind of thing he'd do even if he had no idea what he was doing, he'd still be willing to help. That was on brand Sam Winchester. "Hi Charlie." He greeted, reeling his hand back in a small wave toward the woman. Briefly, he wondered if he should have shaken her hand instead. There was a lightness he felt, a small heat to his face, at the pride that Sam displayed for him. Sam was proud of him. And Jack hadn't even used his powers for it. It was an accomplishing feeling that he found himself enjoying a ton. "A private investigator? Like a real one?" He thought of all the times Sam, Dean and Cas (occasionally himself as well) pretended to be something or another for an investigation. And she was the real type? That was pretty cool. "A reaper," He nodded, a bit more subdued. "Cool." It was cool, though his experience with reapers wasn't anything that made the boy excited. But Charlie wasn't them, she was Sam's not-girlfriend and a private investigator which was very cool. He smiled as she expressed that Sam was proud of him, it was a nice feeling to hear it.

SAM: He just sighed, giving up on the argument that it definitely wasn't an innuendo. Jack believed him at least, thankfully. He wasn't all that surprised to hear that Cupid said the same kinds of things to Charlie. Gabe had mentioned that she meddled in people's relationships a lot, and since Charlie was close to her, it made sense that she'd try to connect her to any potential love interest. He imagined that Cupid was even worse about it. He hoped that she and Dean didn't team up against them. "No you don't," Sam argued with a disbelieving laugh. "You started a fight with a bird who pooped on your car once and then threatened to shoot it down." Sam had a list of times Dean didn't play nice, but that was one of the strangest times. Sam was armed just like Dean was, so he couldn't really say much. He imagined Charlie would understand why he'd need to be prepared though. This was a dangerous place to be in as it was, and if push came to shove, he didn't want to have to rely on his powers when Dean was around. "We'll behave," he assured her, trying to let her know through implication alone that he was doing his best to resist all the temptation here. He was admittedly sweating a little. He could feel the pull of the demon blood everywhere he turned, and he had to tell himself no to all of it. The Lucifer of his hallucinations was having as much fun as possible. He was glad that Charlie got to meet Jack like this. It was better than him drunkenly showing her pictures of the kid he lost. "You say that like it's a hobby of ours," he joked. Considering that he'd done it more than a few times, it wasn't too far off, though this last time was one of the hardest. "Actually, speaking of dimensions. Did you get the dimensions for that space we were trying to clear out earlier?" He was pretty sure she'd get the hint.

ZATANNA: She was supposed to be meeting Bruce down by the bar but she was running a little late. On the way in she spotted Dean and figured Why not? He'd been asking to meet Batman for a while now, she might as well introduce the two in a setting where she could at least supervise Dean. She raised an eyebrow as she approached him along with Sam, Charlie, and a younger kid she didn't recognize. "That is...an interesting tie choice. Who picked it?" she asked as she adjusted Dean's tie. He'd clearly been messing with it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you guys. I just wanted to see if any of you wanted to go down to the bar with me. I'm supposed to meet Bruce down there. What do you say?" she asked. She knew what Dean's answer would be, but y reading the room alone, she could see Sam and Charlie needed a minute. Cupid had told her they were...what did she call it? Courting? Flirting? Whatever it was, Zatanna was pretty sure the angel had already planned their wedding. Then again, Cupid planned everyone's wedding. She wondered if she should send the two of them on a random errand to the shop, but thought better of it. She'd leave the meddling to Cupid.

CHARLIE: She chuckled and raised a questioning eyebrow when Sam called Dean out on his absolute lack of chill. Somehow she wasn't surprised he had a row with a bird, especially when his car was the victim in question. She believed Sam when he said that they'd behave tonight, but she could see he was still struggling underneath the black suit and flamboyant tie. It was going to be a long night for him if he stuck around. Jack's question about her job made her smile. Everything about him made her smile actually. He seemed innocent in a way that reminded her of Bells. He was just trying to figure out the social conventions at a party like this and that was no easy task. "Yeah, I have my own office a little ways down the block," she smiled, gesturing with a nod in that direction. "You're welcome to stop by sometime. Occasionally you'll see my friend Belphegor manning the front desk, but they're harmless and usually just napping 90% of the time," she laughed. She turned as she heard Zatanna's voice. The magician absolutely commanded a room's attention in a way that reminded Charlie of royalty. She was relieved the magician was here if only to provide Dean with a distraction and an opportunity to meet Batman. "The dimensions, yeah," Charlie nodded, picking up on the hint. "I did but the problem is the dimensions in these old Victorian homes are weird. Everything's so...angular. The supplier I wanted is out of stock for those particular specifications," she replied, making up an entirely arbitrary renovation hiccup. "So we're back to the drawing board. I was hoping to talk to you about what my options are from here. We can meet you guys down at the bar when we're done," she offered as she looked at the others.

DEAN: "That's not fair," he protested. "The pigeon was a dick. You couldn't hear what it was saying, but it was gunning for a fight." He still couldn't stand pigeons even though he couldn't hear them anymore and honestly thank god he couldn't. That was a weird spell. He also turned when he heard Zatanna's voice. Of course she noticed the tie. He was pretty sure the Justice League Watchtower up in space could see it too. "I can't take credit for this one. It was Jack's choice." He readjusted the tie after Zatanna was finished adjusting it. "Zatanna, this is Jack. He's our kid," he explained. "He got here kinda like Sam and I did. Guess there's just something about your universe," he shrugged. "And Jack, this is Zatanna, mistress of magic, princess of prestidigitation, master illusionist, and I've probably missed several more titles," he teased. "She works for the Justice League," he explained. "Wait...you're kidding right?" he asked her. Not to say he called it, but he definitely called it. He knew Batman was here tonight. Dean watched as Charlie and Sam went back and forth about the dimensions of the house. Something about the conversation seemed manufactured but he wasn't gonna call them out on it. He figured they were just looking for an excuse to find a small, private corner and make out and he could get behind that. "Yeah, when you guys are done checking out each other's dimensions, I mean, the dimensions of the house or whatever," He hadn't really been following the whole conversation. "You can meet us down there. You with me, Jack?" he asked.

JACK: That... sounded a lot like Dean, actually. Starting a fight with a bird. It would have been a funny sight, Jack was sure. And Wow, from the sound of it Sam actually knew what he was doing when it came to that renovating. He wondered if it was something Sam could teach him one day, Jack was interested in learning all types of things. Especially now without his powers, he refused to be useless. He wanted to learn all he could. "Your own office?" He wondered if it was anything like Dean's Dean-cave from the Bunker. Jack gave forth a firm nod. "I'd like that very much." He was interested in seeing what she did, interested in learning. Plus, meeting new people was pretty nice too. Jack liked making friends. He also liked napping, so perhaps he and this Belphagor could become friends as well. Another woman approached them, though this time Dean didn't give a pre-introduction. Maybe she was another not-girlfriend? Or maybe just a friend. Either way, Jack liked her. She seemed nice. "Hello." He greeted Zatanna like he had Charlie, with a wave of his hand and a bright smile. "So... like Rowena?" Witch-y, it seemed like. Or maybe it was called something else in this universe, or maybe it was a different form of magic entirely. It was all so curious and Jack couldn't wait to find out. The Justice League, he heard the name before and knew the bare minimum, but this wasn't the time to inquire about them. That could wait for later. When asked, Jack gave a nod. "Yes, I'm with you." He was a bit overwhelmed in the unfamiliar place and surrounded by unfamiliar people but as long as he remained a close enough distance to Sam or Dean, Jack was confidant he'd be okay.

SAM: "It was a pigeon, Dean." He felt like Dean didn't get the ridiculousness of arguing with a bird. The way Charlie and Jack were talking, brightened him up though. He really wanted Charlie and Jack to get to know each other. Charlie was a good person, and if anything went wrong with Sam, he knew she'd help Dean look after him. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, but it was something he had to consider now. "Belphegor's good," Sam assured Jack. "They actually reminded me of you a little." It was part of why he'd felt such a need to help Belphegor. It wasn't just because they were Charlie's friend or because they might destroy the world if the Void consumed them. It was because he saw a little bit of Jack in them. He looked up as Zatanna walked up to them, glad for her arrival. There was no way Dean wouldn't say yes to going to meet Batman. "Yeah, she's a little like Rowena." Sam nodded, except unlike Rowena, Zatanna wasn't dead yet. Sam didn't talk to Zatanna as much as he probably should've. Part of that was because of the demon blood. He didn't want to spend too much time with her for her to find out in some magic way, but also, Rowena had died because of him. He didn't want to get too close and see the same happen to her. He still kept enough contact not to seem suspicious. He went to her store to read various books and asked her advice on the occasional spell. He even helped to pick up some ingredients for her when he found them all while maintaining some distance. "Yeah, that makes sense. I thought it might've been difficult to get something like that in the first place." Sam nodded in response to what Charlie was saying about the dimensions. "Yeah, we can go out on the balcony where it's easier to hear," he suggested. He looked back at Jack and Dean. "We'll catch up in a bit. Try not to embarrass yourself in front of Bruce," he told Dean.

ZATANNA: "Good to meet you, Jack," she smiled although there was some concern in her eyes. She'd heard a bit about him. He was the son of Lucifer in their universe; she wondered if the Lucifer of this universe knew he was here. She also wondered how strong this kid was. Nephilim were powerful beings and New York was a powder keg. Was this another powerhouse she would have to balance? She didn't think so. He felt different? It wasn't like the same overwhelming energy she felt around Lucifer and Michael. There was power within him, but it was muted. "I love a good flamboyant tie," she smiled. How could she not? She was a stage magician by day, showy was what she did best. "You made a wise choice." She elbowed Dean as he made jabs about her various titles. "Keep talking and I might change my mind about introducing you to him." She'd heard this comparison to Rowena before; whenever she came up in discussions Sam always had this look of sadness behind his eyes so Zatanna never really pushed for answers or brought it up unless there was a relevancy to it. The magician listened to the back and forth Charlie and Sam were having about the dimensions of the house. She could see how Cupid could jump to some conclusions about those two (it honestly didn't take much to make Cupid jump to conclusions). Dean was almost just as bad about it too. The magician gave him a disapproving look as he teased his brother, but Sam seemed to take it in good spirits. "We'll...see you guys later," she laughed before ushering Jack and Dean ahead of her toward the stairs. Zatanna looked back over her shoulder at Sam and Charlie. When she adjusted Dean's tie earlier, she'd taken the opportunity to use some sleight of hand to grab the demon killing knife from him. With showmanship only a magician could muster, she made the knife disappear. She'd give it back to him at the end of the party. "Say a prayer for me, yeah?" she winked before catching up with Dean and Jack down by the stairs.

CHARLIE: She grinned slightly watching Dean try to defend himself on the pigeon matter. Honestly, they weren't all that different from the demon siblings. Charlie had seen her fair share of weird arguments in that family. "It's nothing too fancy like the bunker," she assured Jack when he asked about her office. "But it's an easy place to find me if you ever need me. Zatanna here also runs a magic shop across the street if you ever find yourself in need," she smiled. It was best that Jack know about some of the safe locations here in town in case he ever found himself in need of a place to duck and take shelter. Her features brightened when Sam said Bells was good. She wished Bells was here to hear that. They often needed reassurance that they were still good despite what God deemed them to be. And she was glad Sam could still see the good in Bells despite everything that happened. She felt herself flush at Dean's comments. She reminded herself to keep him and Cupid as far away from each other as possible tonight. She didn't think she could handle them both in the same room. "We'll be down there soon," Charlie promised. She was relieved when Zatanna took the reigns and ushered them toward the stairs. The reaper smiled and gave the magician a small fanfare of applause as she made Dean's knife disappear. It was probably for the best she held onto that for the night. There was a 50/50 shot Maze was manning the bar tonight and very few things (especially weapons) escaped Maze's attention. As they disappeared, Charlie took Sam's hand and guided him through the crowd and toward the balcony. She waved and nodded to several demon staff members as they greeted her with curious looks. She found a small private corner on the balcony away from the demons and the party. It was beautiful and quite out here; like a frozen moment in time. She took a deep breath and looked at Sam. "You shouldn't be here," she began. "It's not safe, Sam."

DEAN: "It was a rat with wings and a death wish. Defecating on baby like that," he shook his head. While he respected the peace here, his car was out of the question. It should honestly be considered another Winchester and therefore subject to the shaky peace ordnance. He groaned when Zatanna fed the fire about this tie. She had to be doing this on purpose. She had eyes. There was no way she could convince him this looked good, but he let it go. It seemed to make both Jack and Sam happy so he couldn't complain. "Alright, alright," he held up his hands. He wasn't about to ruin a chance for him and Jack to meet Batman. He'd have to fill Jack in on the details on their way down. His knowledge of pop culture was about as shaky as Castiel's. "Have fun you crazy kids. We'll be here for a while if you decide to go home." He meant if Sam decided to go home with Charlie. She seemed keen on getting him alone. "Anyway, Batman is the coolest of the Justice League," he explained to Jack on their way toward the bar. He was too excited to notice Zatanna managed to swipe his knife. She was more like Rowena than he'd thought.

JACK: He grinned at that. How could he not? Sam called this Belphegor good and said they reminded him of Jack. He thought Jack was good. It was something tiny, and little, but it was a nice warm reminder that quenched his darker fears. Rowena... Jack wondered how she was doing. He hadn't seen her in so long, not since he lacked a soul. He'd be curious to see how the witch was fairing. Well, that was long into the future most likely. He doubted he'd be seeing anyone from his and Sam's original universe any time soon. It couldn't hurt to hope though. "Have fun Sam," He grinned at his pseudo dad, genuinely meaning it. He could see how the younger Winchester's demeanor changed in light of this woman, Charlie. She seemed quite nice and she made Sam happy. That was all Jack needed to see. He hoped the two had a good time together, and maybe Sam's not girlfriend would become his not-not-girlfriend. "You as well," She seemed nice, and Dean seemed to like her a lot as well. Though her eyes didn't meet her smile completely, perhaps she was worried about something? Hopefully the party could distract her from that for a bit, Jack knew he liked a good distraction when worries were atop his shoulders. "Thank you Zatanna." He expressed joyfully, hand upon his carefully chosen tie (carefully chosen, read: it was a pretty color).

He listened as Charlie spoke about her office and Zatanna's magic shop, they both sounded like interesting places he was eager to take a look at. "Thank you." He said. "I'd love to see them both someday." Hopefully sooner than later, it wasn't like he had much going on besides hunts. "Who's Bruce?" He asked curiously as he followed after Dean and Zatanna. "Is he a friend of yours?" Another hunter perhaps? "The... Justice League..." Jack grimaced, wishing he understood the reference Dean seemed so excited about. He searched his brain, only to remember their prior mention, he could at least infer they were a group of people in this world. Important people, considering Dean was so excited.

LOCATION: BALCONY AT LUX

SAM: It was good to have Charlie's hand in his as she guided him to the balcony, not because of anything romantic like Cupid and Dean would probably try to imply or even because Sam didn't actually know where the balcony was in this place (He'd avoided it like the plague because Lucifer and other demons were here, so this was his first time being inside Lux.). Holding her hand like this just assured him that his vision hadn't happened, at least not yet. She was alive, not bleeding out, even if the hallucinations of his Lucifer continued to follow them around, adding the word yet to every time he thought about how nothing bad had happened to her. He tried not to look at anyone as Charlie pulled him along. He only glanced at the photo booth for a second as they walked past it, and a splitting migraine went through his head. He used his free hand to put pressure on it, but that never stopped the images that came through before. The girl who was playing dress-up with Cupid over there was in this one. Only in his vision, the plastic reaper scythe that she'd been holding was a lot more real. There was nothing around her, just a vast emptiness. He didn't really know what that one was supposed to mean, but he didn't have a good feeling about it and didn't have much time to process it as the moved on. He didn't have to look up to know which people were demons. He could feel it pulling at him. One demon even had a small cut that he could practically smell. There really was something wrong with him. He really wondered why Charlie wanted to bother helping him sometimes. Didn't she see the wrongness?

Her words reigned his focus back to her. "I know," he says, and he does know. He didn't want to be here either. It's obvious to them both that he's struggling, but he looks at her, his vision overlapping with reality. He can see the blood covering her dress, her face contorted in pain. Sam has to remove his mask because he's sweating too much. "Jack wanted to come," he explains weakly. It's not a lie. Jack had been excited about the idea of going to the party. It might've seemed suspicious if Sam told him he couldn't go, but Sam could've come up with something to excuse it. The fact that the place was full of demons and Lucifer wasn't just a problem because of Sam's demon blood addiction that Jack and Dean didn't know about. They would've understood if Sam just didn't want Jack surrounded by that many demons or that close to Lucifer when they didn't trust him yet. He knew that saying Jack wanted to come wasn't a good enough reason for him to be here, so he sighed. "I'm okay." He assured her. Now that was an even bigger lie. A good ole Winchester lie. "I can handle it." That was at least a little closer to the truth. He would really struggle here, but there was a strong possibility that he'd be able to handle it simply because he wasn't here for himself but for her. "I had a bad feeling." Closer Samuel. So so so close to the truth. "You're not hurt at all are you?"

CHARLIE: His complexion was so pale and there was so much pain behind his eyes she had to squeeze his hand to reassure herself that his death hadn't moved up. Thankfully, it hadn't. "Hey..." she whispered softly as she ushered him to a seat on a marble bench. She sat beside him, tucking her legs under herself so that she could better reach him as she placed a chilled water bottle against his temples to make some of the pain go away. She had swiped the bottle from a demon who was carrying them on a tray on her way out here. Her brows furrowed at his explanation that he was here because Jack was here. "Sam, you can't protect Jack if you're off the wagon or dead," she chided gently. That was exactly the risk he was putting himself by being here. She didn't think anything bad would happen to Jack tonight. Based on Lucifer's reaction earlier, he had no idea who or what Jack was. And even if he did he wasn't that kind of angel. "If he wants to stay at the party then Dean and I can watch him." She paused for a moment. "Better yet, Zatanna and I can watch both of them." That was probably a better plan. She looked at him in a disbelieving way when he said that he was okay. He was so far from okay. If it weren't for the fact that a mask covered half his features back there, Dean likely would've busted him. "I know you can handle it, but at what cost?" She knew his hallucination had to be here tonight. It was probably living for this. The mental strain that it alone would put on him not just tonight but in the coming nights wasn't worth it. She nodded, realization dawning on her face when he said he had a bad feeling. She spent a week in his body - long enough for her to have similar feelings about certain situations. Charlie took off her mask and set it aside before standing up so that he could fully see her in the twinkle of fairy lights. "I'm okay, see." She spun around to show him. "Just some fancy lace work and some tulle. Why? What did you see?"

SAM: Sam was glad for the seat as she moved him towards it. In the presence of all these demons, his legs felt wobbly, and it had honestly been a miracle that he'd played it off so well in the foyer. Now that it was just him and Charlie (There was another couple out here with them, but they were on opposite ends of the balcony.), he felt like he didn't have to hide how much he was struggling. The water bottle was cool against his forehead, but it didn't do much to fight off this feeling. He pulled out his flask, taking just a small swig of it, just enough to help him get through this. He was careful not to spill a drop, both because it would be a waste and because he didn't want to risk anyone randomly popping in and seeing what he was drinking. Charlie probably knew without seeing what was inside of it. They were trying to get him off of this, but going cold turkey wasn't as easy as it sounded. He sighed. "I know, but it's not just about protecting him. It's about being there for him. He was dead before. Not the heaven or hell kind. He was in the Empty. Like Cupid was, and the only people he knows here are me and Dean." Technically Dean wasn't even their same Dean, but he still counted to Sam. Sam was pretty sure he counted to Jack too. "I just don't want him to be alone in any of this. I know I can't be there for him if I die, but this . . . disease in me could kill me too for all I know." Right now, he already felt like he was dying, but that was neither here nor there. "I've gotta be there for him as much as possible in case something happens." He'd suggested Jack being his reason before mainly to avoid the truth, but all of this was true too. He'd felt abandoned by his own parents. He didn't want Jack to feel the same way about him. "Besides, I'm here now. Leaving might seem suspicious." And if he stayed, he could hopefully make sure nothing bad happened to Charlie, the real reason for his concerns. .

"A cost I'm willing to pay," he answered quietly. If he could just help at least a few people, help her, wasn't that worth it? He could deal with hallucinations torturing him for a few more hours as long as she was okay. She would've been right, that she looked totally okay . . . if it were for anyone else. Hallucifer stood next to her as she spun around, admiring her. When she finally stopped spinning, he hooked an arm around her. Now, where was that injury. I was thinking it was . . . here? He held a knife in front of her and jabbed it in. Sam flinched as he saw blood starting to cover her dress. "Stop," he told the hallucination as if it would listen to him, forgetting for a minute that Charlie couldn't see what he saw. "He, uh, I . . ." Sam rubbed his hand down his face before clasping his hands together. He put pressure on his hand harder and harder until the hallucination disappeared. "Is there anyone here who you don't get along with?" he asked instead of answering her question.

CHARLIE: The worry was clear on her face as he took a sip from the flask. She knew what was in there and it was dangerous to have that when both Dean and a whole bunch of demons were here. It was moments like this when she was relieved she could sense deaths. While he looked like death, she was certain his death wasn't happening tonight. She believed him when he said he could handle it, but why was he putting himself through this? It had to feel like torture. She could understand why he wanted to be here for Jack. She didn't know what the Empty was like in his universe, but it didn't sound like a pleasant place overall. It was probably as scary for Jack as it had been for Cupid. "It's okay to miss a party here and there," she reassured him. "It doesn't make you a bad parent. Jack's a good kid, he'll make plenty of friends here. Probably with Bells and Cupid which I don't think either of us are ready for," she smiled softly as she tried to lighten the mood a bit. It was the nature of addiction. There was a self-blame component to it, but at this point he had no control over it. What started out as a choice was now a compulsion he had to fight with daily. "There will be plenty more parties like this and you'll be there for those." She hoped that to be true. She still hadn't been able to locate Az yet to ask for a pardon, but she hadn't given up hope yet. At the end of the day, Charlie controlled life and death. She never abused that power - there were consequences to that - but she could control it. She could bring him back. Her cheeks burned scarlet for a moment. She couldn't believe she was considering cheating death, but here she was. "I'm not so sure leaving would be that suspicious. I'm pretty sure it's exactly what Dean expects you to do," she pointed out but left out the part where Dean was clearly hoping Sam would leave with her tonight. She was hoping the same but for entirely different reasons.

Her brows furrowed when he ordered someone to stop. It wasn't her - he didn't use that tone with her. She imagined it was the hallucination of Lucifer. It was tricky not being able to see what he saw. At least with Bells she could hear the void and work around it. She had no idea what Sam's hallucinations were doing to him. “Hey, it’s okay...” she reassured him as she took a seat on the bench again. “Will you let me try something?” she asked as she held out her hand to him. “It might help.” She thought for a moment when he asked her if she had any enemies here tonight. She shook her head and glanced in the direction of the party. “These people are my friends. The only one who’d want to hurt me is Aamon and he’s in hell. None of his demons are working the party. Lucifer doesn’t trust them at the moment.” Things in hell were getting bad. Real bad. “And William,” her free hand protectively wrapped itself around her abdomin, fingers tracing a nearly invisible scar. “He’s in hell too. Lucifer’s kingdom. He’s not getting out.” Her gaze turned back to Sam. It hadn’t escaped her that he was evading her initial question. “There’s a very limited pool of things that can harm me. I’m okay, really.”

SAM: She didn't have to say anything for him to know what she was thinking. "I'm being careful," he reassured her, even if it'd be more careful if he hadn't come at all, but he felt justified in what he was doing. If she was in his shoes, he couldn't imagine her not doing the same thing for someone she cared about. "Not this soon after he just got here," Sam pointed out. "He's struggling with some things that happened before he died. I'm pretty sure he's still worried that we might resent him or consider him some kind of monster because of it." He was almost like a combination of Cupid and Belphegor's most recent traumas. "Maybe them all being friends will be good for them," he thought aloud. Trauma wasn't a good thing to have, but it was oddly relieving when you weren't the only one who felt a certain way because of it. His lips pursed together into a smile as she tried to assure him that he'd be there for more parties. "I guess you'd know with your whole . . . reaper tingle thing," he joked. If she wasn't feeling one of those around him, he must've really been fine. It was even more reason to be here though. If he wasn't going to die soon, he might as well stick around to make sure she didn't either. "Yeah, but I already told him that wasn't going to happen. He said if I left, he'd take off the tie, and Jack loves that thing." It was mainly a joke, but even so, it added to the amount of excuses Sam had to stay here with her. He'd told her the same thing, that it was okay- That he was okay, but clearly he wasn't. He hoped she knew that he hadn't been trying to snap at her. She'd dealt with these hallucinations herself, so she probably did. He looked at her outstretched hand, afraid for a second that it would turn into something else before he could reach it, but he took it gently. He didn't even need to hear that it might help before he agreed with a nod of his head. "Yeah, go ahead." .

He looked back at the party with her. It was hard for him to imagine someone wanting to hurt her, but this was a place full of demons. They weren't exactly all good-natured people. "Is it possible that any of them might have infiltrated the ranks of Lucifer's demons. Could he have spies here somehow?" He wouldn't put it past the demon, not when Charlie's life was on the line. As her hands moved towards her abdomen, he felt a sense of panic increasing in him. "When's the last time someone checked to make sure he was still there?" Fear creeped into his voice as he finally mustered the strength to tell her the truth. He owed her that much. He was nearly ready to throw away everything they'd worked towards just because of this vision, so she deserved to know what it was. "I saw you in a vision, wearing this dress, covered in blood that came from right where you're holding your hand." The concern in his eyes was as strong as the concern in his voice. "Are you sure he's still in Hell?"

CHARLIE: "If this is careful, I'd really hate to see what reckless looks like," she laughed. She was sure he was being as careful as he could be under these circumstances but if found by Maze, the combination of a demon killing knife and demon blood would be a death sentence (and maybe not even a quick one at that). Just because she didn't sense his death looming tonight didn't mean he wouldn't potentially get into trouble. Maze liked to take her time with torture. Charlie couldn't sense torture, just death. "Jack knows you love him. His entire spirit practically lights up around you," she smiled. Sam's spirit lifted around Jack too. It was nice to see Sam genuinely happy for once. They had a lot to talk about regarding how Jack got here, but she'd save that for another time and place. "Yeah, maybe," she smiled, glancing back at the party. She'd seen Bells and Cupid down by the photo booth on their way to the balcony. They were both good people, a little reckless at times just like Sam was now, but good people nonetheless. They would look after Jack not just because he was important to Sam but because he was good people too. She tried to maintain a positive air as Sam joked about the reaper tingle. She didn't want to tell him she felt it that night she'd gone to check on him. Telling people about their deaths was a delicate matter. It was generally frowned upon to warn people because warning alone could move the death up. She wanted to tell him, but she was worried that fact alone would make him lose hope and that he wouldn't see the point in continuing if he knew he would die soon. She was supposed to be neutral in the matter but she found it hard to do that with Sam. "Dean's all bark and no bite when it comes to these things," she smiled. He liked to complain loudly about these things, but she knew he'd keep the tie on because it made Jack happy. In the end, he just wanted them both happy.

She took his outstretched hand; it practically enveloped hers. "You're gonna feel this a little," she warned as she placed her free hand atop the pressure point he used to make the hallucinations go away. Charlie's eyes fogged over to a misty white as she tapped into her death touch. She applied a gentle pressure, not enough to kill him or even put him in a coma but enough to shock his system and hopefully make the hallucination go away. She quickly released the pressure and her eyes fixed back to their brown hues. "Is he gone?" she asked. She'd never done that before but she figured it couldn't hurt to try. She thought for a moment when he asked if Aamon's demons might've infiltrated Lucifer's ranks. She couldn't know for sure. Reapers were supposed to stay out of these things. "It's possible, but it's also ballsy." She could hear panic and fear dancing on his lips when he asked her about Will. She moved her hands away from her abdomen and took Sam's hand once again to assure him that she was okay. "Will hurt me a lot when I was alive but I'm a lot stronger than him now." Truthfully it had been a while since she asked one of the Princes to check on his status. She didn't like giving the asshole the kind of ego boost of knowing he still scared her from time to time. She let out a small breath when Sam told her about his vision. It was ironic in a way. If it was true then he'd sensed the death of a reaper. Her death. "How certain are you of this vision?" she asked. She knew from experience that visions were hard to interpret them sometimes. "Are you sure it's not just the past and the future melting into one? The wound you saw...it's how I died, past tense of the word. I was stabbed and left bleeding. It was around this time of the year too, actually, November the 2nd. My birthday." And her death day.

SAM: "Yeah, you really would." He laughed. He knew his own version of reckless, and it could get pretty bad. It was the kind of recklessness that made him try to make deals with demons. He'd gotten this addiction back even after knowing what it did to him simply to find his brother again, and look where that got him. His recklessness brought on even worse recklessness, and he hoped that she never had to see her at his most desperate. "You think so?" he asked uncertainly. Sam had always tried to be there for Jack from the very beginning, even if Dean had been hesitant about having the son of Lucifer around them. If anyone should've been skeptical of Jack, it was Sam. With everything Lucifer had done to him, he would've had every reason to not want someone born from Lucifer to live any longer, but Sam recognized the significance of the fact that you weren't what you were born as. You were the sum of your actions. If Sam could be a person with demon blood in his body and still be seen as good, so could Jack. He had tried to reassure both Jack and Dean of that fact constantly. "I'm glad it does then." He knew she was right about Dean. Sam knew better than most people about his brother, but he was just trying to use that as an excuse anyways. Dean might've made a show about wanting to be rid of the tie, but he wouldn't take it off when Jack was so happy about it. "Might be better to not take my chances with it though. Wouldn't want to be too *reckless *about it," he said teasingly.

He didn't know what to expect with her hand in his, but he didn't doubt her for a second. He'd never seen her do something like this, but he was mesmerized by the way her eyes changed. He wondered if that's what he'd been doing when he was in her body. It wasn't like he really ever saw himself that often. He felt a pained pressure inside him. It made him feel weighed down and heavy, like he could've passed out, but it didn't go that far. He squeezed her hand a little tighter just as a reflex, his eyes tightening a little too. He only opened them again when he heard her voice. It was like it pulled him out of a thick fog. Her eyes were back to their normal color, reflecting the lights around them. He almost forgot why she'd attempted this and almost asked her who *he *was. "Oh," he looked around them. "Yeah, he's gone. What did you do exactly?" "And do you think he *wouldn't *do something that ballsy?" he asked. From what he'd heard, he had already done a lot of ballsy things. Would it really be that unlikely that he would do something like this too? It was better to consider every possibility and be prepared for all of it. They carried a whole arsenal in the trunk of their car just because they never knew what they might end up dealing with. They tried to be prepared to deal with anything and everything. He felt bad for bringing up Will from the way that it looked like just talking about him hurt her, but he was just trying to make sure she was safe. Her hands in his was a comfort but didn't take his fears away. He frowned. "I don't know," he said quietly. It was possible that it hadn't been a vision at all. Maybe it was just a hallucination that was tormenting him, trying to get him to go to a place where he knew demons would be just so he would have access to more demon blood. His hallucinations were just a part of his subconscious. They could easily fool him into thinking they were just his visions. He hoped that's what it was, but he didn't believe it. .

"I don't really ever get visions of the past," he explained. He'd only ever had visions of the future. "I've seen visions of other universes before, one's that Chuck started and abandoned." He still had nightmares about those sometimes, even after the bullet wound was gone. "But I couldn't have had any way to know about where that wound was." Maybe that wasn't entirely. Maybe it was possible that he'd felt the scar there when he was in her body or maybe just having her senses of death just clued him onto it without him realizing it, but he felt so sure that this wasn't just a thing of the past. Even if it had happened in the past, it was going to happen again. November 2nd. Wasn't that just poetic? He glanced upward, as if Chuck might've still been around, messing with him. Of course she died on November 2nd, the same day that his mother had died, the same day that Jessica had died. Were all the women he ever loved going to die on that day? That day was coming up soon. He felt like it was even more important to stay close to Charlie now to make sure he didn't wake up to find her burning on his ceiling too. He held both of her hands in his own, squeezing them a little. "Please," he said desperately. "Just trust me on this. I don't know why or how, but this is going to happen if we don't do something about it."

CHARLIE: "Can't be anymore reckless than dying for someone you love," she smiled softly, glancing toward the photo booth where she'd last seen Cupid and Bells. Watching over them prepared her for just about any level of recklessness. She turned her attention back to Sam, still smiling. "I mean, Cupid can tell you for sure what Jack's aura looks like around you and what it means, but you don't need Cupid's powers to see just how much he loves you. He thinks the world of you and he's not wrong in that. You are a good person and you're trying your best. Just like he is too." Even if Jack ever found out the extent of what Sam was going through, she thought he would be proud of his father for trying so hard to get better. Charlie knew she was proud of Sam every day. She could see how hard this all was on both his body and his mentality, but he didn't give up or give in. That was strength. He was one of the strongest humans she knew. "You're right," she smiled softly, looking in the direction of the bar when he made a quip about Dean. "Wouldn't want to give him any wrong ideas." As if Dean hadn't already come up with a bunch on his own. It was easier that way though. Dean asked fewer questions when he thought his brother was just trying to pursue a relationship. In fact, he seemed to encourage it. They all did. She sometimes wondered what would become of her and Sam once he got through this (and he would get through this. She knew he would.) Would he still stay in touch? Would he still come by the manor to work on some of the endless projects there? Would they go on a proper outing or drift apart like two ships in the night? She couldn't imagine the latter. Picturing life without him was hard because it felt like he belonged there, like he'd always belonged there.

She continued to hold his hand, running her thumb across the back of it as he reacquainted himself with the present. Her smile warmed when he mentioned the hallucination was gone. So, it worked. That was good to know. The hallucination would probably come back later and be cross with her, but for now at least they were alone and Sam could think without interruptions or commentary from the darker parts of his mind. "I used death touch. A very small, very controlled amount to shock your system. It's not an exact science so I'm not sure how much time will lapse before he comes back but at least it's quieter now," she grinned. "And at least we know that it worked." She took a deep breath. He was right, she couldn't say for sure Aamon wouldn't do something as ballsy as infuriating Lucifer's ranks. "If we're going with the theme of recklessness, you're right. He's got an endless supply of it." Aamon didn't like being told what to do, and she was sure it stung more being told exactly what to do by his younger brother. Charlie liked to think she was a relatively small fish on Aamon's radar, but then again she did come to this thing with the devil himself. She had access most people didn't.

She nodded as he explained that he generally didn't have visions of the past. The visions of other universes was interesting. She wondered if he could feel the differences in those visions. It didn't matter whether he'd seen the future, the past, an entirely different universe, or if it had all been a hallucination. Charlie could see the concern in his eyes was real and that was good enough for her. "I trust you," she nodded. "And I believe you. We can tell the others that there was a break in at the manor," she suggested. It happened from time to time especially during this time of the year because the neighborhood kids thought it was haunted. "And that we need to leave to check on the property." It didn't really matter what Charlie and Sam told the others; they would ultimately make up their own minds about why the two of them left the party. "You saw me at this party, in this dress, bleeding out. That can't happen if I'm not here for it to happen. So, we leave and we go anywhere really. The bunker, the manor, my apartment," she shrugged. Anywhere but here was good.

SAM: He chuckled awkwardly as he thought of plenty of more reckless things he and Dean had done in the past besides just dying for each other or people they loved. "I dunno. There's worse things than death." He nudged her gently with his elbow. "I mean, you're alright," he teased. If he did die anytime soon, he was glad to know that she'd be the death entity who would be taking him to Hell. It'd give him one nice moment before endless years of torture, assuming that Dean didn't do something Winchester Dumb and tried to find a way to get him out again. He smiled a little more when she talked about how much Jack loved him. Jack feeling and being loved was important to Sam, and if he felt that way towards him, he had to feel loved. Sam didn't know if saying he was a good person was entirely true, but he appreciated the sentiment. "Or make any of his current ideas worse than they are. It kind of makes me wonder if he'll stop with those kinds of ideas once he finds out what we've really been doing. I'll probably even miss it." Sam liked to act like he was annoyed with Dean teasing him about his relationship with Charlie, but really, he enjoyed it and found it amusing. It was the kind of petty sibling squabbles that made things seem just a little bit normal, and while Dean was teasing him, Sam knew that he didn't entirely hate him like he probably would once he found out the truth. "At least you'll still be around to make fun of me for other things, right?" he joked. She didn't pick on him in the same way Dean did, but their conversations could be playful enough to brighten his days too. Her smile was contagious, even if he didn't entirely understand how doing what she did fixed things like that. "Whenever they come up again, I know who to look for." He leaned in closer to her. "Thank you," he said before wrapping her in a tight hug. He couldn't be more grateful for something like this, to just have someone quiet the voices of Lucifer in his head. .

He nodded. He wasn't surprised that he was right about Aamon. He didn't entirely remember everything about how the ranks of angels and demons worked in this universe, but he was pretty sure he could understand what Aamon was like just from what she'd told him about the demon so far. For her sake, he didn't want to be right. He didn't want any harm to come to her, by him or anyone else, but he did want to make sure they had all their bases covered to make sure she could be protected against any threat. He sighed in relief when she said she trusted him. Her trust was all he really needed from her right now. It was like when Gabriel had put him in an endless loop of Dean dying over and over and over again, and he just needed his brother to trust him to get him out alive. Now, he needed her trust to get her out alive too, and she gave it to him easily. Sam didn't think the details of their reason for leaving really mattered. No matter what Sam told Dean, all he would hear was that he was leaving with Charlie, which was fine. Dean could think whatever he wanted as long as he didn't know the actual truth. "We should probably get you out of the dress while we're at it too," he pointed out. He wasn't entirely sure that the vision had been here at the party, but she had been in that dress. He wanted to make sure they took every precaution to avert this vision. "Oh, and get you into something else," he clarified, his cheeks flushing red as he realized the implications of what he'd just said. "Into some other clothes, I mean."

CHARLIE: "You're right. There's always taxes and that's arguably more terrifying than I am," she grinned before breaking into a laugh. "Well, I'll be damned. We need to make amends to my headstone pronto. Here lies Charlotte Sinclair: She's alright." It was so easy to laugh with him despite the stress, fear, and anxiety. It felt natural - like they'd already spent a lifetime playfully at each other's side. "Ah, Dean," she glanced back toward the party. "If we play our cards right he'll never know what's really been going on. We're pretty convincing," she smiled up at him, leaving it vague again as to which part of their lie was convincing: the renovation or the pursuit of something that felt like home. "Oh, I'm not going anywhere. Life, death, afterlife...I'll be there. That's kinda the cool think when you're friends with death," she winked. "I think you're gonna be stuck with Cupid and Bells too. Bells already took on your last name the last time I had them sign their payroll paperwork," she laughed. She felt butterflies as he moved closer to her. For a moment she thought he was going to...no, he didn't. She smiled nevertheless as she felt his arms wrap around her. She closed her eyes and held onto him tightly for a moment. Despite the cold autumn air she felt warm and safe with him. She stayed silent for a moment and let him enjoy the comfort of being alone without the darkest parts of his mind interrupting. "You aren't the only one who can scare away things that go bump in the night," she smiled softly. "I'm happy to be a night light."

She was a melody of smiles and laughs as Sam pointed out that she should probably ditch the dress as it was in his vision too. "Not a fan of frilly skirts?" she quipped as she stood up from the bench and held her hand out to him to help him up as well. She knew well what he meant. "I say you count your blessings Dean wasn't here for that one. I think I have some clothes back at the manor." Out of the three locations, the manor was the most out of the way. It would be the safest place if something was supposed to happen in New York tonight. "We can stop by the bunker too if you need to grab some things. If I remember Belphegor's ranking system, suits rate pretty low on the comfortable to sleep in chart if you plan on staying the night." She knew he likely wasn't going anywhere until morning when he knew she was safe.

SAM: He winced jokingly. "Yeah, those are . . . yikes." As hunters, Sam and Dean never really had to deal with taxes like most people did. They didn't have regular jobs exactly and tended to make a living off of credit card fraud, poker, and pool. Sam, out of the two of them, probably had to deal with taxes more. After all, he ran away when he was younger and tried foolishly to lead a normal life. If he was lucky, which he wasn't, maybe he'd be able to try something like that again. "So yours gets to say She's alright. While mine gets to say Always happy to help?" He recalled her saying something like that when he'd been drunk, though it was a little foggy. "I think I got gypped. I at least deserve a headstone as good as the Charlotte Sinclair, who is much more than alright." "I wouldn't underestimate him though," Sam warned her. He didn't like the way that sounded, like Dean was somehow an enemy they were fighting against, but really what he meant was that Dean was pretty damn smart when it came to figuring out things like this. Dean knew Sam well, so he'd be most likely to notice something out of place. Sam was lucky he hadn't had any visions around his brother. Dean would recognize what those were and probably suspect something. "I think I'm going to tell him," he decided. "Not now, not until we get everything fixed, but eventually, I'll tell him." Sam didn't want Dean to find out from anyone else but him. Dean could be mad. He could punch Sam if he was angry enough, but Sam just wanted to fix this on his own without it affecting Dean first. Her playful tone pulled him out of more serious thoughts that were better saved for the future. "So you'll visit me even after I die?" He joked. "What did I do to deserve this kind of special treatment?" If anything, he owed her more than she owed him. "Why would they do that?" he laughed. "I just hope they aren't going to nearly die that often," not that he had very much room to talk. .

"Well, usually, we don't just scare them," he pointed out before releasing her from the hug. Hunting was a lot of killing, and scaring the things that went bump in the night was more because of their reputation than anything. Plus, half the monsters considered them idiots too just because of the amount of stupid things they did in protection of one another. "Aw. You're my favorite night light though," he joked, squeezing her side playfully. The blush hadn't quite left his face, but he was smiling at least now. "As long as we can keep my vision from happening, I think you look breathtaking in it," he said honestly. If it weren't for what his vision showed and the fact that this building was full of demons, he might've asked her to dance. He took her hand, letting her help him stand up. "Yeah," he laughed. "He'd never let me hear the end of it. I better tell him we're leaving though." He'd be thrilled to hear that. "Yeah, I can pick up some clothes there before we go to the manor." He could also gather more weapons that he could use to keep her safe. "Once this is all over, I can take you somewhere, preferably without demons, so you can actually dance in your dress," he offered.

CHARLIE: "It would be your luck that the IRS comes for you before death does," she laughed as she gently nudged him with her elbow. Her grin widened as he echoed the words she'd said to him that night. "I'd say Always Happy to Help still holds up. That's why you're here risking everything so that you could help a friend." It was so like Sam that she couldn't even be upset with him for it. She nodded when he remarked that it was best not to underestimate Dean. Dean knew Sam better than most people, even if this Dean was from another universe entirely. She could tell by the way Dean encouraged Sam to pursue this that he just wanted his brother to be happy. Truthfully, she felt bad keeping this from Dean, but she was also aware she didn't fully know the extent of Sam and Dean's relationship. It was chaotic and unpredictable at best and sometimes Sam even seemed to be afraid of his brother, or at least afraid of what his brother would think of him. She wasn't sure what it was rooted in or what happened between them the first time Sam fell off the wagon, she could respect Sam's wish to keep this between them. "I think telling him is good," she nodded. "It's better he hear it from you then from someone else. Whatever happened between you two the first time...it doesn't have to happen like that again," she reassured him. "Well, I do have an all access pass to just about every afterlife out there. I might as well use it to see an old friend," she smiled. "I can fill you in on all of Belphegor and Cupid's antics while we take a walk around Tartarus or something," she joked. "Bells likes to take on the names of people that are important to them. It's a small and exclusive list, and you, my dear, are on it. It also means that at some point you may get a call from the police station to bail them out of jail," she laughed. "The fact that in all the years they've been with Cupid, they've only gotten close to death once is shocking in and of itself," she pointed out.

"Usually, I don't either," she pointed out. Although she didn't see herself as a scary thing, there were people that were scared of the concept of her. She was the inevitable end of ones life and the start of their afterlife. Dying was a scary experience no matter where your soul was set to go. "I guess we're both things that go bump in the night to certain people." She smiled as he gave her another reassuring squeeze. If she was a night light then surely he had to be the moon. The way his smile lit up the night made most of her fears disappear. She wasn't going to get eaten by any wolves tonight. The moon would make sure of that. "Thank you," she smiled, rosy colors rushing to her cheeks. "You clean up pretty well yourself. Goofy tie and all," she adjusted the tie as he stood before looking back toward the party. "Yeah, I need to tell Cupid and Bells I'm leaving too. And I need to ask Maze to keep an eye on them," she made a face. Maze wasn't going to like that request, but Charlie was sure she'd budge. She and Dean shared very similar ideas of what they thought was going on. Her hands stopped fidgeting for a moment when he offered to take her dancing after all of this was over. "Yeah?" she grinned and it was as if her whole being brightened all at once. "I'd like that a lot," she nodded. For a moment it felt like the center of gravity had shifted, pulling her closer and closer to him. She felt herself standing on tip toes as her lips inched closer to his, but before they could meet a clock tower rang out in the distance and the gravity shifted again as if to remind them that time was of the essence. "We better go," she replied, her voice a whisper. She took a step back and pulled her mask on over her head again before holding out her hand to him. It was time to return back to the party, if only briefly, to stay goodbye.

SAM: "I'd really rather have death," he chuckled. "You do qualify as more than just a friend though," he pointed out before adding onto that. "I mean, you're important to a lot of people here. I'm some guy from another universe. Anything happens to you, a lot more people are going to be affected and hurt by that." Plus, she was more than just a friend to him too, but he wasn't really sure what category she fell into. She was his close friend, his confidant, his reaper, his savior. He would say he owed his life to her if his soul wasn't already going to end up in her possession when he died. Sam nodded. He knew that telling Dean wouldn't be easy, but it had to be done. Just not now. "I hope you're right." He knew it wouldn't happen exactly the same way as before. At least he hoped that it wouldn't, but after everything they'd been through since then, maybe Dean would be able to understand more, even if he would obviously be disappointed in him. That was a given. "That sounds nice." He smiled at the thought of that. Sam already didn't have much problem with dying. He was accepting of it, but the thought that Charlie would still come to see him no matter where he went was a relief. He could still have something to look forward to, even after death. He couldn't help laughing at that. "If that's the case, maybe they deserve the Winchester name. Dying and nearly dying over and over is kind of a Winchester tradition," he said as if he were just joking.

Sam didn't think that was such a good thing in his own case. Especially since he was probably the thing that went bump in the night to the demons of this world when he wasn't supposed to be doing things like that. He was lucky that they hadn't found out who he was, and he was reminded again how very close he was to a bunch of demons. Charlie's presence helped to distract him at least. Her smile was easy enough to focus on. He chuckled, looking down at his tie. "It is a pretty great tie." He grinned. He felt like it reflected how much he cared for Jack, and that, in and of itself, made it great. "Good, so you can keep her distracted while I talk to Dean." Most of the demons here hadn't really come up to talk to Sam, but Charlie had told him how Maze might try to approach him. He'd held him back so far. He didn't want to screw up just because she wanted to get a closer look at him. Her smile was as bright as the sun. It burned away any guilt he'd felt for taking her away from a party like this, but like she said, there would be more parties for them to go to. If taking her to go dancing made her smile like that, he'd take her to a thousand more. "Then it's a date," he smiled. His heartbeat sped up as they inched closer together. If he wanted to, he could've just closed the distance right then and there, but the sound of the clock tower startled him out of his thoughts. "Mmhmm," he agreed, unable to really form words as she took a step back from him and put her mask back on. He did the same. He took her hand and let her walk a little before he pulled back on her hand a little. "Charlie, wait," he said, gently tugging her back to him. "Thank you for believing me," he said before kissing her forehead. "I couldn't do this without you."

CHARLIE: "Guess that's the reckless side of you," she smiled. She felt her face getting hot again when he replied that she was more than a friend. That had so many connotations, both romantic, platonic, and professional. It was funny how one event had entangled them like this. "You're not just some guy from some universe. You're Sam Winchester. You saved Cupid from eternal death and you stopped the world from being consumed by Belphegor's grief. And tonight, you're going to save death from dying. I'd say that's pretty powerful," she grinned. She might've been important to a lot of people with a lot of power, but he was important to her. He was here for her and there was nothing more reassuring than that.

"Oh, yes, Tartarus is lovely this time of year," she laughed. "Shame it's not open right now. That afterlife is on a bit of a lockdown, but you won't be visiting it tonight and neither will I." Whatever reapings might come up tonight, it could wait. "Belphegor Winchester," she grinned. "Hell help us, it does have a certain ring to it."

"It really is," she smiled, remembering Jack's mismatched outfit. "I can't wait to see what you two pull for Thanksgiving and Christmas." She wanted him to know she would be there. Tonight would pass and she would still be there in the morning. "I can keep Maze occupied," she nodded. "Just...keep the blade out of view. I feel like she has a sixths sense about knives. It's a good thing Zatanna took your brothers. I think I saw Maze tending the bar." Which was directly where Dean was going.

"It's a date," she grinned. She didn't know when all of this would be over. There was always one thing or another to work on. They were still working toward getting him clean and sober and that would be ongoing even after tonight. She didn't care how long they'd have to wait, at least they had something to look forward to. For all that it mattered, she could put the dress on tomorrow morning and they could dance in the kitchen while they waited for breakfast. The time and the place didn't matter; just being with him mattered. She held onto him as he pulled her back for a moment. She closed her eyes and breathed him in deeply. If she could hold on any tighter she would've. "I'll always believe in you, Sam. I'm glad you chose to fight this with me." When she'd told him that night that he deserved a chance to live, she hadn't realized that he would become her lifeline too.

She would've been happy to stay like that in his arms for the rest of the night if she could, but she knew they needed to go. Charlie pulled away, but did not let go of his hand as they ventured back into the chaos of the club. She looked toward the photo booth where she'd last seen Cupid and Bells but they weren't there anymore. Her eyes scanned the club and she saw that they were talking to Maze at the bar. "Ah, good, they're all together. This ought to be fun." She wouldn't hear the end of it. She could see Dean and Jack weren't too far from the others, they were hanging out on the other side of the bar. Sam wouldn't hear the end of it either. Charlie made her way down the winding staircase with Sam, waving politely to some of the demonic staff as they waved to her, but not making any stops for small idle chit chat. Cupid, Bells, and Maze were already staring at her by the time she got to the bottom. "Say a prayer for me and I'll say one for you," she laughed. "Meet me back here in ten minutes, yeah?" she squeezed his hand one last time before letting go. She made her way over to the bar just as John left. "Hey guys..." she greeted them. "Nice axes."

SAM: He shrugged. "Maybe." Or maybe he just liked being around her. He wanted to argue that what she was talking about was just part of the job he took on as a hunter. Saving people, hunting things, the family business. He would always be willing to do things like that. She believed in him though, so in the end, his only argument was, "That still can't beat being Charlie Sinclair."

"Good," he smiled, glad to hear that she wouldn't be going there tonight. It might've been a tad overprotective, but he didn't want her to be alone tonight where he couldn't follow her and make sure she was safe. "Hopefully the name doesn't make them worse than they are," he chuckled.

"I think by then, he might learn a few more things about suits and ties." Jack not understanding these things was endearing in its own way, but Sam wanted to make sure he learned about these things too. He nodded. "I'll try to keep a distance as it is." He wasn't intending on letting Maze anywhere near the knife or himself. "I'm glad she distracted him with Bruce too, so we could talk," he chuckled. Sam knew that Dean would've let him be with Charlie by himself, but Bruce could hopefully keep him distracted by the fact that the two of them were alone together.

"It's a date," Sam agreed. "Just don't let Cupid hearing you say that," he teased, though he wasn't dying that what they were suggesting was actually romantic, and Sam had romantic intentions. It just wasn't something that Cupid and Dean needed to get involved with when it hadn't really got anywhere yet. He smiled softly at her when she said she'd always believe in him. It meant a lot to hear that. Charlie saw parts of him that most people didn't and he trusted her implicitly with every secret he had. "I'm glad I chose to stick it out with you too." He didn't know if he would've without her.

As they walked back through the club, Sam barely noticed most of the demons he passed. He knew subconsciously that they were all there, but his addiction to being around Charlie was just as strong and held most of his attention. She was like a shield, blocking off everything bad that could harm him. He was supposed to be keeping her safe tonight, but she made him feel the most safe right now. "Maybe Dean will be focused enough on Bruce that he won't say anything about it," he said hopefully. It was entirely unlikely, but he was foolish enough to hope. "I'm pretty sure if we do that, the angels will definitely hear about that," he teased, nodding as he let go of her hand.

"Hey guys," Sam said as he walked up to the group that Dean was with. It definitely got significantly bigger since Sam had last seen them. He gave a polite smile. "Dean, Jack, I'm heading out, so you don't need to wait up for me." He conveniently left out the fact that he was going with Charlie, hoping Dean wouldn't think about it if he didn't mention it.

LOCATION: THE BAR AT LUX

MAZE: She didn't entirely believe Cupid when she said that she was just planning a storyboard for their photoshoot. She'd seen the way the two of them had been holding each other. That had been a serious conversation, and she could take a guess of what would make Cupid look so upset, but then Belphegor spoke up to correct her. She thought they were going to confirm what she thought, but what they said instead distracted her from that. She smirked. Maybe Charlie was finally going to climb the tree. "You two saw them going up to the balcony together, and you didn't go up to spy on them?" She was going to spy on them herself when Charlie actually arrived at the bar with Sam. They went their separate ways, but Maze was still grinning. She saw how red Charlie's face was. They'd definitely been up to something, though it was unfortunately not sex. Maze could tell. "So are you ready to jump his bones yet?" she asked blatantly.

CUPID: "Yeah," Cupid winced inwardly when Bells said they'd never have to worry about such things. Not wanting to live with the regret of Bells never fully understanding Cupid's love for them had been one of the many reason she let the Void kill her. She wanted one more chance to try to get them to understand how deeply she felt for them. It hadn't exactly worked out that way, but she was still grateful to be alive. It mean she had some more time to get them to understand. Maybe the next time she died, really died, they'd know how she felt about them. She took a deep breath, relieved that Bells was covering for her. They probably didn't know they were covering for her which made her love them all the more. Subconsciously they were always protecting Cupid like this. "The demons make it hard to spy on them," Cupid pointed out. "They would've given away our location immediately." They were always nauseatingly cordial. Hello Lord Belphegor, Cupid this, Would you like some juice that. Always with the questions. It was like Lucifer gave the memo to all the staff to be on the lookout for Cupid and Bells. Cupid's annoyance melted though when she saw Charlie approach. "Maze," Cupid chided gently. She rolled her fake axe behind her shoulder and held it with both hands. "Or you could ask him to dance?" she smiled. "I like this song."

BELPHEGOR: Belphegor nodded while Cupid and Mazikeen talked about the logistics of spying on Charlie and Sam. They didn't really understand why they needed to spy on the couple, but they would've just followed Cupid wherever she went regardless of the reasoning. They'd follow her to the ends of the earth if she wanted them to. The Earth didn't really have an end exactly, but they'd loop around it with her as many times as she'd like. "We could've brought Maze with us," they suggested. She could scare them off." She could probably scare off anyone. Even among the demons, Maze was highly regarded both for her status and closeness to Lucifer and the fact that she could be incredibly violent and ruthless when she wanted to be. Most people were smart enough not to mess with her, except Cupid and Belphegor, who seemed to get away with a lot, even with her. "Jump his bones?" Belphegor asked. Their eyes darted around in confusion as they tried to process that phrase. They glanced over at Sam. "But he's not dead yet. Why would she jump on his bones? Doesn't he need to decompose first?" They could probably burn his body. That might get to his bones faster, but they didn't understand the reasoning behind it. They looked over at Cupid when she suggested Charlie dance with Sam. "Well, if you like this song, why don't we dance to it?" they suggested.

CHARLIE: "Sorry to disappoint you tonight, Maze, but no I'm not jumping anyone's bones or climbing any trees tonight," she laughed and tried to cover just how furiously she was blushing right now. Of course the metaphor had confused Belphegor. She was pretty sure Maze lived for this just to see Bells try to come up with explanations for the metaphors. They came up with some pretty good ones sometimes. "It's one of those instances where Maze is implying a kink thing, Bells," she explained. It probably didn't explain much because just about everything was a kink thing to Maze. "We're going dancing another time, Cupid." She sighed realizing she said We're implying her and Sam and not We'll implying herself and the group. She hoped Cupid wouldn't notice the difference. This reaper was really digging her own grave. "But you and Bells should definitely get out there and dance," she encouraged them. "There was a break in at the manor. Kids trying to talk to nonexistent spirits again. Sam and I are going out there to make sure nothing was stolen or broken. Don't wait up and don't start any wars without me now," she grinned.

MAZE: She narrowed her eyes at Charlie. "Why not?" It was clear from the way she was trying to hide her blush that she liked the guy. She smirked when Charlie tried to explain the metaphor to Belphegor. Maze knew that Bells still wouldn't understand, but it was amusing to watch. "Speaking of kinks, what are Sam's?" she asked relentlessly. She licked her lips as she looked at him at the other end of the bar. "He looks like he'd have the more fun and weirder kinks." The quiet ones always did. Five minutes alone with him, and she could probably figure it out. "So another date is in the works?" she asked, smirking. If there was one thing Maze and Cupid were both interested in, it was Charlie's love life. Maze was more interested in her sex life, but there wasn't really a difference to Maze. Charlie was lying about the manor break in. Maze could tell that much, but she didn't question it, hoping that Charlie would still go through with it. Maze reached under the counter and pulled out a condom, tossing it to Charlie. "You always gotta be careful in those situations. You never know what kind of protection you'll need." She winked.

CUPID: She smiled when Bells pointed out that they could've taken Maze with them if they wanted to spy on Charlie and Sam. "You're right, I hadn't thought of that." She was sure Maze took the fact that she scared the crap out of everyone as a compliment. The phrasing Charlie used definitely didn't escape Cupid's attention. We're going dancing. It made Cupid brighten almost instantaneously. "Really?" she asked as she leaned against the bar. "That so romantic. You two deserve one night at least. I didn't even think Sam would be here tonight." Cupid made a face as Maze passed condoms out to Charlie. "Maze you spend too much time with Lust." This wasn't lust's domain. Sure, there was physical attraction between Sam and Charlie, but this went deeper than that. She smiled and looped her arm around Bells arm when they offered to take her dancing too. "I think that's a great idea," she grinned. Cupid looked up at Charlie, a pleading look in her eyes. "Are you sure the manor can't wait? Come onnnn, can't you and Sam spare one dance? It's just one song."

BELPHEGOR: Belphegor didn't think they wanted to hear about Sam's kinks, but they guessed that this stuff was personal enough that Charlie thankfully wouldn't answer her question. Belphegor nodded when Cupid said she didn't think Sam would be here tonight. It reminded them of the the conversation they'd had before. "Did you get him some medicine for his headache?" they asked. "You should really have him get some sleep once you get home." Normally they would've agreed with just about everything Cupid said, wanting to help make her happy in every way they could, but Charlie was also their friend. They wanted her happy too, and she looked like she'd be happiest going home with Sam. They leaned in to whisper in Cupid's ear. "They might get further in their relationship if they're alone together. I mean look how much brighter she looks after coming back from being alone with him on the balcony." They pulled back a little, speaking normally now as they tugged on her hand. "We're gonna miss your song if we wait much longer."

DEAN: If there was a heaven, Dean was definitely there. Being surrounded by all these heroes was an experience he thought he'd never have. It was like comic con, but twice as good because it was real. He hadn't noticed Sam enter the bar at first, not until his brother spoke up. Dean turned around to introduce him to to Bruce fricken Wayne, but then frowned when his brother said he was leaving. He was about to insist Sam stay but, in that moment, he saw Charlie was across the bar with her friends. He looked at his brother then at Charlie then back to his brother. The last time he'd seen Charlie she had this worried look on her face like Chicken Little was about to announce the end was neigh. But, now, she seemed to be glowing. It was interesting how an entity of death seemed to radiate so much life. Whatever happened on that balcony had to be interesting because his brother was more rosy cheeked than usual. "That didn't take long." He'd known his brother long enough to read between the lines. He wasn't going home alone tonight. "Just remember," he patted Sam on the back. "If you're finally gonna do more than flirt with death tonight, wear protection."

ZATANNA: She turned when she heard Sam’s voice in the crowd. He seemed to be doing better than when she left him and Charlie by the foyer. It was sweet seeing him glow like that. Sam kept Zatanna at arms length - actually he kept most people at arms length. At first she wasn’t sure if it was because this wasn’t his universe, but after a while she was pretty sure it was a coping mechanism. He didn’t want to get too close just in case he lost it all again. She could empathize with that. A part of her had done the same when Tracy died. She was happy to see Sam found someone in this universe that he connected to. In some cosmic way it made sense that it was death he was attracted to. It was very hard to kill death. She could tell Dean was happy for him too in his own...Dean way. “Go,” she assured Sam with a smile. “Have fun. I’ll keep these two out of trouble,” she promised. “I’d say how hard can it be but I’m not in the mood to jinx myself.”

SAM: He rubbed his hand over his face as Dean started to look back and forth between Sam and the other side of the bar. He didn't have to look behind him to know that he was looking at Charlie. It was honestly stupid of him to think that Dean wouldn't figure out he was leaving with her. "Yeah, well we were talking, but Charlie got a call that some kids broke into the manor, so we have to go and check the damage," he explained, though he knew that was useless. Even if it was true, which it wasn't, Dean would still have assumed they were leaving to go hook up. He smiled at Zatanna. "Thanks. I know that watching after a child can be hard, but Jack should be able to help you look after Dean." He chuckled. He was going to leave immediately after telling Dean that he was leaving, but he decided against that once Dean mentioned wearing some protection. "Oh yeah, good one Dean." He nodded, speaking loud enough now that everyone in the group could hear them. "By the way, did you tell Bruce yet about your Batman undies that you still wear? Or, uh, your pajamas? Or the fact that you pretend to be him all the time? You should show him your impersonations of him. I bet he'd love it." He punched Dean lightly in the shoulder. "Anywaysbyeguyshaveagoodnight!" he called out as he ran away before Dean could get him back. He quickly ran over to where Charlie was, taking a hold of her hand. "Hey, you ready? We should probably leave, like now." He hoped they could get out before Dean could get to him.

CHARLIE: They were incorrigible. She hoped Sam was having an easier time with Dean than she was with Cupid and Maze. "Very funny, Maze," she shook her head and evaded the kink questions. It was better not to feed the fire. Cupid and Maze didn't need much to start a blaze anyway. "Wow," she laughed as Maze tossed condoms her way. "Condoms under the counter. Right next to the first aid kit, I bet," she shook her head. "You probably should've given some to John on his way out."

She smiled lightly as she saw Cupid's face brighten. It was hard not to, her smile was infectious. Had the circumstances been different, Charlie might've caved. "We'll go dancing another time, Cupid," she promised. She was confused only for a moment when Bells asked about Sam's headache, then she remembered how pained Sam must've looked when they passed by here earlier. "Yes, I did," she smiled, remembering that she'd used death touch to make some of it go away. "He's feeling a little better but as soon as we check the property, I'll make sure he gets some sleep," she promised Bells. It was sweet how much they cared about Sam. She gave Bells a grateful smile as they tried to pull Cupid's attention away from Charlie. That was surprisingly attune for Bells and she appreciated it more than they knew. "Go," she encouraged Cupid. "Have fun. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

She spun around, smiling as she felt Sam's hand in hers. His voice was rushed, but in a playful way. There was laughter to it. She peered around him in time to see Dean's amused, but embarrassed face staring at his brother. So, that's how Sam's conversation with Dean went. "Sorry, guys," Charlie laughed as she looked at Cupid, Bells, and Maze. "We gotta run." Still holding onto Sam's hand, she grabbed the base of her skirt with her free hand and held it up a bit so she wouldn't trip. "Come on, come on!" she laughed as they ran forward and toward the balcony again as if they were a couple of kids running to home base for safety.

MAZE: She rolled her eyes. She didn't expect Charlie to answer her question but she was looking forward to some kind of details. “But John ruining his own life would be funny,“ she pointed out before looking at Cupid. “Ballsy thing to say to someone who could get you access to the cameras for the balcony,” she teased Cupid with a smirk. She already knew she was going to take a look at those cameras herself, but it was more fun to dangle them in front of Cupid like this, knowing she'd want to see them just as much. She didn't know what headache Belphegor was talking about. As far as she could tell, Sam looked completely fine, and she couldn't imagine any medicine fixing it that quickly. More than that, Charlie hadn't seemed to know what Belphegor was talking about at first. Suspicious. She was surprised, however, when Bells intervened and came to Charlie's aid by trying to pull Cupid away. That was new, and it was enough to distract her from her previous thoughts.

As Sam came up to the group, Maze was able to see what she was really like when she was around him. The way her eyes lit up when he was by her side made it clear how hard she'd fallen for him. How they hadn't boned yet was beyond her. Once Charlie and Sam were gone, she looked at Cupid, lifting up her axe again. “So you still want me to kill you two?”

DEAN: "Talking that's code for something, right Zee?" he looked over at the magician. She mentored kids ( and John ); she'd know this. "Right, break in, damage," he clicked his tongue and winked. He didn't buy it for a second - Sam was definitely getting laid tonight. Why else would he be so cagey about it? He wasn't sure why Sam felt the need to lie about his intentions with Charlie, but it was funny to give him a hard time about it anyway. Dean just tried not to think too hard about the actual logistics of sex with death. If Sam reaaaaaallly wanted to go there (and he definitely did) there was probably a spell for that. He rolled his eyes but laughed anyway when his brother said Jack would help her watch him. "Cute, real cute." It was the next sentence that really got him. Oh. So, we're going there. "A man's underthings isn't cocktail party appropriate conversation!" he called after his brother as he ran off. Dean could hardly be mad at Sam given how excited Charlie was to see him run toward her. He made a face just to watch the two of them scatter into the wind like school children. Dean laughed and wiped his eyes. "We're gonna disregard those comments," he said as he turned his attention back to the others in the group. "I'll kick his ass later." He wouldn't. He was already thinking of at least six pranks he could pull when Sam got back to the bunker tomorrow morning.

ZATANNA: "Nope, I'm pretty sure it's just code for talking," she refuted. She wasn't gonna feed Dean's fire tonight, he was almost as relentless as Cupid. She laughed and elbowed him as Sam teased him. It reminded her of the way Blayze and Ambrose went at each other sometimes. And lord help them when John got involved. It was like pouring gasoline on a fire sometimes. "Now, are these underwear with Bruce's face or underwear with Batman's face?" she grinned, giving Dean a sideways look. In the absence of John Constantine, Zatanna had to be the gasoline. The grin turned into a laugh as she watched Sam run off before Dean could retaliate. Dean played along but Zee could see he wasn't mad. He seemed happy as he laughed and wiped at his eyes. She hadn't seen either brother laugh like this in...well, ever. It was like the weight they usually carried on their shoulders wasn't as heavy tonight. "Disregard? Never. This one goes down in the history books," she grinned.

CUPID: "Maaaaze," Cupid pleaded. "That's just rude. It's not my fault the truth is the truth." Cupid wanted to see what she'd missed since she couldn't very well spy thanks to all the polite demons around here. "What if I promise to actually stay at the party this time around and not cause any trouble?" she threw out. She'd already technically caused some trouble by talking to Bells about the Empty but Maze didn't need to know that.

She listened as Bells pulled her closer to whisper something in her ear. They did have a point and for a moment there Cupid was surprised Bells seemed to be grasping what Charlie and Sam needed in order to really experience love to its fullest. Bells was good at empathizing with certain emotions, sadness for example, but love tended to elude them. Or so Cupid thought. Maybe they were finally understanding more and more. It was moments like this that gave Cupid hope after centuries of trying to get Bells to understand. She smiled up at them and nodded. "Okay," Cupid relented. "We'll dance another time. It's a date!" A double date.

Cupid watched Charlie's whole being brighten around Sam and it warmed her heart. They were both so much more vibrant and full of life around each other. This was what love was. Theirs was unconditional and once in a lifetime. She was so happy for them and she could feel others happiness for the pair too. With her spirits brightened and her evening made Cupid looked up at Maze with mischievous grin. "Only if you want to, Maze," she winked. She already knew Maze was absolutely dying to take a wack at them. Cupid looped her arm under Belphegor's and happily led the way back to the photo booth.

BELPHEGOR: They nodded as Cupid offered up good behavior as a deal for access to the cameras on the balcony. They thought it was a good idea since while Cupid couldn't cause trouble, Belphegor could. They could still manage to have fun together without Cupid breaking her deal. They were only a little disappointed when Cupid said that they would dance together another time. They actually had wanted to dance with her, but that was okay. They still got to spend time with her while they took pictures, and that was more than good enough for Belphegor. Everyone looked really happy tonight, and they hoped they could stay like that for as long as possible. They grinned as they walked with Cupid back to the photo booth.

SAM: Dean was wrong about what he was thinking Sam and Charlie were up to, but he wasn't exactly wrong about how he felt about her. Even with everything going on, he'd probably smiled more tonight than he had in a long time. She looked happy to be around him, and her smile was bright enough to blind him to the more morbid reasoning for their departure. He didn't want to think about her bleeding out and doing everything he could to stop the bleeding and trying and trying and failing to do anything to help her. He just wanted to think about going home with her. He wanted to think about her being safe in his arms, sitting on the couch together watching movies until they fell asleep. He wanted to think about waking up to her there the next morning, alive and well. He wanted to make breakfast to celebrate their success in averting his vision. He wanted to take her dancing. He didn't think of himself as a great dancer, but he wanted to do that with her. He wanted to be a bad dancer in front of her, if only to make her laugh. He wanted to kiss her under the moonlight and go drinking with her when he wasn't just drinking because he was depressed. He wanted to go home with her again. Sex didn't matter to him as much as Dean thought it did. He just wanted to exist in the same space with her and keep waking up to the bright sunlight from her smile. He wanted to visit her at her office, setting down a lunch for her as he kissed her gently on the forehead or on the cheek or a soft peck of the lips or on the tip of her nose, kisses anywhere and everywhere. He wanted all these things for them, but for now, he just ran with her, grinning like an idiot as they made their getaway.

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