NO TIME TO DIE◦𝒔𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓

chapter forty nine.

"You're wrong," Sam said.

"I'm not," Lucifer said. He dared to take another step towards Sam, but just like earlier, Sam immediately moved back. "I think I know you better than you know yourself."

"Why me?" Sam quietly asked, a crack in his voice as he tried to hold it together. He didn't want Lucifer to see him cry, to think he'd gotten to him, to think he had a chance of hearing Sam tell him yes.

"Because it had to be you, Sam." Sam looked down, clenching his eyes shut. "It always had to be you."

Sam sucked in a deep breath and lowered his head as he felt tears trying to form in his eyes. Then lifted his head, realizing Lucifer was suddenly gone as he opened his eyes.

"Sammy?"

Sam let out a shaky breath and turned around, noticing Birdie standing near the bathroom with her brows furrowed together. Birdie walked closer and saw the tears looming in Sam's eyes. Her features immediately softened as she frowned, peering up at him with concern. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, reaching up to gently touch his chin.

Sam shook his head, reaching up to touch her hand. He moved it away from his face slightly, but he still kept his fingers wrapped around Birdie's hand. "It-it was nothing," Sam attempted to deny. "I'm fine."

Birdie shook her head, keeping her eyes focused on Sam. She saw right through his lie. "Sam, we can't do this anymore," she said. "The secrets have got to stop."

Sam let out a quiet breath, slowly nodding his head. He let go of Birdie's hand and she lowered it to her side, patiently waiting for Sam to speak. He cleared his throat, quickly blinking to rid the tears from his eyes. "I-I was dreaming. . .and you were there━━━you've, uh, been in my dreams the last few nights━━━but the whole time. . .it was Lucifer."

Birdie's eyes widened, but she did her best to try and hide the sudden fear she felt upon hearing Lucifer's name. "What, uh. . .what did he say?" she asked.

"He wanted me to tell him where I am, but that'll never happen," Sam said. He stepped to the side, sitting on the edge of the bed. Birdie's frown deepened as she kept her gaze on Sam. "He...he thinks he knows me since I'm-I'm his true vessel. . .and he seems pretty sure I'll eventually say yes."

Birdie stood still for a few seconds, just repeating his words in her head. Sam's eyes were looking at the ground, but he looked up when Birdie remained quiet. She watched him, but there was a distant look in her eyes━━━a sign she was in deep thought. A few seconds later, Birdie offered Sam a small smile and kneeled on the ground, resting her arms on his knees while she gazed up at him. "Then he clearly doesn't know you as well as he thinks he does," she softly said. "While he's unable to find us, we need to use that to our advantage while we can. Find a way to stop him once and for all."

"This is Lucifer we're talking about," Sam said, giving Birdie a weary look. He turned away, facing the wall instead. "Demons are probably everywhere searching for us and━━━"

"That's nothing new," Birdie interrupted, sighing when Sam scoffed out a fake laugh. She shifted on her knees, grabbing Sam's hands to make him look at her again. "Sammy, I know we both blame ourselves for everything that's happened, but we shouldn't just give up. There's still people we can help, monsters that need to be stopped because there's no other hunters out there who are as good as we are."