Disclaimer: I most certainly don't own Supernatural or any of its wonderful characters (both the good and the bad).

Chapter 1

Morning Light

He had been standing in his Father's throne room. Then he was here – wherever here was. It was a room, full of odds and ends of trinkets. From what he could tell, the room could have been a kitchen. He was standing in said kitchen, and there was another being (definitely not Father) sitting at a table a few feet away.

"What is this place?" he slowly asked the man wearing a trench coat. He had never seen such an outfit before, but the knowledge was supplied to his mind by an external base of information.

"You already know where this is, Lucifer." The man had a somewhat deep, gravelly voice, and it may have sounded better, brighter, on any day but this one. But right now, the man's voice was sullen, depressed, and conveyed a want to just sit there without this attempted conversation. The man hadn't turned to face him, continuing to look at the – television? – in front of him.

Lucifer – the man had accurately addressed him as such – took a step forward, a frown coming onto his face. "Who are you?"

"If you're trying to mess with me, then I would prefer you not and actually get back to finding a way to defeating Amara since it seems you haven't yet."

Lucifer found that mildly offensive for some reason, though he wasn't all that sure who this 'Amara' was. He let himself huff in a brief flash of frustration. What was going on? He didn't know where he was, whom he was talking to, and he definitely didn't understand how he got from Heaven to this place, which may or may not have been the future. He drew that possible conclusion from the fact that this man knew who he was as well as several things that hadn't happened yet – last Lucifer remembered anyway.

"I'm being serious. Who are you?"

The man finally turned around, blue eyes staring at him with suspicion and doubt. "What are you wearing?"

"I could ask the same of you," Lucifer shot back, a little defensive of the man's judging gaze. Lucifer didn't have to look down to know he was still wearing his formal archangel attire. Normally, he would be wearing something a bit simpler, but he had been in a meeting with Father. "You know who I am, but you still haven't answered who you are."

"You genuinely don't know," the man muttered to himself. "It wouldn't matter anyway."

"No, it wouldn't," a smug voice called out from behind Lucifer. This voice sounded strangely like his, except it was… darker? Lucifer turned his head to look over his shoulder at this new being. He wasn't expecting a duplicate of himself (well, aside from the clothing – plus, Lucifer's hair was longer).

Lucifer turned to fully face this other persona. "Just what is it that I don't know?"

His look-alike burst out laughing, leaning over as if the exertion was too much. "Oh, that's just perfect," he breathed, an evil smirk plastered on his face. "I'm you, cluser."

Behind all of the shock and disbelief, Lucifer's mind struggled to understand what 'cluser' meant, though he had the feeling that it was a denotative. It took him approximately thirty seconds to process the statement. Whatever was going on – if this was what he would become someday, Lucifer did not want to be that.

"Of course, I can't have you running around in here," the other said, tapping a finger on his temple.

Chains sprang up from the floor, snapping to Lucifer's wrists. The chains went taunt and pulled him down onto his knees before he had any time to react. Lucifer refused to call this other being 'Lucifer'. Still, the other walked up to him as Lucifer yanked on the chains, which refused any semblance of breaking.

"You probably got knocked loose from Crowley's little play with a Hand of God," the other continued. Lucifer frowned at both of the names mentioned but remained silent, glaring at the being standing in front of him. "The dog will get what's coming to him, isn't that right, Castiel?"

Lucifer glanced over at the man in the trench coat. He had already guessed that the man was actually an angel (Father had only briefly mentioned the possibility of any form of living creation aside from the archangels and the angels). The man – Castiel said nothing, pointedly fiddling with the TV antenna.

The other him let out a scoff. "Cassie here likes to ignore me for the most part, which is fine by me. He can do whatever he wants, and as long as he doesn't get in my way, I leave him alone. You, on the other hand…" the being's voice dropped to much darker volumes. "Be grateful I'm letting you stay aware."

-oOo-

The Winchesters had tried to get Castiel to cast Lucifer out by forcing Castiel to the front. The angel had barely held on for a minute before Lucifer took back control. However, the younger Winchester noticed a hint of grace flaring behind those blue eyes for moments until that burning red covered it up, and Lucifer was back. To make things even worse, the warding was failing. But now, it was Crowley's turn.

-oOo-

Lucifer still wasn't entirely sure what was going on. And although time was supposedly irrelevant to him, it was starting to get on his nerves. By 'it' he meant being constantly ignored by Castiel no matter how many times Lucifer tried to call the angel's attention – something he suspected was part of the other's doing – as well as not getting any reprieve from being chained to the floor (yes, he was still on his knees, which just added to the annoyance factor).

However, the other Lucifer hadn't been able to keep the occasional memory from providing Lucifer with some much needed – though not all of them had any relevance to which he needed – answers. From what Lucifer could tell, he was several thousand years since the creation of Man. The only downside (or possible upside) was that the memories were all from Castiel, meaning Lucifer had no way of learning what turned him into that. Still, it didn't look like humans were all that bad.

Anyway, Castiel had actually taken control of this vessel (based originally on one James "Jimmy" Novak, Lucifer had gleamed) – though technically, it was more like Castiel was forced into taking back the control. Not that Lucifer could do anything… Well, he had been able to let out a burst of grace that made the other Lucifer back off for a few more precious moments. Then it was back to awkwardly kneeling there with slightly less grace reserved for later.

Castiel had only managed to hold on long enough to recognize whom he had seen (and sort of talked to), which made him slightly more aware in this little slice of his mind. But it wasn't enough for the angel to register Lucifer, even as the other was distracted by gaining control over the vessel once more. And despite the original intention of the spell used, Lucifer found that it had also loosened the chains around his wrists slightly.

Lucifer looked up from examining the chain cuffs to the newcomer (Castiel's head was getting full, wasn't it?), recognizing the new guy from some of Castiel's memories. "Castiel?" the demon, who was looking around the room agitatedly, called to the angel.

"Crowley, what are you doing here?" Castiel questioned without turning his gaze towards either of them.

Crowley had a flustered look on his face as he took in their surroundings. Some words passed between the two, mostly about expelling Lucifer – the other one. Lucifer had to wonder whether or not that would expel both of them since they were the 'same being'. Then again, Castiel wasn't exactly aware of him.

Lucifer cleared his throat, hoping to catch the demon's attention before the other showed up (he doubted it would work; so far he had been ignored by the demon as well). Crowley's entire demeanor went defensive as he whirled to face Lucifer. What? So he can call over the demon but not the angel— Seriously?!

Lucifer saw his other leaning on the doorway, and he rolled his eyes. "Look behind you," he suggested.

"Did you have to give me away?" the other pouted at him. "Too late anyway." He turned to Crowley. "Really, Crowley? You want to put me back in the Cage? Well, I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you."

Lucifer sighed in exasperation. It was like watching Gabriel bickering with Raphael over who got to make the next star. "Tell me you're not going to keep him here." His statement was punctuated with a slight rattle of his chains.

"Oh, we're going to have so much more fun than that," the other practically purred. With that, he appeared right next to Crowley, picking up the demon just to toss him across the room – away from Lucifer.

"You second-rate bean counter," the other spat at the demon. He stalked over to pick Crowley up again and tossed the demon onto the table, barely missing Castiel's TV.

"You're going to break something," Lucifer quipped right as Castiel warned the same line. Castiel frowned at that. Lucifer hoped it was because the angel was finally taking note that the other two weren't the only ones there. The other Lucifer had picked up Crowley by the throat, holding the demon in the air.

Lucifer focused on Castiel. He needed to get the angel's attention and then vote of confidence. From what he understood, the vessel held the power of permission and therefore power itself. If Lucifer could convince Castiel to pass the other's permission to him instead, then Lucifer should be able to do something about the other Lucifer.

"Castiel," he called out. Out of the corner of his eye, Lucifer saw Crowley struggling. "I can't say I know what you've gone through, and I can't say that I would understand unless you told me. But I get that you're hurting. You feel useless, expendable."

Lucifer tried not to cringe at the flinch that told him he had hit the head of the nail dead on. The other Lucifer swiveled his predatory gaze to Lucifer.

"Cas—" The shortening of the name meant something, obviously. Lucifer had heard it from several memories revolving a man and his brother. "I need you. Not what you can do or what you know, but I need you to trust me."

"Shut up," the other snapped, throwing Crowley into a wall with enough force to crack it. "You don't have any say in this."

"Castiel, believe me, please," Lucifer pressed. The other began to stalk over to him. He needed to hurry. "I— we can't kill the Darkness. Not even Father knows how to truly kill her without—"

"I didn't say you could keep talking," the other barked at Lucifer. His – dare he say – 'future self' straight up kicked Lucifer in the face with enough force to knock his head back with an audible crack!, sending his vision swirling dangerously. "You may be me, but you have no idea what you're getting into," the other hissed lowly as Lucifer tried to focus his reeling mind.

"And you've forgotten how powerful the Darkness is." To his chagrin, Lucifer's words came out slurred, and he could feel the metallic taste of blood pooling into his mouth. "Not only that, but you've also forgotten Father's wishes."

Castiel finally turned to look at him, a curious yet confused expression on his face. Relief filled Lucifer for the few milliseconds of reprieve he had before the other rolled his eyes and shoved Lucifer, breaking the chains and sending him flying into the cabinets behind him. Still marginally disoriented from the last attack, Lucifer shook his head to get the debris out of his hair, dust floating down around him.

The other scoffed with a frustrated amusement. "Just who exactly do you think you're talking to? What— you haven't figured it out yet?"

Lucifer frowned, doubt flickering across his face. It was a doubt that flooded through him freezing him in place. Meanwhile, the other strolled up to him, crouching down to eye level.

"You're me, we can both acknowledge that easy enough— What you don't get is that I'm not you from the future. I'm literally you, and vice versa. I think what the cockroaches out there call 'split personality disorder' fits pretty well. You're a moral conscience that I ditched a long time ago."

Lucifer felt lost. It wasn't some alternate form— some future version of himself standing before him, but himself. Anything that the other had done, he had done as well – because they were both each other. And that terrified him.

Suddenly, a race of energy filled him. It began in the center of his grace, spreading out to the ends of his fingers and down to his feet and up through his wingtips. A glance to Castiel told Lucifer that he'd gotten through (well, his other had convinced the angel who the 'lesser evil' was). He looked up at his other with a smirk. Whipping his arms out, Lucifer grabbed the other's wrists.

There was a reason the other had been careful not to touch Lucifer with skin-to-skin contact. And now, Lucifer had all the power. The other's eyes flashed their blood red in fury while, in contrast, Lucifer's blazed a bright icy blue.

"That is why you are lost," he said, turning his own thoughts onto his counterpart as the other tried to jerk away from him. Power was humming around them, light building in a crescendo. "Demon," Lucifer shouted over the ringing. "I suggest you leave and take the humans a fair distance away."

-oOo-

Crowley didn't need this new character to tell him twice to leave. Crowley also found himself following the being's order, quickly moving the Winchesters and his mother out of the church. Dean, of course, looked ready to kill him, but the older Winchester was cut off by the explosion of energy that blasted from the abandoned church. The two brothers shared a look before sprinting back. Crowley rolled his eyes.

"Winchesters," he muttered.

-oOo-

"Cas!" Dean called out as he burst through the door. Sam almost rammed into him, Dean having paused in the doorway. It took Dean another second to come out of his stupor.

Cas was kneeling on the ground, looking down at his hands. Dean didn't know what the concussive explosion from earlier was, but he knew it had to do with how Cas— Lucifer's eyes had flared red one second and then been flooded with a subzero blue the next. Dean wished and hoped and prayed to anyone listening that this was Cas, not Lucifer in front of him.

"Cas?" Dean called again, concern lilting his voice. He took a slow step forward, not giving Sam enough room to enter after him.

The angel's breathing hitched, and he shuddered. A low, pained whine filled the air. Dean recognized the sound as one of loss and hurt. Cas suddenly curled in on himself, shoving his hands to his ears as if to block out a loud noise.

Dean raced over to the angel's side, crouching down beside him. Putting both hands on the angel's shoulders, Dean shook Cas gently. "Cas, look at me." When the angel only shook his head, Dean tried again. "Cas, come on, man. Please."

Cas let out a shaky breath and looked up at Dean. Dean heard Sam warily step back, and Dean loathed to acknowledge that this wasn't Castiel. For his eyes were still that freezing blue; however, his breaths were ragged, and there were tears forming around the edges of his eyes. Those eyes closed once more, and the being shuddered, leaning Cas's head against his knees.

Dean was about to demand Lucifer (who else would it have been) to get out of Cas when Crowley spoke up. "I'd wait a moment before you say anything else, Squirrel."

Dean growled at the demon, ready to tell him to shove it when Cas – not Cas – let out another whine and mumbled something in Enochian. "What did he just say?" Dean demanded instead of his original line of thought.

"He said, 'Father, help me; it hurts'," Crowley translated. The demon let his annoyed look drop long enough to put a hint of sympathy into his next words. "This Lucifer is not the one you know."

"What do you mean, this Lucifer?" Sam asked from behind them. He was staying a relatively safe (who were they kidding) distance away from the being on the floor, but still close enough to help if needed.

Crowley hummed in thought and then started to pace in a circle around them. "While I was in Cas's noggin, there were two Lucifers: one chained down and the other, the devil we know..."

"And?" Dean prodded when Crowley trailed off. Dean wanted answers. Now. "What makes you say this is the different Lucifer or that he would be any different?"

"Because, Squirrel, our dear Luci alluded that this Lucifer is the one that wouldn't have strayed far from the Big Man's will. 'Moral conscience', he even called him." Crowley stopped in his pacing, having made two complete circles since he had started off. "And last I saw, Cas was letting this other Lucifer have all the power."

"So this is a good Lucifer?" Sam inquired skeptically – one beat ahead of when Dean would have asked the same question.

Crowley shrugged. "I'm not sure, Moose. He's getting a flash mob on crack of all of the Devil's memories."

Sam looked down, somewhat understanding what might be going on in Lucifer's mind right then. "Is there anyway we can help him?"

"Sammy," Dean warned.

"I can make him sleep," Rowena offered, standing in the entrance of the church. "Just for a bit, but I can."

Dean inwardly let off a string of profanities. He knew when he was getting outvoted over something even when they hadn't said anything yet. And Dean wasn't stupid (mainly stubborn); he got the jist of why they wanted to help this 'good' Lucifer. "Fine."

Rowena moved closer, pulling out a knife, which she cut her finger with. Dean shifted over, keeping a very close eye on the witch, to let Rowena do her thing. She began a symbol Cas's forehead, and as she first placed her finger down, his eyes snapped open. Disoriented blue stared deep into her soul. When Rowena finished, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he slumped over. Dean caught the angel's body, keeping it up right.

"Where are we going to take him?" That was Sam getting priorities in order.

"The Bunker— it's safest, and it's the best place we can watch him in," Dean answered.

"Well, I'll be off," Rowena said with a fake smile. "And just for this, expect to be in touch, lads."

None of them moved to stop her from leaving.

A/N: Um, hi? I'm incredibly new to the publishing aspect of reading and writing fanfiction, but I hope I did this justice. I'd appreciate feedback, but you don't have to review if you don't want to. I also hope this is in the right formatting – I'm not used to this, so please tell me if it's wrong. And I don't know if I'm supposed to put disclaimers in every single chapter (if anything I'd prefer for this to count for the entire fan fiction), but – hey – it's there.

Last edited: [March 1, 2018]

Lobita: Of course ;-)

celestflames: Thanks

Avenage99: You're making me blush XD