Before tonight, Sam would have taken little to no interest in the conversation that they were having now. He had always believed in redemption and prevention (after all, it was his fate that seemed to be so damned cursed), but when it got to a certain point, Sam could only feel and do but so much in regards to a person. However, having ended up falling in love with a demon who had once been out to do nothing but destroy the world, Sam could honestly say that he was more than able to relate to the situation here. He could no longer turn his back on what Pike and Faith had appeared to be going through. While he was uncertain about Faith in general, as he was still terribly wary of her when it came to her attacking his brother, Sam was more than able to understand where Pike himself was coming from. The fact that the poor guy had to worry about her all the time like this was a hard burden to have weighed on his shoulders. How did one keep themselves on track when they constantly had to look out for someone else? How did Pike manage to keep an eye on Faith this long without cracking and telling her that she was just too much for him? Even without the verification there, Sam could tell that Pike really did care about her. If he didn't care, after all, he would have done the exact same thing Sam technically should have done (by everyone else s terms, anyway) - he should have killed her off or boxed Faith away for all eternity. Prison or Hell, it didn't matter. Most people would find either location suitable for a person like her. Well, for people like them. Faith and Ruby. Messed up and twisted on the inside, but each looking to come back from that no matter what it took.
Sam understood that to an extent. Yet with Pike here, explaining how hard it truly must have been for the both of them (unknowingly on Ruby's part, of course), it did make Sam think. Admittedly a bit slower than usual, what with the alcohol pumping through his system, but thought came along all the same. If it was hard for Faith, how much more difficult was it for Ruby? Faith was human. Ruby...she hadn't been human for a very long time. All she thought, felt, and breathed was evil. How did someone like her come back from that? It was a hard thing to imagine, let alone believe in. But Sam was trying. He really was. "I...get it. I think I do. I just...I dunno, man. I feel like if we can do this stuff, they should be able to as well. Like -" He frowned, trying to think of a way to properly word what he was thinking and feeling without giving too much away. Maybe he couldn't do it like that; maybe he was better off just telling Pike how much they really had in common after all. "It's common sense. I think it is. Don't kill. Avoid doing things that are going to hurt the people that you care about. Don't end the world." Sam tapped at the edge of his glass, brow furrowing as he looked over at Pike carefully. "You know what I mean? And I get it. It's hard to come back from what you know. But at the same time..."
Sam considered taking another gulp of his whiskey down. Instead, he leaned back a little, pushed some of his dark hair out of his eyes, and laughed. It wasn't a bright, happy laugh; no, that laugh was filled with uncertainty. "I guess my problem is that I have high expectations. I mean, I guess it's no secret now that I'm in love with a demon, is it?"