[Fic] "Unexpected Aid"

[lux_tuli]

Title: "Unexpected Aid" - Chapters 1 through 6

Fandom: Supernatural

Rating: Teen

Pairing(s): Gen-fic

Characters: Lucifer, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester

Word Count: 16,656

Summary: [Season 11 AU] They couldn’t face the Darkness alone nor did they possess the information to know what exactly they were dealing with. So, who better than an archangel that faced it before to help them? Though not all plans go as intended and the Winchesters end up saddled with Lucifer rather than Michael.

Originally posted: October 27, 2015

Research had always been a critical part of the Winchester’s life of ganking monsters. Needed to know what their weakness were so they could go after the monster with the proper weapon. Finding the information they needed had never been an issue until the Darkness.

 

There was nothing. Not in any books of lore and not even the Bible. Supposedly, this being even pre-dated the Bible and only few beings in existence knew anything about their current enemy. The worst part of it all that every single one of them were unavailable.

 

God liked staying on his secluded holiday, continuing to pretend that current events were not his problem. No matter how the younger Winchester had prayed to him, his calls were left unanswered. Dean had unfortunately slayed Death in order to save Sam. And then there was the four archangels, two of which presumed dead and the other two trapped in the cage.

 

Maybe, just maybe it was possible to let Michael, and not Lucifer because neither of them trusted him, out of the cage since the Horseman rings acted as the key. Sam was not concerned about the archangel refusing to help out with the Darkness because of the threat it posed but what would he do afterwards? Would he try for Apocalypse 2.0?

 

Dean wasn’t too thrilled with the idea either and Sam couldn’t fault him for his reluctance. And against all better judgment, they went for it anyways.

 

What other choice did they have?

 

After collecting all the rings back, the Winchesters headed for Stull cemetery, all the while Sam repressed the memories of being worn by Lucifer. The ritual went out without a hitch, both of them remembered the Enochian incantation quite well. With the door opened, they called out to Michael and waited for his arrival.

 

Sam wasn’t too sure on Adam’s current state. Dean had told him that Death had made him pick between his younger brother and their half brother when he was soulless but time passed so quickly in hell that maybe by this point his soul would be completely gone. So, he wasn’t sure if Michael could still take on Adam’s form or have to take on someone else’s.

 

After a flash of light and several more minutes of waiting, neither one of them was expecting the woman with short blond hair that appeared before them, wearing a knee length dress. Angels were essentially genderless, as Cas had once explained, so Sam supposed they were not too picky about the gender of the vessel they possessed. 

 

Satisfied, the two of them promptly closed the door before the devil could try to sneak out. Michael’s face was neutral as he, well she now, regarded them. Sam watched her as she pursed her lips in deep thought but Dean decided to get in the first word.

 

“Listen here, you feathered dick, I don’t like you. I haven’t forgotten how you tried to ride my ass. But as much as I hate this, we need your help to fight the Darkness.”

 

Michael tilted her head in a manner that reminded Sam of Cas before smirking, which seemed rather out of character for the oldest archangel. Sure, he had been arrogant but he had only expressed it with his tone of voice while keeping his face rather stoic. Lucifer had been the one that had the dramatic facial expressions to accompany his pride. Sam’s body froze. 

 

Oh God, how were they sure that this was Michael?

 

The archangel must have took notice as she winked at him before speaking, “As touching as this reunion is, I must admit that I’m surprised to see you two have reached a totally new level of stupid.”

 

With a wave of her hand, the rings disappeared from Dean’s and appeared in her own. Dean let out a cry of shock as he discovered it missing while Sam tried to hold back the bile that wanted to escape his throat.

 

“Hey, give those back!” Dean had shouted, about ready to charge at the archangel until Sam put a hand on his shoulder holding back.

 

“Dean, don’t. It’s not Michael that we let out,” he revealed and it was confirmed as Lucifer let out a high pitched laugh as she twirled the rings between her fingers.

 

“Dammit! I didn’t think this situation could get even worse!” Dean cursed, balling up his hands into fists.

 

“Really, boys, you should have thought this through more. Though to be fair, Michael did try to go through the door to answer your call but I was faster. After all, I do have more experience with the cage than him,” she shrugged.

 

Sam thought it was a bit strange that Lucifer had picked some random woman rather than Nick who was her previous vessel. Though, maybe it was her attempt to fool them into thinking she was Michael because they would automatically associate Nick with her.

 

“Really, Sammy?” Lucifer tsked before explaining, “Nick was a decent vessel but you have forgotten that I left him rotting in Detroit after I took you. Why settle for anything else after I obtained my one true vessel? I could reconstruct his body but that would take time and I was in need of an instant fix. And, don’t give me that look. You and I share a special connection so of course I can read your thoughts.”

 

Sam did not stop glaring even as the devil smiled at him, knowing every thought that was running through his head. 

 

“So, what do you want, since you obviously aren’t going to help with the Darkness?” He crossed his arms in front of his chest. He squinted his eyes when he saw an unreadable expression pass over her face before turning serious.

 

“And when did I say that I wasn’t going to help with your problem?”

 

“Bullshit!” Dean shouted.

 

She had to be joking. Why would the devil want to save the world from the Darkness when she tried to kill them all once before?

 

This time Lucifer frowned, “You misunderstand me. I may not care for you hairless apes but why would I want to destroy my father’s greatest creation? The Darkness will not stop at killing humans, it will consume everything, which means undoing all of my father’s work. So tell me, why wouldn’t I want to stop it?”

 

“Oh, spare me the speech! I don’t trust you! I rather give myself to your dickbag of a brother than rely on you for help!” Dean retorted angrily. 

 

Sam had spent just enough time being possessed by Lucifer and being privy to her innermost thoughts that he believed she was being sincere. He could still remember feeling her reluctance to fight Michael and mourning the loss of Gabriel. And the appreciation Lucifer gave towards the beauty of the nature that God had created, praising the flowers in full bloom.

 

“Dean,” he called simply.

 

“What?” His older brother shouted and turned towards him, his eyes widening, “Dude, no. Are you seriously considering this? I know that he might be a chick right now but he’s still Satan! You know, the dude that wore you like a prom dress and tortured you in the cage.”

 

“He was such a snug fit, perfectly tailored for me,” Lucifer added, probably in attempt to rile Dean up - she did seem to get enjoyment out of it. Sam rolled his eyes in irritation.

 

“I know. Do you really think I have forgotten any of that? But Dean, do we have any other choice? Lucifer is the only one of us here that knows anything about what we are up against. And we can worry about her later, after the Darkness has been taken care of.”

 

 ---

 

Dean had absolutely refused to allow the devil to ride shotgun in the Impala when she had asked, which she had probably done as a joke, and then Sam had rejected his brother’s idea to stuff her in the trunk so Lucifer had sat in the backseat, smug grin on her face.

 

“Hey, no feet up on the leather!” She had sprawled herself across the seat as if it was a couch and Dean shouted as he looked back through the rear view mirror.

 

Sam turned around to look at her, “So, what can you tell us about the Darkness? There’s nothing about it, no matter where we looked, even the Bible was no help.”

 

“Well, of course, Sammy, it predates creation. A force of pure destruction. When my father first started creating, he knew the danger it posed. My brothers and I were called to arms and we launched a war against the Darkness. Quite a number of my younger siblings were lost amongst the fighting.”

 

Lucifer paused and Sam had almost scolded her for using the nickname that only Dean was allowed to use but when he saw the frown on her face, the words died on his tongue. They might not be directly connected anymore a la possession but Sam could almost feel the sadness radiating from her.

 

“And?” Dean prompted.

 

“The Darkness was too powerful to be destroyed so my father was left to turning to the only other option, to seal it away. And as I’m sure you aware since Dean is now free form its hold, the very lock on its cage was the Mark of Cain.”

 

“Wait a minute, how do you know that I had the Mark? We didn’t tell you that!” His older brother asked and Sam was also curious. He didn’t think that the archangels could see much of the earth from the cage but maybe he was wrong.

 

“Well, you Winchesters are always responsible for everything, aren’t you?” She replied dismissively but Sam was not satisfied with that answer. It didn’t sit right with him. There was also the fact that Lucifer had a connection to the Mark. 

 

Up until the conversation with Death at the Mexican restaurant, their original assumption was that the Mark had been created by Lucifer to give to Cain. But no, it was much more than that, she had been the original bearer of the Mark. God had entrusted it to her.

 

Perhaps it was no coincidence that she rebelled and fell from grace. After all, Dean was once considered the Righteous Man in the eyes of heaven and it turned him a demon. And so, maybe the Mark had corrupted her as well.

 

“Figured it out, have you? I knew that you were always the smart one of the duo,” She smiled faintly.

 

“Mind sharing with the class? And stop reading my brother’s mind, it’s creepy!” Dean grunted.

 

“But I like getting inside Sammy’s noggin. His body too but I have to settle for this,” She taunted with a laugh.

 

“Do you remember what Death said? Lucifer was the original bearer of the Mark so she probably felt it when it was removed and the Darkness was unleashed,” Ignoring the comment, Sam explained to his brother before turning back towards the devil in the backseat, “So does that mean when the Mark was removed from Dean, that yours is gone too?”

 

“Maybe, are you going to check me all over for it? Strip me down to my unmentionables?” She teased Sam with an eye waggle that eerily reminded him of Gabriel.

 

“Ugh,” Dean gagged. Currently a chick or not, it was a bit disturbing to have the devil so blatantly flirting with him. Sam knew that none of it was serious but more an attempt to distract them or another method of riling up Dean, which seemed to be turning into Lucifer’s favorite pastime.

 

“You’re deflecting,” Sam responded.

 

“Am I?” Her tone was light and brisk. She knew how to act in a manner that didn’t reveal her true thoughts.

 

It must have been tough to have been God’s favorite and cast down all because the Mark had twisted her into evil. She didn’t chose to become the devil, not willingly at least.

 

Sam heard her huff and watched as she rolled her eyes dramatically before covering her chest with a hand, “Oh please, stop the pity party, my heart cannot take it.”

 

“But-” he started and was silenced with a cold look that instantly told him to drop the subject. Sam reluctantly did, for the moment, and saw a tight smile creep back onto Lucifer’s face.

 

“Anyways, where is that strange little fledgling of yours, Dean-o? I thought you two were attached at the hip,” She remarked, taking notice of Castiel’s absence.

 

“Hey, none of your business, pal!” Dean growled out, and it was more than just the nickname that Lucifer used. It had been a while since their phone call with Cas and Sam could tell that his older brother was growing worried about the angel’s silence.

 

Surprisingly, Lucifer didn’t offer any further comment. The rest of the drive was silent as the Winchesters decided to crash at a motel for the night just a few miles down the road. In the morning, they would talk more about their plan of action.

 

The two of them grabbed their bags out of the trunk of the Impala and headed to the front desk with Lucifer tailing behind them. Behind the counter was a plump middle aged woman wearing a gaudy pink dress and large fake pearls.

 

“Heya, handsome, how can I help you?” The woman addressed Dean as she leaned forward against the desk, exposing more of her chest. Sam was used to various women hitting on his brother but this was especially cringe worthy. He elbowed Lucifer in the side when he saw her start to snicker.

 

“Yeah, darling, just a single room with two separate beds for me, my brother, and his lady friend,” Dean played along with a smile. Sam inwardly groaned about Lucifer being tied to himself and the devil took advantage as he felt an arm wrap around his own. The clerk shot them a confused look.

 

“Wouldn’t it better if you have two separate rooms? Especially if your brother and his girlfriend wants to have some late night fun.”

 

“No, we’re good,” Dean kept the smile plastered on his face even though he was displeased. He deserved it for implying that that two of them were in a relationship. The woman wordlessly handed over the key to their room and they went on their way.

 

Lucifer had claimed the couch in front of the television as her own as she casually sprawled out across it. Dead tired, the two Winchesters paid her no mind as they both crashed onto their respective beds and fell asleep.

---

As soon as the brothers fell asleep, Lucifer did not stay on the couch. There were several matters that were concerning to her. First of which, what had all gone on since she was thrown back into the cage? Like what had prompted Michael’s vessel into pursuing the Mark of Cain? 

 

Secondly, she wanted to hide the Horsemen rings somewhere where the Winchesters couldn’t get to because she did not want to return to the cage ever again. She had enough of confinement and now that she was out, she was planning on staying that way. And maybe if Michael was lucky, maybe someday she would let him out after he got a good sampling taste of she went through.

 

And where was Castiel? Angels were fierce warriors of God but he found the fledgling to be adorable in his loyalty. Last she knew, he was starting to fall from rebelling against his orders. Either way, she was sure that heaven was not very happy with him and Lucifer knew all too well the dangers of heaven’s wrath. Maybe it was the big sister inside of her that desired to seek him out and ensure his safety.

 

All four of the archangels, upon reaching maturity, had been in charge of raising their younger siblings, teaching them how to fly and fight. Divided into main four groups then into smaller garrisons within those groups that were led by an angel appointed by one of them. 

 

Even though Lucifer could read Sam’s current thoughts, he kept his memories well guarded so that she could not derive any answers from him.

 

She was a bit weak at the moment, she had exerted a lot of energy to beat Michael out of the cage on top of the fact that her prison was designed to weaken her powers in the first place. Lucifer would have to wait before reconstructing Nick’s body because she knew that would take up so much energy that if she did it right now it would probably cause her physical form to combust. At least by using her own powers to create his form, it should hopefully be able to contain her just fine without worry of potential decay.

 

From there, after the Darkness had been taken care of, Lucifer was unsure. The removal of the Mark had brought her clarity for the first time in a few millennium. Dean might have been able to regain himself easily since he only had the Mark for such a short time but she had been under its corruption for much longer. While she could finally think clearly, it still wouldn’t automatically undo the damage that had been done on her core.

 

Though, she doubtful that there was any part of her left that was worthy of the title “Lightbringer”.

 

Thankfully, Lucifer was still able to use her wings, despite how mutilated they were from her time in hell and being fallen. While it would be faster to find Castiel through sensing his grace, she wasn’t too familiar with her younger brother to pinpoint him from a great distance. She would have better luck, as tricky as it would be, to find Gabriel.

 

Lucifer had initially thought for sure that he was dead, which is why she had been so emotional on having to resort to stabbing her own brother back at the hotel filed with those pagans that called themselves gods. But afterwards, something in her gut had told her that something had been off.

 

She had taught all her tricks to Gabriel and just maybe the student had surpassed the master for once. Besides, he would be a valuable ally in tackling the Darkness, the only other archangel she could turn to. She had never been close to Raphael and letting Michael free was out of the question.

 

Seeking out Sam’s bag laid out on the table, Lucifer pulled out the laptop and sat back on the couch with it in her lap. Gabriel always liked making a statement, so even if he could not use the disguise of Loki anymore and dish out just desserts as a trickster, he would find some other way. And if she was lucky, she could use the human device to narrow down her search by finding some sort of sign that screamed Gabriel.

 

She had only become familiar with how to navigate through computers when she possessed Nick and had absorbed some of his knowledge. Any that seemed potentially useful. Lucifer was not surprised when it asked for a password to gain access but her connection to her true vessel allowed her to figure it out with ease.

 

After spending two hours sleuthing through the internet, Lucifer turned up a possible lead. There was a news article from Japan that commented on how bodies kept being found on Mount Takao, tied to the tops of trees. And remarkably all the victims had been criminals. One witness had even claimed that she saw the perpetrator, a tengu, a feathered pagan demi-god most notorious for the red masks they wore over their face. Of course, the reporter had written off the witness as being superstitious but Lucifer knew better. It had to be Gabriel passing for one of these creatures. 

 

She shut down the laptop and placed it back into the bag where she had found it, no wanting to let Sam know that she had borrowed it. He would probably throw a fit. With everything back in place, Lucifer flew herself to Japan.

 

She had not been there ever since father had first created Mt Fuji. She could still remember how beautiful the view was from the top. However, Lucifer kept her pace brisk as she climbed Mount Takao, not allowing her attention to linger away from her path for too long. Before she knew it, she had gotten wind of a loud frightened scream and picked up her pace.

 

The trees where the victims were pinned to should not be too far ahead, which was confirmed as she heard the screaming get louder and louder.

 

Desperate pleas were made in Japanese as Lucifer leapt over a group of bushes to land into a small clearing. She heard some more chatter that she did not comprehend as she looked up and saw a man wriggling against the top of the tree, held in place by a tengu. Lucifer could only assume that the human was pleading for her to help but she could care less about his fate.

 

She could see the tufts of honey blond hair behind the red mask as the tengu looked down at her. Gabriel probably would not be able to recognize her right away because of her current form and that she was concealing as much of her grace as possible.

 

“Don’t let me stop you from finishing the job. You can do whatever you like to him. I just want to talk with you,” she spoke in clear English. Lucifer had learned many languages, including several human ones but not all of them. Though she could probably have stolen the knowledge of the language from a Japanese person but she didn’t think she would need it. 

 

Lucifer spotted a slight nod as the tengu finished tying the man with rope and flew down to stand a few feet in front of her. Although, the human would not stop screaming and it was getting on her nerves so she snapped her fingers to silence him.

 

“What do you want?” The tengu said with a heavy accent.

 

“Oh, please Gabriel, you can stop with the pretending. I can see through your little charade,” she said dismissively, hoping her brother would drop the mask so she could see his face. She saw as his body tense and he reluctantly pulled down the mask.

 

“So, which sibling are you? I’m afraid I don’t recognize you as you are not being so upfront either,” he shot back. She could see that his eyebrows were furrowed in anger, meaning that he probably was not happy at being found.

 

“Lucy,” she answered simply, dropping any sassy comments she thought of because given their last meeting it would be unwise to provoke him further. Though, it seemed like she ended up upsetting Gabriel anyways as she found his blade pointed at her neck.

 

“What in dad’s name are you doing out of the cage? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t shiv your ass right here.” Lucifer couldn’t say that she was too surprised. She had, after all, stabbed her brother because he had gotten in her way. He was probably as hurt as when she had been cast out by Michael.

 

“The Darkness is back.” Apparently Gabriel was not aware of that tidbit as his eyes widened and he lowered the blade.

 

“What!?” 

 

“Don’t look at me, I’m not to blame for this one. The Winchesters unleashed it.” For whatever reason they had, Lucifer was not entirely sure why. She had a suspicion that perhaps Dean was not strong enough to completely resist the effects of the Mark. Perhaps it had lured him towards nearly committing fratricide which was the final push in trying to get rid of it.

 

“Shit! Those bozos can never keep themselves out of trouble, can they? What about Mikey? Is he walking free too or is he still trapped in the cage?” Gabriel ran a hand through his hair as he considered the implications of the Darkness being loose out on the world.

 

“Nope, he’s still down there. I don’t trust him to not restart Judgment Day after we take care of the Darkness,” Lucifer crossed her arms defensively with a frown. If only he had listened to her and not be so loyal to their father, they could have avoided the whole confrontation. No matter how much Michael had hurt her, he was still her brother and she had no desire to kill him. Beat him up and give him a piece of her mind? Sure.

 

They had been close, the closest duo out of all their siblings. With even how fond Lucifer had been of Gabriel as her favorite little brother, their relationship could not even compare.

 

“We?” Her brother inquired.

 

“I’m aiding the Winchesters in handling this problem but I know that I alone am not enough. I’m still recovering from my time in the cage and surely you remember how powerful our enemy is. I’m asking you to help because I cannot turn to Michael or Raphael.”

 

“They’re trusting you?” Gabriel said in disbelief.

 

“Reluctantly but they have no other choice.” Though Lucifer was sure they would probably turn against her after the Darkness was handled. She had no delusions that they would allow her to just walk away silently. Though the rings were well hidden, Gabriel could just easily stab her with his blade.

 

“Lucy, you know that I’m not a fighter anymore. I barely had the courage to stand up to you and it was only because of a comment Dean made to me.”

 

“Gabe, please,” she begged, which was rare from her as she found begging beneath her. But this was her brother, her pride be damned.

 

“I’m sorry, I just can’t.” Gabriel turned around. Lucifer had reached her hand out to grab his shoulder but it was too late as he had disappeared.

 

“Gabriel! You coward! I won’t forget this!” she shouted, tears streaming down her face as she felt abandoned for the second time in her life.

 

---

 

Dejected by Gabriel’s refusal to join, Lucifer flew back to the confines of the motel that the Winchesters were sleeping at. Though, not before she had cleared all evidence of her tears from her face. Dean if he saw would probably mock her but neither Winchester brother realized that just because she was the Devil didn’t mean she was devoid of emotions. She wasn’t the unfeeling monster that humans believed her to be.

 

And of course, this put a hamper on defeating the Darkness, if they even have a chance of doing it. The situation did not look good and it made her apocalypse plans seem like a picnic in a sunny park.

 

She let her body to sink into the cushions of the couch with a deep sigh while she mentally cursed her father. Was he just going to sit aside and do nothing, just as he did not lift a finger to stop Michael and herself from fighting, while all his creations were threatened to be destroyed?

 

Lucifer heard some shifting from one of the beds but paid it no mind as she covered her face with her arm. There were more movements and footsteps, one of the brothers must be getting out of bed. The sun had not risen yet but with her trip overseas, she was not sure what time it was. She heard the steps stop beside the couch and she wearily looked up.

 

“You’re up early,” Lucifer commented softly to Sam, her voice light enough so Dean would not be woken up. Not that she did so out of any respect for Michael’s vessel but merely because she did not want to be bothered by him at the moment.

 

“I’m used to much less sleep. What about you? You don’t exactly seem rested.” Perhaps she had a troubled look on her face even though she had wiped off her tears.

 

“Angels don’t need sleep.” Lucifer knew her vessel was smart and doubted he would have forgotten such a fact but she reminded him.

 

“I know but you don’t seem all like yourself.” She let out a small dry laugh at his reply.

 

“Because I’m not slipping into your dreams and trying to get you to say yes to me?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Though for the record, I could have been an ass and taken your body as my vessel anyways since that yes in Detroit is still valid.”

 

“Why didn’t you?”  

 

“Why indeed?” Lucifer hummed with a smile. She had certainly considered but knew it would just end with another fight with the Winchesters, which wouldn’t be helpful if she wanted to stay out of the cage.

 

“Anyways, I have some questions that I wanted to ask of you. What has all happened since I was thrown back down? A lot seems to have changed while I was gone.” she rose up and leaned against the back of the couch while Sam took a seat on the arm rest.

 

“Yeah, you’re right, there has been a lot. It’s a long story but essentially Cas killed Raphael because he wanted to restart the Apocalypse. Purgatory was opened and the Leviathans got out. We met the prophet Kevin and found the Demon and Angel tablet. We were going to seal up hell with a ritual from the Demon tablet until Dean told me it would kill me. Metatron stole the Angel tablet and cast all the angels out of heaven. Abaddon got loose so Dean got the Mark of Cain so he could kill her. Then a lot more fighting amongst the angels. Stopped Metatron then went to thinking how to remove the Mark from Dean because it turned him into a demon.” 

 

Lucifer looked at Sam incredulously as he explained. Though she was not satisfied because it was such a brief summary that it still left many questions so she pressed her fingers to his face to absorb his knowledge. Because of the connection between angel and true vessel, she was able to do so with ease.

 

So, Raphael was dead. Not only him but many of her brother and sisters as well. She felt saddened by the loss of her brethren. Even with her own version of paradise, Lucifer had not sought her siblings’ death. And without a clear leader in heaven, everything must still be a mess among the angels.

 

She had noticed that Sam had left out any mentioning of Gadreel and how he possessed her vessel’s body through deception but as there were more important issues to be concerned with, she would let the matter go for now.

 

And Metatron, that arrogant scribe! How dare he try to take the place of their father!? He didn’t care about heaven and was responsible for the deaths of more of their siblings.

 

They slew Death as well. No wonder how he hadn’t been on her tail to get payback for binding him once she got out of the cage. Well, just the vessel of Death. Death was more than just an entity but a concept as well that helped balanced out the universe. Azrael may be gone but a replacement would be found to take up the mantle of Death.

 

“Do you boys’ stupidity knows no bounds?” Lucifer finally commented. 

 

“Though as informative as your memories were, it still begs the question of where is Castiel?”

 

“Why do you care about Cas? You killed him once for molotoving Michael.” Sam said confused. It was true but Lucifer had been highly emotional during the confrontation at Stull cemetery that she acted without second thought. No one hurt her older brother but her. But she could sympathize with the angel for rebelling and then being hated by all their siblings.

 

“I can relate to him, how it feels to be rejected by heaven. All their anger united against you. Doesn’t he deserve better especially when he did it all for you two?” She tilted her head at him.

 

Any further conversation was derailed when Dean’s body started twisting and turning on the bed before he rose up. He looked directly at the two of them perched on the couch.

 

“Dude, are you snuggling up to Satan?” He groaned, noticing how close they were seated, even though Sam was on the armrest and not the seat.

 

“Jealous, Dean-o?” Lucifer smirked and flew so she re-appeared next to him on the bed, wrapping her one arm over him.

 

“Jesus Christ!” Dean nearly jumped out of his skin and fell out of the bed in shock, the bed sheet tangling around his legs.

 

“Nope, try again!” she said smugly. Lucifer turned her attention to Sam who just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

---

Once the Winchester brothers had taken turns freshening up themselves in the bathroom, the three of them went over to a nearby diner to grab lunch, since by time they had arrived there they were no longer offering breakfast. Dean particularly insisting to not talk about business on an empty stomach. The waitress had seated them at a booth, Dean taking one side and Sam sat alongside Lucifer on the other one. She decided to glance through the menu even if she had no interest of ordering food.

 

Eating animals sounded so unappetizing, especially since she found them to be much superior creatures in comparison to humans.

 

“Do you want anything?” Sam turned to ask her, setting down his own menu neatly onto the table.

 

“No, I do not require sustenance.” She answered simply, flipping to the reverse side which listed beverages and desserts.

 

“Really? You should at least give it a try! Cas liked burgers and Gabriel had quite a sweet tooth!” Dean chimed in and Lucifer stiffened at the mention of her younger brother.

 

“Dean!” Sam said, probably noting her discomfort.

 

“Oh, yeah, that dick is dead…” The older Winchester replied awkwardly and Lucifer placed her menu down to give him a fierce look. Not because of the reminder of her brother but of the insult to him.

 

“Contrary to belief, Gabriel is very much alive.” Lucifer clarified. And probably hightailed it out of Japan to somewhere else after their conversation so she wouldn’t be able to find him.

 

“What, how!? Are you sure?” Sam nearly shouted and she elbowed him in the side to quiet him down. She did not want to make a commotion and draw unwanted attention towards them. She especially did not want any of the other angels to know she was out of the cage, though it was probably inevitable they would find out.

 

“He has always been rather sneaky and did learn all his tricks from me.” Lucifer stated with clear pride in her voice. It went to show that she had been an excellent teacher. “And I know for certain because I saw him.”

 

“Wait a minute, he paid a visit to our motel while we were sleeping?” This time, it was Dean’s turn to raise his voice.

 

“No, I paid him a visit.”

 

“If I recall, the two of you didn’t part on the best of terms so why were you visiting him?” Sam asked. Of course, Lucifer was not going to reveal her plight to try to gather his aid and her subsequent failure.

 

“You know, just for a brother-sister reunion.” She said dismissively, picking up the empty straw wrapper and fiddling with it. Though, she could see out of the corner of her eye that Sam was not buying it, even though he did not comment any further.

 

“You mean finishing the job you started at the Elysian Hotel?” Dean interjected.

 

Lucifer’s eyes narrowed into small slits. The window beside the booth and the glass of their beverages started to frost from her icy rage. How dare he insinuate that she wanted nothing other than her brother’s death. He couldn’t be further from the truth. She grabbed the knife from her place setting and stabbed it into the table in the gap between his thumb and index finger.

 

“Make another comment like that and I will not miss next time. Call me the Devil all you want but I love my siblings. After Michael, Gabriel was the brother that I loved the most so don’t you dare imply that I wanted to kill him or took any pleasure in it,” She seethed, feeling Sam pull at her wrist probably afraid that she would remove the knife from the table and stab it somewhere else.

 

“Alright, alright, cool it!” Dean rose his hands up defensively. He then grabbed his glass of soda for a drink and found that it had completely frozen over. Lucifer closed her eyes to calm herself down so that the temperature rose back to normal, which dispelled the frost.

 

“You really weren’t kidding about burning cold.” Sam observed.

 

“What, it wasn’t apparent when I drew a pitchfork on the window in Detroit? But of course, any angel cut off from heaven no longer has access to its warmth.” Though even when Castiel had rebelled, Lucifer could still feel the warmth that had radiated from his body when they had met in Carthage. Even though she was not the only fallen angel in existence, she was probably the only that was left completely cold.

 

Any further comment was paused as the waitress came over to take their order. Dean unsurprisingly ordered a burger, which the description had sounded utterly revolting, and Sam a healthy salad. The woman frowned when Lucifer did not order anything and commented that she didn’t have to starve herself to maintain her figure.

 

“She probably thinks you have an eating disorder,” Dean stated when the waitress walked away to the kitchen. It wasn’t like she could reveal the truth to say she was the Devil and didn’t need to eat like a human.

 

Her vessel was rather slim and petite for a woman but not too small that would imply such a disorder. If the human had been unhealthy, Lucifer would have not even bothered taking it because it would not be able to handle her grace as well as some in good health. Though, her grace was not much of an issue at the moment, which is why she had not yet needed to resort to drinking demon blood to sustain her current vessel. Hopefully, she would not need to come to that before she was able to remake Nick’s body.

 

“Anyways, what’s the game plan? Do you have any ideas of what we should do to take down the Darkness?” Sam asked, breaking Lucifer out of her thoughts. Without Gabriel at their side, she did not have many ideas. Not even the combined power of the archangels and their father could stop it so how could two humans, no matter how remarkable they were, and a depowered archangel?

 

“You do realize that there is no easy answer for this? I told you how it went down the first time, we couldn’t defeat it so we had to seal it.” And without her father’s help, there was little hope of trying to seal it again. The ritual had consumed a lot of power that it had left him winded for a bit and then there was the price of the Mark. That even though it was contained, it could corrupt the bearer. 

 

She rubbed her hand absently over the top part of her arm, where her Mark had been. Lucifer still could not get used to the fact that it was gone. Though with the consequences, she wasn’t exactly grateful.

 

“Are you chilly? Do you need a jacket?” Apparently Sam had interpreted her hand movement that her vessel’s body was cold and was seeking warmth. The cold had stung at first but now she had long been accustomed to it.

 

Before she could reply, the younger Winchester had removed the grey jacket he wore over his plaid shirt and draped it over her shoulders. She saw Dean give them an ‘are you serious’ look.

 

“Aww, Sammy, I didn’t know that you cared so much, I’m flattered.” Lucifer teased but in all seriousness it did surprise her. She knew that Sam had not forgiven her for manipulating him or riding around in his body so it was just strange he would show concern.

 

“Really, Sam? Why are you being so nice to the Devil?” Dean huffed. She could pick up thoughts from Sam about her deserving a second chance since she was helping them out. And that she was probably different now that she was free from the Mark.

 

How sweetly naive. If only that was the case.

 

“It’s much more complicated than that,” Lucifer responded to Sam’s thoughts.

 

“What do you mean?” He turned his head, seeking clarification.

 

“You think that removing the Mark is like flipping a light switch and maybe it was for Dean. But the difference between him and me is that he was under its influence for much less so it’s easy for him to turn himself around. I’m not privy to the same luxury. Even though it’s gone, some of that darkness is still an inherent part of me.” She looked over to see the waitress walking back with the Winchesters’ food order.

 

While the brothers chowed down on their food, Lucifer looked out through the window and watched as people walked by on the sidewalk.

 

“Man this is good!” Dean spoke through a mouthful of burger.

 

“Dean, please don’t talk with your mouth full. You eat like a caveman,” Sam scolded his older brother.

 

“Don’t insult the caveman, those hairless apes had more manners.” Lucifer added as a joke.

 

“H..hey!” he muffled out in protest.

 

“Ew, watch it, you are spitting out lettuce onto the table!” She let out a small chuckle at their banter, it brought back memories of her time in heaven with her brothers. 

 

Like arguing with Michael on the proper way to teach the fledglings how to fly. Lucifer wanted to just toss them off a cliff and had them learn that way but her brother wanted to take a more cautious approach and ease them into it. And of course, Gabriel had not helped them any by telling the fledglings horror stories of angels having crash landings and ended up damaging their wings beyond repair.

 

If only her family could go back to being that way but she knew that was an impossible wish, even if Michael finally saw things her way or if Gabriel stopped hiding from home.

 

---

 

Since they did not have a plan for the Darkness yet, Dean went back to the motel to look for a case since he didn’t want to stop hunting while Sam escorted Lucifer to a clothing store, saying that she probably wear something other than the knee length dress she had. Personally, she did not care. She had worn the same clothes on Nick the entire time she had possessed him, even when it got dirtied with blood and torn.

 

Certainly Lucifer was a prideful being and had one time been proud of the beauty of his wings, which at its height been white dipped in hues of sky blue, but clothing was nothing more than a material construction that humans came up with because they were afraid of their nudity. She was not sure where that idea had formed from since neither Adam nor Eve had taken any issue with their bodies being exposed.

 

Sam still had not reclaimed his jacket, which Lucifer had put her arms through the sleeves after they left the diner rather than letting it drape over her shoulders. Though, it was huge on her body and she felt like she was swimming through fabric.

 

She perused through the racks of clothing, pulling information about the proper size measurements from the back of her vessel’s mind. As she removed one hanger to inspect a top, Lucifer scrunched her nose in disdain at how the white fabric was so sheer it could be seen through. She spun on her heel to turn to Sam to show it to him.

 

“I know you humans are modest creatures when it comes to your privates but what is the point of even bothering with clothing if you can see right through it anyways? Isn’t that counterproductive?” He had sighed as he grabbed the hanger from her and placed it back onto the rack.

 

“I admittedly don’t know much about fashion but I’m assuming that it is stylish. Besides, you don’t have to wear something like that if you don’t want to.” Lucifer then heard a thought in his mind about how this shopping trip would be much easier if she was in a male body. Which he was assuming that she had taken on feminine characteristics, such as being obsessed with appearance, by having this vessel.

 

“You know, I’m only doing this because you were suggesting that it would be easier to fight in something other than a short dress. Personally, I don’t care how this vessel looks. Her body could be naked and it wouldn’t matter to me.” This body was nothing more than a means to an end. Now, if she was in her true vessel that would be a different story. Lucifer remembered how she had already selected the perfect outfit for Sam’s body, a nicely tailored white suit to match the former glory of her wings.

 

“Ugh, please don’t. The cops would be chasing after you for indecent exposure.” She could tell from his voice and without reading his mind that he was very uncomfortable with the notion. Lucifer laughed as she grabbed a pair of jeans from a shelf while she started looking for a top to go with it. Though she wondered why someone would pay money to buy jeans that came with holes in it.

 

“Pfft, like any human prison could contain me for long.” The only thing that was capable of imprisoning Lucifer was the cage and it was only because it had been specifically designed to hold her.

 

She had found herself towards the racks of licensed t-shirts, featuring popular television shows and movies. One thing Lucifer had retained from Nick was his vast knowledge of pop culture. She let out a small chuckle of amusement when she found the perfect one, a shirt with a picture of Darth Vader holding a sign with one hand that said “free throat hugs”.

 

Snickering, Lucifer showed it to Sam who only rolled his eyes at her antics but she could tell that he was satisfied that there were finally done with their little detour. Before they could reach the register of the store, she could tell that something was off when a trio entered and walked towards them.

 

She hissed as she realized that they were demons, smelling the sulfur that rolled off their bodies and seeing their true faces. They may have been her creations but she held no fondness for them. It had been her intention after she eliminated humans to then eradicate all demons. Her grace was neatly tucked away that they would not be able to identify their creator though they would probably be able to tell from the slither of grace that leaked through that she was an angel.

 

“Sam Winchester.” The leader of the trio called out as they stopped right in front of them.

 

“Yeah?” He had replied cautiously, wondering why these people knew his name even though he did not know them. Of course he wouldn’t be able to tell until they flashed their black eyes.

 

“Sam, they’re demons.” Lucifer informed him. She could then hear the question that was not vocalized inside his head about whether she had lured the demons to their location.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She scoffed, offended by the implication. If only she still had her angel blade but unfortunately it had been taken from her and locked up in heaven when she had been cast out. Though she probably could manage to smite them.

 

“Your feathery girlfriend is right, Winchester.” The group finally showed their black eyes as one of the demons flanking the leader responded.

 

“What do you want? If Crowley sent you then you can tell him to shove it.” Ah yes, the little Crossroads demon that had taken her throne after she was sent back to the cage.

 

“Crowley can go kiss my ass. It’s always you Winchesters isn’t it? Your brother caused us a lot of problems while he was a demon.” Demons were such fickle creatures so it was unsurprising to Lucifer. Very few were actually loyal to the crown, most did not care about allegiances and were more concerned with themselves.

 

“Well, Dean isn’t here,” Sam sneered at them, pulling an angel blade out of his pocket while the demons pull out their own. It was so strange because before it had been unthinkable to imagine their heavenly weapons in the hands of anyone other than an angel. But with so many of her brothers and sisters slain on earth, their blades were up for the taking by whomever.

 

As Lucifer saw the clerk behind the register counter become alarmed as a fight was about to break out, she moved quickly and pressed her fingers to the woman’s forehead to make her fall asleep before rejoining Sam’s side.

 

“She’s fine, just made her fall asleep so she wouldn’t call the police.” She assured him as he had been frightened that she had killed the clerk. Sure, she had been directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of countless humans but it would do her no good right now to go on a murder spree.

 

“Well, that’s alright, we will bring your head to him on a platter then kill him.” The head demon smirked before two of them charged at Sam while the other went after her. Lucifer let out a high pitched laugh as this demon was no match to her. It was like a rookie challenging a pro in the ring, there was no contest.

 

She swiftly grasped the demon’s head with her hand and let some of her grace pour out as she smited the creature, burning two holes in its eye sockets as it let out a scream while collapsing onto the floor. Attention turning back to Sam, Lucifer saw that he had pinned the one demon against the racks on the wall but saw the second one trying to stab him from behind.

 

She lunged forward to grab the demon back as Sam sunk the angel blade into the other one. More of her grace poured out as she smited again and unconsciously the action pulled her wings out. Lucifer cursed, trying to push them back inside her body but they would not cooperate.

 

Sam had brushed off his pants before turning around to face her. She saw his jaw drop as he let out a gasp. She scowled as he stared at them before she grabbed her clothes that had been discarded onto the floor before the fight broke out and flew off to anywhere but the clothing store. In their current state, they were hideous and was the last part of herself that she ever wanted exposed.

 

If Sam had not been her true vessel, she would have smited him on the mere principle of him witnessing her wings. They were scorched down to the bone, most of the feathers plucked out during her fall and the others that had survived had been burned by the fire of hell. There was only a tiny bit of feathers left which covered the bone so it wasn’t fully exposed and a few that dangled off.

 

They were a shameful reminder that Lucifer had once been the most beautiful angel in all of Heaven and been the envy of quite the few of her siblings. And now she had none of that glory, just tattered remains.

---

Lucifer had found herself at some random beach, which seemed to be secluded as it was devoid of any humans, which was all the better for her. She shrugged Sam’s jacket onto the sand before ripping up the dress over her body to put on her new clothes. After changing, she grabbed the jacket back up and put it on, intending on returning it the next time she saw the younger Winchester.

 

She momentarily left her shoes off as she walked through the small waves that crashed against the beach, the water caressing her toes as she tried to calm herself so her wings would hopefully retract on their own. This was the true greatness of her father’s creation. The serene landscape of nature, devoid of any sin or corruption. Just pure splendid beauty, untouched by humans.

 

As she sunk herself into reminiscing on the days when father had first created and the archangels had taken to exploring every crevice, she let out a sigh of relief as she felt her wings pull back inside her body.

 

Lucifer could spend an eternity at the beach, it was that mesmerizing, but she knew that she could not remain there, not so long as she had business with the Winchesters and resolving the issue with the Darkness. For all of her knowledge, she unfortunately had no answer. And of course, it couldn’t be left unchecked.

 

Reluctantly, she figured it was about time she returned to the motel before the Winchesters got the impression that she was running amok and stirring up chaos. She sat back onto the sand to pull up her shoes and left her dress stay behind before she flew back.

 

She could tell from Dean’s red face, the shouting, and the posture of the brothers that she had returned to an argument, probably over her. It was all silenced as the two finally took notice of her.

 

“Where the hell you been!? Sam said that you ditched him!” Dean turned his rage towards Lucifer.

 

“Certainly not hell. That would cause an uproar among the demons and alert the angels that I’m not in the cage, which wouldn’t be good for either one of us.” She half joked but the rest of it was true. If heaven caught wind of her walking the earth, they would not relent in pursuing her and locking her back up.

 

“That’s still not an answer, jackass! How are we supposed to have any faith that you’re telling the truth that you are going to help us when you keep disappearing randomly!? You could be trying to restart Judgment Day behind our backs!”

 

“I have told you that I do no lie, I don’t have any need to, which I’m sure that Sam could confirm for me.” Lucifer responded firmly. The accusations were not completely unexpected so she kept herself as calm as possible.

 

“Well omitting information is still lying!” That in Lucifer’s opinion was debatable. Furthermore, she especially did not want to have to admit to Dean Winchester of all people that she had ran off because she was mortified that his brother had seen her wings. For her, it was an emotional matter and he would probably mock her for it.

 

“Dean, calm down. It was nothing like you were thinking. Besides, she came back.” Sam tried to soothe his brother.

 

“And that’s supposed to reassure me how?”

 

“Come on, drop it. Besides, didn’t you tell me that you found a case for us?” Sam diverted the conversation away from Lucifer, which surprisingly succeeded as Dean sighed and went over to the table where the laptop sat open.

 

“There have been an odd string of deaths occurring in Moon, PA which is right outside the city of Pittsburgh. One man hung himself from the tree in his backyard, a woman used a nailgun on her husband before turning it on herself, and teenager girl ran her father over with her car then drove herself several miles away into a river.” Dean explained as he turned the screen to face them.

 

“That really is bizarre. Is there are any connections between the victims?” Sam asked as he plopped himself down into a chair beside the table, shifting the computer towards himself so he could use the keyboard.

 

“It’s not a large town so most of the residents know each other. Though, the first dude has a son that is in the same school as the chick that killed her father but the couple had no children.” Dean answered as he grabbed himself a cup of coffee from the small machine that accompanied the room. Though apparently not the good kind of coffee as Lucifer saw his lips twist downwards as he took a sip.

 

“Hmm…there isn’t much local lore, aside from a weird story about the crescent moon descending to plow fields and witnesses accidentally dying from that. I think we can safely rule that out.” Lucifer curled up on the couch as she listened the two brothers exchange information.

 

“You think maybe that some demons are involved with this one?” the older Winchester suggested.

 

“It’s too soon to tell for sure. We can check for sulfur traces and EMF when we get there.” Sam shook his head before closing the laptop and started collecting his things to pack up. Just before he could zipper up his duffle bag, Lucifer got back up and handed his jacket back.

 

“Thanks but I don’t need it anymore.” She had decided to be polite and left out a comment about how Sam was the size of a giant.

 

“Alright,” he nodded. “I don’t have time to make you a fake ID or get you a suit so you will have to hang back while Dean and I investigate the crime scenes.”

 

“Sam, Sam, Sam. I’m disappointed, have you forgotten who you are working with?” Lucifer tsked, snapping her fingers to cast an illusion of her wearing a suit and conjured up an ID into her hand. Casting up illusions was much easier and less exhaustive than smiting demons. Though, she was still cautious to not totally expend her grace all at once before it could recharge or it would leave her rather vulnerable.

 

“Oh. Right. It slipped my mind but, aside from messing with me inside my dreams, you really didn’t bother with that kind of stuff.” Lucifer had first appeared to Sam through the guise of his dead girlfriend Jessica. However, she had exposed her true self before she had gotten around before pretending to be dear Mary Winchester. That probably would have made him even more upset.

 

Though, she had been curious about the Winchesters’ mother. John had carried the bloodline for Michael’s vessel but Mary carried the bloodline for her vessels. She idly wondered how it would feel to take her body, akin to how Michael had briefly taken John. If it were not for the fact that she was dead, she would have been the next best option for a vessel after Sam. While not as strong as Sam because she was not the true vessel, her body would have not deteriorated the way that Nick’s had. What a shame that Azazel had killed her but it was destiny.

 

“I suppose so,” Lucifer finally said.

 

---

 

Dean had initially grumbled and complained about Lucifer joining them for the case in Pennsylvania but Sam argued that since he was so worried about Lucifer that it would be better to keep her in their sights rather than let her run off as she please. Though, she could tell that Sam did not harbor the same concerns that his older brother did.

 

Lucifer was less than pleased to be riding inside a car again, even if she had the entire backseat to herself. Castiel’s response to her question had truly summarized it nicely, it was confining. Even more so for Lucifer, whose true form was twice the size of her younger sibling.

 

It took two days for them to reach Pennsylvania. They had reserved a motel room and got a bite to eat so that the brothers were running on a full stomach before paying the first victim’s residence a visit. It had been a few days since the man had hung himself and the police had already cleared it as a suicide so the only barrier was the police tape on the front door. He had no other family at the house so it was empty.

 

“Sammy, why don’t you check inside while your pet Devil and I take a look at the tree?” It was a command, not a suggestion despite the way it was phrased. Dean probably did not want him alone with Sam, especially given the clothing store incident, but Lucifer did not care either way.

 

She smiled as she picked up on Sam’s growing irritation of her being labeled his girlfriend and other associations. Oh, it was so easy to rile him up.

 

The weird human contraption that Dean held in his hands did not pick up anything or make any noise as he swept around the base of the tree while Lucifer knelt over the ground underneath the branch.

 

“I don’t smell any sulfur, how about you?” Dean asked as she picked up a strand of short white hair she found hidden in the grass.

 

“No, no demon was responsible for this.” She answered confidently as she carefully scrutinized the hair. Even if it had been days since the incident, Lucifer would have still been able to sense a trace of demons if they had been involved. Sniffing the hair, it didn’t appear to be human.

 

“You got something over there or are you picking flowers?” He had joked but then gave her a strange look when he saw the hair in her hand.

 

“Found this right below where he hanged himself. I think it might be a cat hair.” Dean had first regarded her seriously but when she brought up the cat part, he had just laughed.

 

“We’re outside so it ain’t that surprising to have a cat wandering through.” He had dismissed her but Lucifer did not think it was that easy to disregard. She could have sworn that she felt some residual negative energy attached to this tiny fiber of hair.

 

“Come on, let’s see if Sam found anything.” Dean urged her to follow along to the house. Though, he had not much luck either. There was no traces of sulfur or EMF readings inside, which didn’t surprise Lucifer in the least.

 

Both of the Winchesters were stumped, though hoping that the homes of the other two victims would shed some light, but Lucifer could not dismiss the possibility that the cat hair she found might be related to the case. She had heard stories long ago of negative energy morphing regular animals into demonic like creatures in death. Those cases had generally arose out of the animal being abused or tortured by humans, which led to a strong resentment.

 

They returned to the motel to rest and conduct some more research, planning on hitting up the second victims’ house in the morning. Lucifer had dispelled the illusion surrounding her as soon as she walked through the doorway and again claimed the couch for herself, though eventually Dean had her scoot over so he could watch some lame medical soap opera while Sam plugged away at the laptop.

 

“Dammit. There’s still not much to go on other than the fact that we can eliminate demons” She heard Sam curse as he pushed down the screen of the computer before joining them on the couch, taking the opposite side so Lucifer was seated in the middle.

 

“Don’t worry, we are hitting up the Murphy’s first thing in the morning.” Dean assured him, though Sam still looked uneasy. Lucifer was planning on keeping an eye out for more cat hair at the other locations because that would indicate it was more than just a mere coincidence.

 

---

 

It turned out that the Murphys had lived on a small farm with a corn field and barn in the back. The wife had killed her husband in their bedroom on the second floor and went down to the kitchen before offing herself. The cops had ruled this one as a murder-suicide but was still wrapping up loose ends for the investigation so they had stopped briefly at the police station before heading over.

 

Lucifer had grinned as she flaunted her fake badge around, excited to return later to check out the bodies in the morgue. This time, Sam swept the outside of the property while Lucifer partnered with Dean inside the house. The bed was still covered in blood.

 

“Geez, what an awful way to go, and by that I mean it was not exactly the fun kind of nailing.” Dean commented as he dug through the dressers and closet searching for any kind of evidence. 

 

The innuendo was not lost on Lucifer, even for how uninterested she was in human sexuality. She was aware that her brother Gabriel had been more embracing of it. From what she had later learned of the exploits of Loki, as he had called himself, it was not all just pagans but humans as well.

 

How disgusting. For all of her sin, at least Lucifer didn’t bed anybody - human or otherwise, contrary to the widely held belief that she had corrupted Lilith, Adam’s first wife, by seducing her with her body. She would rather rip out the remains of her wings than stoop so low.

 

“Hmm, I suppose it wasn’t very pleasurable for him unless he was a masochist.” She joked, kneeling down before the end table positioned next to the bed and inspected the patch of carpet around it. Though she was jolted out of her laughter as she found another white hair fiber.

 

“So, tell me, how does an outside cat wander into the Murphy’s bedroom?” Lucifer shot at Dean as she stood up straight and pushed out her hand holding the hair towards him.

 

“Are you fucking with me?” Dean looked towards her in shock.

 

“Sorry, not interested, you’re not my type. But no, I’m serious. It looks like we might have some sort of vengeful cat in our hands. I would bet you the crown of hell that there is another such hair in the kitchen.” She said smoothly.

 

And much to Dean’s dismay, Lucifer was correct. He mumbled something about why hadn’t the police found and collected these hairs. Like those humans would be anywhere as competent as a knowledgeable archangel.

 

When Sam finally joined them inside the house, he had raised an eyebrow at Dean as he caught the pout on his face. “What? What did you find?”

 

“Apparently we are dealing with some sort of hellcat with a hard on for murder.” Dean explained and Lucifer snickered. There was no such creature. Cat-like as it may be, it certainly had no connection to hell.

 

“What the hell are you on?” Sam tossed him a bitchface and turned to Lucifer for clarification.

 

“Don’t mind him, he’s just drawing half-assed conclusions. But anyways, one thing Dean-o does have right that our culprit is feline in nature as I have found the exact same type of cat hairs at both crime scenes.”

 

“I guess it’s time to hit the books and see what kind of cat-like supernatural creatures we can find since I cannot think of one right off the bat.”

---

Sam hung back at the motel to do research while Lucifer accompanied Dean to the police station to finally check out the victims’ bodies. Unfortunately for them, there was nothing inherently suspicious, aside from a few more cat hairs Lucifer found.

 

“I wonder what those humans did to this poor cat to cause it to go on such a rampage,” She pondered as she ran a finger down over one of the puncture wounds of the husband that had been hit with a nail gun in morbid fascination.

 

“Eww, that’s gross, put on a glove at least if you are going to molest corpses.” Dean chided her, disgust blatant on his face as he lifted his gaze up from the medical report in his hands. She raised an eyebrow at him, not seeing anything wrong in her conduct. She had sunk her fist through several pagan gods and had their blood drenching her body, she didn’t see why she would need to treat this human any differently. Lucifer did not mind getting her own hands dirty, it’s not like she could catch anything.

 

“Oh, Dean-o, don’t tell me that you are now getting concerned about little old me, are you?” She laughed lightly as she removed her finger from the body.

 

“Yeah right, I don’t give a damn about you. If we didn’t need you around, I would punt your ass right back into the cage. You should treat the dead with more respect, they’re not some doll to be poked and prodded at.” Though unfortunately for Dean, the threat was presently a hollow one as Lucifer had hidden the rings quite well. She was confident that they would not be able to locate its hiding spot on their own. She could have been insulted at being lectured by a human on respect but instead she decided to take it in humor.

 

“Lecturing the devil on respect now, hmm? Did they add that to the job description for being the Righteous Man? Though, you were always rather poor at that job, weren’t you?” Lucifer tilted her head as she mocked him.

 

“Shut up-” Dean had gritted his teeth and before he could say anything else, his cell phone rang. The conversation was short and Lucifer could tell it was from Sam, probably informing him that he had found something in his research.

 

“Time to head back, Sam thinks he found what this creature is.” Her speculation was finally confirmed as he pressed a button and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

 

---

 

Lucifer had perched herself on the wooden chair beside Sam at the table, trying to situate herself in a way that she was at least close to eye level with her true vessel. She really did not enjoy the height difference, especially now that it was even more apparent in her current form. The result was the back of the chair facing the table and her arms laying across the top. She leaned forward, resting her head on her arms, as she took in the laptop screen. Part of it was Japanese symbols that she did not comprehend and the other was thankfully in English. The title of the page read “Bakeneko”.

 

Well, Gabriel’s help would have certainly come in handy for a situation like this.

 

“So, what are we looking at here?” Dean had grabbed a beer out of the mini fridge and took a sip.

 

“It seems like we might be dealing with a bakeneko. They’re from Japan, which most of the information about them are only in Japanese so I had a hard time finding sources in English. They’re cat-like creatures that are known to be capable of shapeshifting, possessing humans, and bewitching. There are some stories about them taking revenge against cruel humans, which could potentially explain the deaths here.” Sam read off from the computer.

 

“Alright, we still need to find where it is hiding but how do we kill it?” Dean nodded, downing the rest of the beer.

 

“This is going to be a tough one. A bamboo blade blessed by a Shinto priest. Not so much as finding the weapon but Shinto isn’t exactly a predominant religion within the United States.”

 

“We improvised on something like this before, didn’t we?” Dean suggested. Oh boy, already they had forgotten that they had an angel in the room with them. She could easily fly over to Japan to get the blade blessed, even despite the small language barrier.

 

“Or, I don’t know, maybe let the archangel in your party take a little trip to the Far East? Or am I just speaking blasphemy?” Lucifer finally butted into the conversation. Dean looked about ready to say “no” to her suggestion but Sam had spoken first.

 

“That’s true, I didn’t consider that. Are you up for doing that?” Dean seemed like he was about to throw a fit over the amount of confidence and trust his younger brother was placing into Lucifer. Though honestly, he should just think with his head. If she had any intention of betraying them or otherwise harming them, Lucifer would have went through with it by now. She wouldn’t waste time on the foreplay, so to speak.

 

“Certainly, I like the opportunity at being able to stretch out my wings rather than be cramped inside that small contraption you call a car.” Arching her back, she lifted up her arms and stretched them out as if to emphasize her point. The cage had not offered any opportunity to fly either.

 

“Well, I’m not letting you go off alone.” Dean barked out.

 

“Well then, Sam, would you care to accompany me?” Lucifer turned to her true vessel with a smile, watching out of the corner of her eye as Dean fumed.

 

“Uh, sure, I don’t mind.” Sam shrugged. Content with his answer, Lucifer did not allow Dean any time to respond further as she flew them away. The movement had caught Sam off guard and he almost fell forward onto his face until Lucifer had grabbed him by the back of his shirt, her grip firm.

 

“You know, I would appreciate some warning the next time you do that.” He blinked as he took in their current surroundings, a nicely sized market area with stands filled with practically every kind of item.

 

“I apologize but I thought it was prudent to go ahead before your brother offered more protest on the matter.” Lucifer had conjured some yen into her hands as he led the way through the near maze-like market until they came across a stand selling weapons, though not before briefly touching the wrist of a passing human to absorb some of the Japanese language. She only needed just enough to conduct the exchange with the seller and then the priest.

 

Sam kept quiet as she handled the transaction. It would have been faster if Lucifer had simply stolen it but she doubt that the younger Winchester would allow it without offering some sort of complaint.

 

“I thought you didn’t know the language.” He had finally commented after Lucifer got the blade into her hands and they were walking away from the market.

 

“I didn’t. I just borrowed the knowledge from a random human that was walking by. It’s almost like reading someone’s mind but it is much more concentrated, especially when you know the precise information you are looking for.” Lucifer explained, sticking the bamboo blade down her jeans.

 

“We don’t have to go too far for the shrine, there’s one a few blocks down from here.” At least according to the man that was selling the weapons. If there was one thing to be said about Japan, they had shrines and temples everywhere. It was almost like Americans having several banks in one block.

 

She could see the confusion that passed through Sam’s face as he stopped in front of the bright red Torii gate. “I’m not an expert on Asian religions but I thought these gates were for Buddhist temples only?”

 

“That’s true but there has been cases of Shinto shrines coexisting with a temple because of the intertwining of the two faiths here.” Lucifer spoke evenly despite finding the whole concept to be strange, it would be like blending her father together with the pagans.

 

Tucked in the back corner of the temple grounds was a Shinto shrine and after an exchange with one of the Buddhist monks, Lucifer had been directed to the monk on the grounds that was responsible for all Shinto rituals and blessings. He had performed the blessing on the blade with no questions asked.

 

“That should do it for our little excursion. Best return back before your brother gets the impression that we eloped.” She had snickered out and took advantage of Sam’s embarrassment, his face turning tomato red, to fly them back. Back inside the comfort of their motel room, Dean did not miss the blush on his younger brother’s face as he stared at them in bewilderment but surprisingly did not comment.

 

“One blessed bamboo blade.” Lucifer smiled evenly as she placed it carefully onto the table before seating herself on top of the kitchenette counter.

 

As the Winchesters discussed their plan of attack for locating the bakeneko, she had found herself intrigued by the pie lying innocently next to her. She stuck her index finger through the crust and into the center with curiosity, feeling how smooth the gooey insides were before withdrawing it and plopping the finger into her mouth to judge the flavor. Apple, how appropriate. Ever since her intrusion into the Garden and tempting Eve, humans had associated her with the fruit. The pie wasn’t bad but the cinnamon made it a little too sweet for her liking.

 

“Hey, what the fuck are you doing to my pie!?” Dean shouted, attention moving away from the case, and Lucifer smirked as she slid her offending finger out of her mouth and stuck it right back into the pie, taking in delight as she watched the rage spread across his face.

 

“Gross, there’s no way that I’m touching it now that you got your saliva all over it!”

 

“It’s not like I have cooties or anything.” Upon second tasting, Lucifer could discern that the apples were not fresh but more so of the canned variety, which probably had added to its sweetness.

 

“Silverware and plates exist for a reason. And stop trying to antagonize Dean, it’s getting old. You owe him a pie, by the way.” Sam spoke up, shooting her an unamused look. She shrugged at him and conjured a new pie in her clean hand. Having no more interest in the desecrated pie, Lucifer cleaned off her finger with a paper towel to get the stickiness off of it. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she picked at the bits of apple that had gotten underneath her nail.

 

Lucifer was no stranger to having blood caked underneath her fingernails which is how the apple felt but the nails of her current vessel was much longer than Nick’s, which made the sensation even more annoying.

 

“Need a manicure over there, princess?” Dean’s comment had been intended as sarcastic but it was actually a good idea. She could have them trimmed and then cleaned.

 

“Excellent suggestion, now why don’t you two get to work hunting this bakeneko while I visit a salon?” Lucifer jumped off the counter and spun around to face the door.

 

“Wait, what? What happened to helping us?” Dean complained.

 

“Last time I checked, I only promised to assist with the Darkness, nothing more. And as far as I’m concerned, this case is not related to that matter.” Sam had offered no comment out loud but he had many thoughts running through his head of how she was still a tricky asshole. She flashed a mischievous smile before walking out, deciding to go by foot rather than flying.

 

---

 

Lucifer should have known that she would not be able to elude her angelic siblings for long and should have considered herself lucky that she had not encountered them until now. Although, her grace was still well hidden despite some of it still showing, so she ended up mistaken as an ordinary soldier rather than archangel. And it paid off that she had kept her wings concealed inside her vessel or the six tattered wings would give herself away in an instant. Every other class of angels had only a single set of wings but archangels had three sets.

 

Lucifer had a relaxing time at the salon but after she had emerged and was walking on the sidewalk, she was stopped. She was envious as the other angel had found a taller vessel than hers but then again Lucifer could not take just anybody as a vessel.

 

“Are you out on a search for Metatron, sister?” Lucifer was not privy to angel radio anymore so she had no clue what was going on with the angels or Metatron but she gathered based off the question that he was on the loose. When she had been cast out, she had been cut off completely.

 

“No,” She answered honestly. Though if she did happen to cross paths with that scribe, she would not show him any mercy.

 

“That’s a relief!” Lucifer almost recoiled as the angel wrapped her arm around hers like they were best friends. If it were not the fact that she was clothed, she would have thought she was a cupid. Most normal angels weren’t this touchy-feely but Lucifer had a hunch that this angel was probably quirky like Castiel.

 

“I’m Camaela.” Her sister introduced herself. Of course, Lucifer could not provide her real name and scrambled for a false one to provide.

 

“Muriel.” Hopefully she would not encounter the angel of June while she was using her name.

 

“Things have been a real mess haven’t it? Even though Heaven is open to us again, I have stayed down here on earth. I have learned a lot from these humans.” Camaela walked along with her and pulled her inside a cafe.

 

“You’re not interested in looking for Metatron?” Lucifer inquired as she sat down in the seat across from her.

 

“Don’t get me wrong, he does deserve to be punished for his crimes but that’s all everybody else is doing. Do we really need all of heaven to search? And besides, is there no alternative means to bring him back? I thought we were past the point of being just soldiers following orders. What happened to free will that Castiel has demonstrated we can possess?” Camaela took a bite out of the caesar salad she had ordered while Lucifer could only stare in bewilderment as her body tensed.

 

If this angel had said these words back in the day when she was still in heaven, she would have been accused of blasphemy and been ridiculed by their siblings. Free will was not part of their hard wiring but who knows whether their father had intended them to have free will or not.

 

Lucifer had always thought that they had to follow his plans obediently as his loyal children but with the way the apocalypse had been averted, she wasn’t so sure. Not that she had been willingly following his plans. She hadn’t wanted to fight Michael or kill him, even going as far as asking her brother for both of them to simply walk off the chessboard.

 

“Speaking of Castiel, do you have any idea where he is? I fear the treatment he will get at the hands of our other siblings.” With Camaela having access to angel radio, an advantage she had over Lucifer, she might have an idea of where he was.

 

“I know how you feel. I have not heard anything concrete but I heard that Jonah and Efram were pursuing him on Hannah’s order. She thinks that he might lead to Metatron.” Camaela had then provided her with the general vicinity that the two angels had last been spotted. It was a start, at least. Sensing the urgency of the matter, Lucifer decided that it would be prudent to immediately follow up on the lead and reunite with the Winchesters later.

 

The two had parted ways at the cafe and Camaela had insisted that they meet up again after giving her a fierce hug. Lucifer could only hold in a chuckle, thinking how the angel would be so mortified if she had found out that she was acting friendly towards the Devil.

---

By time Lucifer had arrived, Efram and Jonah had moved on from the location that Camaela had provided. It was to be expected and Lucifer was not deterred. One thing about the younger, lower ranking angels that they were not always so careful with their grace that sometimes it left a trail behind them like a set of footprints, though it was more like angelic residue and would eventually fade away.

 

Thankfully for her, the angels she was in pursuit of were just as careless as she felt a trace of the remnants off the side of the road. As she started following the path it set, Lucifer considered the fact that if they did indeed have Castiel then she would most likely have to kill them in order to save him as she doubted that even her clever way with words would be able to dissuade them. Castiel was just as scorned by heaven as she was, there would be no swaying their minds if their contempt was indeed that strong.

 

However, even in her weakened state, they were no threat to her. Their angel blades would only cause temporary wounds that would heal quickly. She took no pleasure in the thought of having to harm her siblings but at the same she would do whatever was necessary.

 

At the end of the trail, Lucifer was led to an abandoned warehouse. There were no humans within the vicinity nor any angels on guard at the entrance but she felt a tingling of grace further inside the structure and used it as her guide from there. She mentally admonished the dismal state of the warehouse as she walked down through the hallways. The air dense with dust and debris, layers of dirt hardened over the floor, and walls that were starting to crumble from lack of care.

 

Eventually, Lucifer came to a halt in front of steel doors, the angels’ grace was now a loud humming which told her they were in the room on the other side of the door. She made certain that she was still contained so she would not pass for anything other than a regular angel before bursting the door open with her might. The action drew the immediate attention of the two angels flanking Castiel, who hung off a rope tied to the ceiling. It was apparent that they had already started torturing because he had several cuts of varying depths littered about his body.

 

And people had labeled Lucifer cruel and callous. What hypocrites, like they had any moral high ground over her.

 

“Can we help you, sister? We do not require any assistance in handling this traitor.” The one spoke smoothly and Lucifer could see the bloody angel blade he held tightly within his hand. Her arrival was unexpected but they were not completely suspicious of her presence yet.

 

“Presumptuous, aren’t you? Thinking that I have any interest in you. As if. I’m here for that so called traitor you are trying to filet like a fish.” As soon as Lucifer made her intent clear, the two angels lunged forward.

 

“How dare you! We are doing this to find Metatron! You would dare to rebel against the will of Heaven?” The one tried to scold her as she dodged him and grabbed a hold of the other. She howled out in laughter at them. Heaven was a chaotic mess at the moment, there was no way they had a collective will. And besides that…

 

“Of course I would, I am the mother of rebellion, after all.” Lucifer smirked as she stole the angel blade from the angel she had her grip on and stabbed it through his shoulder. She turned her sights onto the remaining obstacle as light flashed out of the now empty vessel.

 

“You-” He had sputtered out, mortification covering his face as realization started to dawn upon him. “You are supposed to be in the cage!”

 

“Well, what can I say? I like defying people’s expectations.” She did not know why he had even bother trying to fight her. He had absolutely no chance of winning. The only one capable having an even match against her was Michael.

 

Lucifer gave a minute to mourn for the loss of two more of her siblings before attending to Castiel, who seemed to be wavering between conscious and not. As she cut him down from the room with the angel blade that she decided she was going to hold onto, he had fixed her with a look of confusion. There was something more than just injuries going on as Lucifer noticed that his eyes were an unnatural red.

 

“Please...help...I can’t control myself.” Castiel pleaded in a weak voice. She brushed her two fingers against his cheek to heal his cuts while she tried to soothe him. It would be for the best to not linger here or else other angels might happen upon them.

 

“It will be alright. Can you fly, little brother?” To Lucifer’s surprise, Castiel had shook his head.

 

“No, I haven’t been able to for quite some time, even after getting my grace back.” The admission had caught Lucifer off guard. Why was he incapable of flight? Even with her wings being in such a sorry state, she could still use them. It was only a minor setback as Lucifer could still fly him with her.

 

Lucifer flew them to the motel room in Moon, even if she was not entirely sure whether the Winchesters would still be around. They could be still out hunting the bakeneko or they did gank it but decided to move on because she had ditched them. Though based off the dual shouts she heard as she had appeared, her right hand holding firmly onto Castiel, between the two beds, it turned out they were still around.

 

“Jesus, a little warning would be appreciate before you give me a heart attack!” Dean lectured her from the one bed.

 

“Cas, is that you?” Sam let out a gasp from the other bed.

 

“Move.” Lucifer commanded to Dean, her hands pushing to shove him off so she could lay Castiel on top of the mattress.

 

“Man, you had me worried. I tried calling you several times but you wouldn’t answer!” The elder Winchester had scouted himself off the floor and sat next to the angel’s side as Lucifer took a step back.

 

“It was not my intent to cause you to worry.” Castiel had tried to reassure him.

 

“While this scene of manly feels is touching and warms my icy heart, there are more pressing issues we need to get to the bottom of. Castiel, what has inflicted you?” Lucifer had started off mocking but her tone grew serious as she wanted to get to the point of the matter that had been bothering her about his eyes since the warehouse. Her words had caused Dean concern and he started fussing over the angel.

 

“I’m fine.” He tried to deceive her. She took a few steps back towards the bed and leaned down so her face was not far from his.

 

“Do not think that you can lie to me. You confessed to me that something was wrong with you and I will have my answers.” Lucifer insisted and her true vessel had pulled her backwards, giving the angel space.

 

“Cas?” Sam said softly.

 

“Rowena cast the attack dog spell on me so I would kill Crowley and I’m still under its control.” Castiel finally admitted, looking away in shame.

 

A witch, was it? Many of them fell under her jurisdiction as most of them had acquired their powers through deals with demons. The natural born kind were rare. Lucifer dredged through the memories she had taken from Sam for any knowledge about this witch as the Winchesters’ lack of reaction to the name made it seem that they were familiar with her.

 

There it was. Rowena, a natural born witch, which crossed out the possibility of Lucifer compelling her to undo the spell, and furthermore responsible for aiding Dean in removing the Mark. And Crowley’s mother?

 

Lucifer scrunched up her nose in disgust.

 

---

 

And apparently the brothers had decided it was time for another long road trip inside their cramped vehicle. They had informed her that they had taken care of the bakeneko, to which Dean had added that she had been no help, and wanted to shelter Castiel inside their secret base while they pursued Rowena. Dean apparently was ignorant of the fact that Sam had shared his memories with Lucifer because he did not want her to find out about the bunker. Of course, that was not kept secret for much longer.

 

“Personally, I’m intrigued to find what these Men of Letters were like. I have heard tales of all the research they did. Though while I can see how Sam easily qualifies as a legacy, you don’t exactly have the brains to go with the job.” It had not taken long after her return to the Winchesters’ side to find some way to insult the older one.

 

“Dammit, I told you to stop reading Sam’s mind!” He cursed, his hands gripping the steering wheel tighter. Castiel was covered with a blanket, like an infant, and buried himself deeper inside of it. His head slumped and leaned against Lucifer’s shoulder.

 

“I didn’t have to. I had gathered the intel when I borrowed information from him to catch up on what happened after I had been locked away in the cage.” She explained simply and ignored Sam’s groan from the front.

 

“You did what!?” The Impala swerved and it was harshly put into park on the side of the road. Dean unbuckled his seatbelt and turned around completely in his seat to face her.

 

“Did you really think I was going to jump into this situation completely ignorant?” Even as Dean continued to yell, Lucifer did not raise her voice at all. She had no need.

 

“None of it is relevant to the Darkness!” Dean flung back but that was debatable. Their involvement with Rowena, the Book of the Damned, and the slaying of Death had led to the Mark being lifted and in turn freeing the entity.

 

“It still saves the trouble of having to deal with any nasty surprises popping up unexpectedly.” It had then gotten to the point that their arguing was annoying Sam so he finally spoke up to settle his older brother down. Once resolved, Dean pulled the car back onto the road and focused on driving.

 

The bakeneko case had diverted their attention away from the Darkness but Lucifer knew that it would not just vanish away. It had to be dealt with, in some form or other. But with all her knowledge and experience, she still could not arrive at an easy answer.

 

Lucifer was eager to browse through the library to see what sort of information the Men of Letters had collected, if there was anything for him to learn, as soon as they arrived at the bunker in Lebanon, Kansas but the first task was to get Castiel settled. He had refused to be holed up in one of the numerous bedrooms and instead planted himself down in one of the large reclining chairs in the corner of the library.

 

The brothers had made themselves comfortable at the long table that ran down the middle of the room to get a lead on tracking down Rowena on Sam’s laptop. As soon as they did, the Winchesters took off and ordered her to stay back to watch over Castiel.

 

---

 

The entrance door to the bunker slammed open and Lucifer neatly placed the file she was reading about her knights onto the table, looking up as she saw the brothers dragging a red haired woman in chains. Well, she was certainly quite powerful if she looked that young when she was so old.

 

“Oh, you boys got yourself a new lady friend already?” Rowena smiled at her as they led her through the library. Lucifer had followed after them, curious where they were taking the witch and figuring that Castiel would be alright on his own for just a few minutes. She had been too absorbed in reading that she had not taken the opportunity to explore the bunker.

 

She had not been expecting a cell area that was hidden behind what she had thought was only a storage area. Rowena was chained to the chair and Sam left to bring back the woman’s luggage.

 

“Mind the undergarments, Samuel. Imported, of course.” She warned as her true vessel started rummaging through the luggage as if in search of something. With some prying into his head, Sam’s thoughts revealed he was looking for the Book of the Damned.

 

“Really, Sammy, how depraved are you to dig through a lady’s unmentionables?” Lucifer teased. It was not spoken out loud but he had immediately told her to shut up and that she was not helping. Then adding if she was going to be a nuisance then she should go watch Castiel.

 

“I’m hurt, I thought you adored my witty commentary.” She added dramatically, giving Sam a smile that infuriated him. This exchange had caused Rowena to raise an eyebrow, especially when Sam had not vocalized a response.

 

“Alright, ladies, how about we get to the point where you de-spell our angel from attack mode?” Dean grumbled, having enough with listening to Lucifer talk and sent off his younger brother to grab Castiel.

 

“And I go free after I do so, correct?” Rowena confirmed.

 

“Well, after you give us the book and codex back.” He insisted, leaning back into a chair and kicking up his feet onto the table as if he was relaxing in front of a television.

 

“The books were not a part of our negotiations, Winchester.” The witch stated firmly.

 

“Now, it is.” Not bad, Dean could have made a fine crossroads demon.

 

“You know if I still had my throne, I would have made you a job offer.” Lucifer giggled out, amused by the thought. How hilarious would it be for Michael’s vessel to be corrupted and working for her? Though she knew he probably would be the most disobedient demon ever but it was still interesting to consider.

 

Dean gave her a horrified look at the suggestion. Before he could say anything, Sam had emerged with Castiel in tow, still wrapped up in that blanket.

 

Lucifer had leaned against the wall as she watched the scene unfold. True to her word, the witch had undone the spell on Castiel but as soon as she was finished, she had gotten free of her chains and made her escape from the bunker. Of course, Lucifer’s lack of assistance in trying to apprehend the witch as she fled had incurred the wrath of the Winchesters, Dean in particular, later as they gathered in the library.

 

“I have not lied to you or deceived you. I only guaranteed my full cooperation with the Darkness. That’s it. Any unfinished dirty laundry of yours is your concern, not mine. I might offer assistance here and there out of boredom but I owe you nothing in that regard.” Lucifer rationalized, from where she was perched on top of the library table.

 

She considered herself a patient being, as most of her apocalypse plans had required many years of waiting, but her patience was wearing thin with Dean constantly hurling accusations at her. Just rehashing the same doubts about her over and over again like a broken record. That energy was better spent on something more productive than whiny, petty complaints.

 

The older Winchester might not have a lot with Michael but his yammering certainly reminded Lucifer of the ways her brother used to lecture her. If only she could throw him down in the cage with her brother, maybe that would silence him for a while.