#sweetjack

Lucifer carefully folded his newest letter from Jack, stowing it away in his pocket with the first letter. His son had actually written him back! He smiled, mentally savoring every line.

“Are you going to let me read it now?” Michael asked, leaning against the cage bars, watching intently. “You’ve read it like six times now!” He smirked, tracing one finger over his lips. “At least tell me what it says.”

“It says…” Lucifer pursed his lips, then continued, “He thanked me for the grace, and accepts my apology.”

“And?” Michael adds, rolling his eyes dramatically.

“And…” Lucifer pauses for emphasis. “He says hi, and can’t wait to meet you.”

“Aw! He is so cute!” Michael grins. “Just like his daddy.” Lucifer glares back, but doesn’t dignify him with a response. Instead, he begins to pace the cage.

“I need to get out of here. I need to show him I mean what I wrote.” Lucifer crosses his arms, staring out of the cage bars. He freezes as he hears a prayer. A prayer for him. Nick… Lucifer winks at Michael, watching understanding creep across his features.

“Don’t forget me down here, you ass!” Michael shouts as Lucifer disappears from the cage, freed by his old vessel, Nick.

…

“So, do you remember him or not?” Nick asked, lounging back. Lucifer had just reentered his vessel, and Nick was probing him with questions about the demon Abraxas. Lucifer vaguely remembered Abraxas. He had been a devout follower under Azazel’s reign of Hell, and unlike most demons, remained loyal to Lucifer up until this day. However, Nick had done him a favor by getting him out of the cage. Really, what was one demon in the scheme of things?

“Don’t get your panties in a twist. I promise we will find and kill Abraxas, if he’s still kicking. Is this all you want? What do you want after the demon is gone?” Lucifer snorted, making eye contact with Nick. The man shifted nervously.

“Well, I figured I would just stay in here with you. Be your voice of reason.” Nick cracked a smile. “Your Jiminy Cricket.”

Lucifer huffed, but didn’t comment further. If Nick wanted to tag along for the ride, so be it. “Fine. We’ll take care of your little demon problem, then I’m going to find my son.” He rolled his shoulders, popping the joints. “The sooner, the better.”

…

“Are you sure, Jack? Maybe you should rest a bit more.” Mary pressed, anxious about Jack going out on a hunt. He had magically gotten better since Christmas, even though he still wasn’t able to fully use his powers. He claimed it a Christmas miracle, but everyone was skeptical. Sam and Dean weren’t too concerned; they were just happy Jack felt better. Castiel suspected it had something to do with odd doll Jack had received from “Santa,” and had made it his mission to find out who had gotten the lightsaber and the stuffed Chewbacca for Jack, but to no success.

“Don’t worry, Mary. I’ll be fine.” Jack smiled, clearly excited. Sam, Dean and Castiel were taking him with them on a hunt, and he couldn’t wait to hit the road. Sam had found out about a string of murders down in Louisiana leading to New Orleans. Nothing seemed paranormal about the case, but the boys were itching to get out of the bunker. There hadn’t been a single case since Christmas, and even a few weeks prior. Mary smiled and hugged Jack, then went to say goodbye to her boys. Jack headed to the Impala, stowing his bags in the trunk.

“Jack.” Dean called, waltzing into the garage. “How about it? Ready to learn to drive?” He twirled the keys in his fingers, and tossed them to Jack.

“Me? Are you sure?” Jack asked, instantly nervous.

“Yeah, kid.” Dean smiled. “Just remember not to stop if Sammy asks for a pit stop.”

“Um, okay?”

…

“Well, that was messy…” Nick said, watching blood drip from his body’s fingers. “But oddly satisfying.” He added. Lucifer snorted, then surveyed the damage. He had tracked Abraxas down to a bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Pat O’Briens. The demon had been drinking in the courtyard in the middle of the afternoon. Lucifer had been surprised there had been so many other people drinking here as well.

“It’s five o’clock somewhere.” Nick chimed in, picking up on Lucifer’s thoughts. “On a serious note, though, can you clean the place up? It looks like a scene out of a B-rated horror flick.” Lucifer sighed, snapping his fingers. All the smashed chairs and tables were fixed, and all the blood along with the demon’s body disappeared.

“Happy now?” Lucifer asked out loud, not that he was worried about anyone hearing him. People had scurried off when he started throwing the demon around.

“Yes… but I think we need a drink.” Nick commented. “I recommend their Hurricane. I’ve heard it’s delicious.”

Lucifer quirked an eyebrow. “I never would have taken you for the fruity type.”

Internally, Nick rolled his eyes. “The pot shouldn’t call the kettle black, Luci.”

With a groan, followed by a chuckle, Lucifer made his way inside to order a drink. Somehow, the patrons inside missed everything. Soon, he was sitting by a window, waiting for his Hurricane. He quickly straightened up as he saw a familiar Impala park on the other side of the street. He squinted, trying to make out the people inside. He exhaled sharply when he saw the driver.

“Father, help me. Those idiots let my son drive.”

…

“Alright, so there was a tweet talking about a massive bar fight here a while ago.” Sam said, scrolling through his phone.

“It’s New Orleans. What else is new?” Dean said gruffly, glancing over at Sam.

“What’s a ‘tweet’?” Jack asked, tilting his head to the side.

“It’s a method of human communication.” Castiel answered, smiling at the boy.

“I thought birds did that.” Jack was even more confused. “Do humans build nests too?”

“No, not usually.” Dean cut in, wanting to get back on track. “Anyway, we should inside and find out what happened.” The group made their way, freezing as they walked through the bar area. A familiar face smiled at the group and waved.

“Lucifer.” Sam breathed, going pale. Jack started to wave back, but Castiel swooped in front of him, blocking him from Lucifer’s view. Dean moved to Castiel’s side, ready for a fight. Lucifer put his hands up in mock surrender and padded over to them.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite group of people! Sam, Dean, and… the other one.” He smirked at Cas, then glanced behind to wink at Jack. “Hello, son.”

“Hi Dad.” Jack mumbled quietly, feeling the awkwardness of the situation. He hadn’t told anyone about his father’s letter. People were turning around to stare, and Jack didn’t want a scene. Not here.

“Why don’t we all sit down and have a chat?” Lucifer said, gesturing to the tables outside. “I promise, I’m not here to hurt any of you. I was already here.”

“Yeah right. Like your word means anything.” Sam snarled back, finally regaining his composure. “We’ve trusted you before. Why should we now?” Lucifer, sensing Jack beginning to get upset, decided to change tactics.

“Look, I get you don’t trust me. I don’t blame you for that. I just want to check and make sure my son is okay, then I’ll get out of your hair. I’ll even help you on whatever little case you’re on, if it makes you feel any better.” He started walking towards a table outside, giving the others no option but to follow. They weren’t about to leave the devil loose in New Orleans. After their order was taken, the group sat around in silence, fidgeting.

“Son, are you alright?” Lucifer broke the silence, eyes settling on his child. Jack nodded, then gave him a small smile. He wasn’t sure what to do here.

“Hey, don’t talk to him. You nearly killed him. You talk to me. How the hell are you still alive?” Dean asked, brows furrowed angrily.

“Um, yeah… Well, after you and evil Michael stabbed me, I woke up in the cage. Now, Nicky here let me out.” Lucifer said, drumming his fingers on the table. “Kinda why I’m in New Orleans, actually. I helped Nick get revenge on his wife and son’s murderer.”

“What? So that bar fight? That was you?” Sam asked, disbelief coloring his tone. “What about those other murders leading here. That was you too?”

Lucifer laced his fingers together and sighed. “Yes, all me. Those were ALL demons who had information on Abraxas, the demon who slaughtered Nick’s family.”

“Wait. Demons? So you ordered a demon to kill Nick’s family, and now you’re helping him get revenge! That’s horrible!” Dean piped up.

Sighing, Lucifer slowly rolled his eyes. “I did not order Abraxas to murder Nick’s family. I was in the cage, remember? Besides, he was doing what demons do. They murder, drink, and party.” The table fell silent as the waitress appeared with their beers. Lucifer scowled when he saw a bottle of beer placed in front on Jack. He quietly snapped his fingers once the waitress left, transforming to drink into a root beer. He shrugged when Sam and Dean shot him a look, slightly amused. Jack took a few sips and grinned.

“I’ve never had this kind of beer before. It’s delicious!”

“Glad you like it, kiddo.” Lucifer said, picking up his own beer. He winked at Sam and Dean, then downed his own beer. “So, I believe your little case is solved. Any news on litterbox-world Michael?”

“We’re still searching.” Sam grunted warily.

“Well, drop me a line if you need my help.” Lucifer rose, then turned to face Jack. “Goodbye, Jackie. I’ll see you soon. Be safe.” Jack smiled back with a nod, watching his father walk away.

“We won’t!” Dean snapped at the back of the Devil’s head, irritated. Castiel and the two brothers argued over what to do about Lucifer, while Jack absent-mindedly sipped at his drink, his mind in the clouds.

…

Jack collapsed on the bed, relaxing his head on the pillow. Sam and Dean had rented a suite at a hotel on Bourbon Street. It was nicer than places they usually stayed, but they wanted to throw Lucifer off their trail in case he was following them. The suite had three separate rooms attached to a living room and kitchenette, with one bathroom for them all to share.

Listening carefully, Jack could still hear Castiel and the two brothers discussing plans in the living room. He wanted to be helpful and join in, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t really want Lucifer dead, but he didn’t want him to hurt people either. He wasn’t sure what he wanted, frankly. Suddenly, he heard a flutter of wings. He looked up as his father came and laid beside him on the bed.

“Hey squirt.” Lucifer said affectionately, gently ruffling Jack’s hair. “Just wanted to come check on you when Dumb and Dumber weren’t around. How are you feeling?”

“I’m good, Dad. Just a little worn out, that’s all.” Jack beamed warmly at the archangel. “Dean let me drive today! It was so much fun!”

“Yeah? That’s great, bambino.” Lucifer hid his scowl. His son was too young to be driving, but he couldn’t do anything about it right now. “What about everything else? Are you being treated well? Do you get enough sleep?”

“Yes, everyone’s great. I’ve been learning so much on hunts and stuff! I even courted someone!”

“Oh?” Lucifer fidgeted.

“Yeah… but she ended up being the bad guy. She’s a necromancer and had a zombie boyfriend. And she wants to kill me.”

Lucifer chuckled, then smoothed Jack’s hair out of his face. “Do you want me to take care of her for you?”

Jack frowned at this. “No. She didn’t seem like the brightest crayon in the box. I’m not too worried about it.” He quickly repressed a yawn, wanting to keep talking to his father. Lucifer noticed it, however.

“Getting sleepy, little one?”

“No, I’m not tired. And I’m not little.” Jack grumbled. Lucifer chuckled, but snapped his fingers, a glass of warm milk appearing in his hand.

“Here, drink this. It’ll help you sleep.” Jack accepted the glass but sat up, determined to stay awake for as long as possible.

“So, is Nick still in there?”

“Yeah, he wants to stick around for a while.” Lucifer shrugged. “Anyway, you need to get under the covers. It’s bedtime, kiddo.” He snapped the empty glass away and helped Jack get under the blankets.

“Dad, can you stay for a while? I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.” Jack asked, wearily blinking his eyes.

SweetJack Jingle 60 second by SweetJack

Ok.. By popular demand, we have posted the SweetJack Jingle for your streaming pleasure..

We know.. many of you love it and a lot of you are wanting it off the air.. :)  Either way we love all the comments we have been getting from you on facebook, twitter and to our customer service pages...

It seems quite appropriate that my final blog posting on the radio industry would involve Clear Channel, since I’ve practically been their cheerleader this entire semester, but this is a great one to end it out, because FMQB reported that it was announced today that iHeartRadio is soon going to offer all of the radio stations under Cumulus Media, Inc.

This is an amazing development, because Cumulus is the number two terrestrial radio provider in the country. I blogged in September about the Cumulus and Citadel merger, which took Cumulus to the number two spot with nearly 600 radio stations in 120 markets. To broadcast all of their stations over iHeartRadio means that Clear Channel’s application will now boast nearly every single major radio station in the country, something around 1400 stations. If that is not dominance, I don’t know what is.

A big win for Cumulus is that part of the deal also includes advertisements on iHeart for another of Cumulus’ projects, SweetJack, which is sort of Grouponish, but not nearly as pretty. The daily deals from SweetJack not only now will be advertised on every Cumulus station, but every Clear Channel station as well. That’s a huge amount of exposure.