It is revealed that in the months without Dean, Sam – depressed, drinking heavily, and carrying a death wish – tries to bargain with various Crossroads Demons in order to exchange his soul for Dean's. None of them accept the offer. Realizing he can't save Dean, Sam plans to kill Lilith in revenge. He makes contact with Ruby – now in a different host – who teaches him how to use his powers to exorcise demons. In time, he and Ruby become lovers and he appears to be moving on from Dean's death – to an extent, at least. When Dean finds out about Sam's powers and all the secrets Sam has been keeping from him, Sam responds by saying that he does this because Dean looks and treats him like a freak. Sam then promises Dean that he won't use his powers anymore but breaks the promise when it becomes apparent that his powers may be needed to prevent the Apocalypse.