Thinking outside the box. That was the saying. Crowley snorted. He was busy watching Moose chit-chat with Lucifer in the pseudo-Cage, so, yeah, you could call this situation "thinking outside the box".

Mother was chattering away about Lucifer. Practically swooning. Silly bitch. She would be just another "naked ape" to that egotistic maniac. Didn't she have a lick of sense, one thoughtful bone in her body?! It was odd, coming from Mother - a natural-born schemer, and usually fairly cunning. He at least knew what that creature was capable of. Lucifer despised humans, and thought demons were even worse.

Yap, yap, yap. That's what Mother was doing right now. She was distracting him, keeping him from focusing on trying to figure out what Sam and Lucifer were saying. He needed to know. Yes, The Darkness had turned out to be a Big Bad. Uncontrollable, more's the pity. He'd taken the chance anyway, but that little foray had turned in his hands to bite him. So: uncontrollable. Dangerous. Yes, they needed to get rid of her. It. Sister of God. Whatever.

But so help him, if that idiot Winchester boy actually said "yes" to becoming a vessel to Lucifer - ! He couldn't hear a blessed thing, but he knew damned well that was the end game for Lucy. He wanted a body again. Wanted to be free of the Cage. And if Moose agreed, in some sort of panicky attempt to get help to battle The Darkness, they all were screwed. Totally, royally screwed. He'd just be trading one celestially petulant being that wanted to destroy the universe for another.

What the hell was going on now - ?! The glowing warding sigils - they were fading! And the fire surrounding the pseudo-Cage was dying down. Shit. Fuck. Mother was grabbing his arm, leading him away. If she was the one who had arranged this, he was going to ream her good, torture her forever in the most fulfilling manner - !

As he turned away, the last thing he saw was Sam appearing suddenly inside the pseudo-Cage, beside Lucifer.


A/N: If you're interested in this scene from Sam's point of view, you might check out my story Sam In Limbo.