Meet the Team
A/N: Canon? What canon? There's no canon plot here. What are you talking about? (Universe rules kind of don't exist here.) Dead characters? You mean the ones that deserved better who get a second chance here? Thanks everyone so much for all the positive reviews and comments… Except for maybe that one that I think is high-key telling me I'm a Devil worshipper and the end is nigh… And, if I haven't already said it before, this is kind of a silly little piece that isn't supposed to make sense at least half the time. I think now is the point you could possibly consider it a crack fic if you squint. Anyway, let the craziness begin!
"So, you're telling us you just… Woke up in the bunker?" Dean asked many hours later after he, Sam, and Castiel explained many, many things about this world. Linda seemed to be holding up well, all things considered, much to Sam and Dean's surprise. She took a seat on the bed.
"Yes," Linda answered, now in casual clothing as opposed to a nightgown. "I went home after work yesterday, did what I usually did, and went to sleep. The next thing I know, I'm laying in a bed that's not mine in an unfamiliar place."
"And as you were trying to find your way through said unfamiliar place, you just happened to carry these?" Dean held up the two demon knives she'd brought with her with a raised eyebrow. "What even are they?"
"According to the person who gave them to me? Demon knives forged in the pits of Hell. They can kill angels, demons, and everything in between."
"And this person who gave them to you. Who were they?"
"Her name's Mazikeen. She's a demon, one of the strongest Lucifer created according to her, and I don't doubt that for a second."
"So demons are allies in your world?" Sam asked as they inspected the room she'd woken up in for any signs of… Anything: Sulfur, feathers, hex bags, warding, symbols, etc.
"Maze is, but I haven't met any other demons besides her. Frankly, I don't think I want to find out." She watched them carefully comb the room, putting her a bit on edge. "And… What exactly are you looking for in here?"
"We're trying to figure out how you arrived here. We're hoping to find traces of something-spell ingredients, sulfur, grace, an artifact of some sort, possibly," Castiel answered, eyes closed, scanning and sensing the room. She tidied her things and tried to figure out just what she was going to do until she could get home. What if she was stuck here forever? What if she had to figure out how to start a new life in a world where another her might already exist? No, no, that's silly. They would find a way to reach her. Her absence won't go unnoticed… She thinks… After a few more minutes of shuffling and searching, Sam took a seat at the desk in the room.
"I've got nothing. Dean?"
"Nada. Cas?"
"There are trace amounts of energy from the last twenty-four hours, but I can't figure out the source. It's not quite grace and not quite magic, but someone or something opened a rift to this world."
"Should we call Jack and ask him?" Sam asked before the sound of wings alerted them to a new presence.
"Ask me what?" A dashing younger man, probably in his early or mid twenties, appeared not two feet away from Linda with the most inquisitive expression on his face. Two more figures appeared beside him in a louder, larger rush of wings. The first was a shorter man with honey golden eyes in a green army jacket with a dazzling smile, who threw a wink in Sam's direction. The other, going from the boys' description, would be this world's Lucifer, who looked a bit irked, but not angry.
"Jack," Lucifer addressed him. "We've been over this. You can't just disappear in the middle of training. It's rude and it's dangerous-" He took in the people in the room, and when his eyes got to Linda, he froze. She met his gaze without so much as blinking.
"Lucifer," Linda greeted him. He observed her, gears turning in his head, because there was something awfully familiar about her…
"Linda?" he finally said, shocking both her and himself.
"Woah, you know her?" Dean asked in disbelief. "She's not even from this world."
"I know, which is why I don't understand how I know she's a very good therapist… And a very satisfying bed partner." Linda fake coughed and averted her gaze as the rest of the occupants in the room reacted to the statement. Before she could be any more embarrassed, a golden rip in space appeared by the door of the room, and out of it stepped-
"Ah! Linda, there you are. The detective and the rest of our merry crew have been worried sick about you all day." Dressed in his usual three piece suit, flaming sword in hand (when did he get that back?), as British and posh as ever, stood her Lucifer. Another person, a woman armed to the T with demon knives and sharp objects with a scowl and a mean streak, came through the rift next to him before it closed behind her, sizing up everyone else in the room. Gabriel, other Lucifer, and Jack immediately went into combat mode, angel blades held at the ready, before Castiel and the boys could warn them otherwise.
"Guys, chill! They're Linda's friends," Dean explained. He looked over the two briefly, figuring out who they were. "So, that guy is your Lucifer and… That chick is your demon friend?" he asked Linda, who was cut off before she could begin to explain.
"That chick is about to kick your ass if you don't get away from her right now," Maze threatened, just itching to take one of her swords and hack them all to pieces.
"Now, Maze, let's not give them any reason to try and harm us, not that they really can. Linda appears to be just fine. Isn't that right, doctor?"
"Tell her not to threaten my friends and we won't have any reason to harm you," Jack told him quite calmly, leaps and bounds more in control than he had been a few months ago.
"You and your friends took her hostage, and I am this close to-" Maze growled before she was interrupted by the appearance of three others.
"What's going on in here? I heard shouting," Mary says as she enters the room to stand next to her boys, followed by Crowley and Rowena. Crowley narrowed his eyes at Maze before a half smile appeared on his face.
"I knew I sensed another demon when we arrived here," he stated, staring straight at Maze.
"And who are you?" Maze questioned, keeping the surprise out of her voice at meeting another demon in this world.
"Crowley, King of Hell," he responded, and Rowena rolled her eyes at that.
"Honestly, Fergus, you can't be a king without a kingdom, and that cesspool of damned souls you run cannot be considered one."
"No one asked for your opinion, mother-"
"Well! Before the family drama begins, tell me: Who's the lovely woman you accompanied here?" Lucifer asked, eyeing Mary, who seemed pretty unconcerned about half of the room having their weapons drawn.
"Mary Winchester," Mary spoke, eyeing Lucifer suspiciously.
"Mom, I thought Rowena was the reason people were dropping dead in Missouri?" Sam asked, nodding towards the redhead who turned to him. "What's she doing here?"
"Another witch I knew some time ago is responsible actually. She's a nasty one, too. Your mother was kind enough to help me track her down and solve the little case she was on. In return, Fergus and I offered to deliver her here safely. Thank you, though, for that vote of confidence, Samuel."
"Yeah, okay, then what is he doing here?" He pointed accusingly at Crowley.
"They were a few seconds away from untimely deaths and I just happened to be in the area, got dragged along, unfortunately, but you're welcome."
"Sam, Dean, and Castiel would do no such thing," Jack objected, and Maze sneered.
"How do you explain her disappearing from her house in the middle of the night and winding up here then?" she demanded to know, sheathing her demon knives in favor of grabbing one of her swords. "I could take all of you on right now and not break a sweat," she declared, and Linda had had enough.
"Alright, everyone stop!" Linda shouted over the beginnings of multiple arguments throughout the room, silencing everyone. "Let's all just… Take a deep breath and start over. Weapons down, please," she asked nicely. Everyone looked to her then each other before complying. She let out a relieved breath. "Mazikeen, they did not kidnap me. No one knows when or how I got here. Lucifer, thank you for planning a rescue." The other angels in the room, and Jack, observed one of their newer visitors with confusion. Lucifer noticed their stares and grinned.
"Where are my manners? I'm Lucifer. Morningstar."
"Interesting," the other Lucifer stated, stepping forward. "Because I'm Lucifer in this world."
"Interesting indeed. At least I keep my good looks in every universe, I suppose." The two eyed each other thoughtfully, mirroring their actions: a tilt of a head, examining the other's clothing, fixing their jackets, running a hand through their hair. They regarded each other with impressed and intrigued looks before turning back to the rest of the room.
"Well, are you ready to go, Linda?" Lucifer asked her, and she froze before gathering up her things.
"Oh! Of course! Let me just…" It was then that a thought occurred to her, a crazy, dangerous, not so smart idea that had her rethinking her answer. Damn her curiosity! "Actually…" she began hesitantly, which made Lucifer frown and Maze tense up in unease. "Is there any way I could… Maybe just for a while…"
"Well, come on. Out with it, doctor."
"I'd like to take some of our new acquaintances on as patients," she blurted out before she could second guess herself. Everyone in the room froze and looked at her as if she were crazy. She gave a weak laugh and slowly edged towards Maze.
"That… Doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually," Sam spoke, breaking up the silence in the room. Mary looked unsure, but Dean looked taken aback.
"A shrink? Seriously, Sam? No offense to you Linda, of course. You're a lovely lady and all, but-"
"None taken, Dean," she replied with an understanding smile.
"Give me a gun or a knife and a problem I can kill?" He shrugged. "I'm golden. But talking things out, having chick flick moments, getting all touchy feely?" He shook his head, turning to Sam. "Nuh-uh. That's your thing, not mine." Crowley seemed to agree with him, and Rowena rolled her eyes yet again.
"Boys," she whispered under her breath. Therapy, honestly. It all sounded ridiculous, although… Would it really hurt to try?
"I think it's a great idea," Jack chimed in. "Having someone from a different lifestyle to talk to sounds nice." Linda gave him a warm smile.
"I'd be glad to have you, Jack."
"Right. Great. A room full of new patients for you to mentally dissect at a later date. Weren't we going?" Lucifer asked. If he seemed to be in a bit of a rush, it was because he'd: A) promised Chloe they'd just be a minute, B) realized several of his brothers were present, and his encounters with family never ended well, and C) didn't know how long Maze would be in ultra-protective girlfriend mode.
"Mind if we tag along then?" Gabriel asked him unexpectedly, genuinely curious. "You got to meet us. It's only fair that we get to meet your people, mingle a little maybe." Lucifer looked uncertainly to Linda, who gave a bit of a shrug.
"I don't see why not." Lucifer didn't seem as positive, but gestured for everyone to follow him. He went through first, followed by Maze and Linda, followed by the rest of the Supernatural crew.
They emerged into a world containing a sprawling technologically advanced city swarming with people, surrounded by forest, mountains, and plains, with small villages near the outskirts. Lucifer cut another rip in space as everyone else gawked. He'd traveled through enough universes to say that Wakanda was a meh on the impressive scale. The next world they stumbled into made Lucifer scoff as he cut yet another rip in space, barely sparing the hangar a glance.
"Wait, is that an X-Wing?" Dean questioned, staring wide eyed at the ship beside them before Sam grabbed his arm and yanked him through the Rift.
Finally, they emerged in LUX's penthouse, where a crowd of people were waiting. They immediately jumped to their feet upon their arrival, everyone crowding around Linda in relief. The Supernatural crew stood off to the side, watching the exchanges. Lucifer gave a quick kiss to one of the people in the crowd before trying to get everyone's attention. After a few quick hugs and "Thank G-I mean, goodness-you're alright,"s, Lucifer attempted to explain the situation.
"Well, this is shaping up to be quite an interesting day! As you all may have noticed, we have guests here. They're from the universe Maze and I have just returned from. Some of them were kind enough to allow Linda to stay with them after her… Disappearance. In the interest of fairness, I've allowed them to visit for a bit so that we can clear a few things up." There were nervous and uncertain glances exchanged between both parties. Lucifer sighed. "Well? Are you just going to stand there staring? Talk, introduce yourselves, mingle, as Gabriel said." The youngest archangel in question turned to him in confusion.
"How did you-?" His question was drowned out by the chatter of several conversations. Maze wandered over to Crowley, curious to know more about his world's demons. Rowena and Charlotte caught each other's eyes from across the room, trading smiles and introducing themselves. Amenadiel walked over to Castiel in wonder, and the two struck up a conversation about their siblings. Sam opted to talk to Linda a bit more. Lucifer, curious and, well, being Lucifer, talked to his Supernatural counterpart. Gabriel was immediately drawn to Trixie from her mischievous aura. Jack and Ella were eagerly conversing away from the crowd, pointing out their companions and discussing things. Chloe and Mary found themselves deep in conversation. This left Dan and Dean the odd two out, watching everyone interact while trying to ignore the other. Ultimately, they gave up and ended up talking anyway. The introductions and conversations went well into the night, everyone eventually crossing paths with one another before most of them decided to hit the sack. Gabriel offered one of his pocket universes to the Supernatural crew for the night, and, with his and Jack's help, took them there. That left Sam, Dean, Castiel and their Lucifer with LA Lucifer, Chloe, Linda, and Maze. Lucifer gestured to the couch and chair of the penthouse, and six of them sat down, making themselves comfortable, Castiel and Maze opting to stand behind their significant others and oversee the conversation.
"So," Linda began, observing everyone briefly. "Does anyone know how that happened back there?" Linda asked her companions. Chloe frowned, Maze scowled, and Lucifer rolled his eyes.
"Isn't the answer obvious? It's mum's doing, like always," Lucifer stated with annoyance. "How do you think I got the flaming sword back?"
"Mom? What does she have to do with any of this?" other Lucifer questioned.
"Mum went and possessed poor Charlotte, and that was an interesting few months. In short, when I got my wings back, she wanted me to use the flaming sword to storm through Heaven's gates and fly her back home. Well, to her home, anyway. I convinced her to just start fresh in her own little universe, make it the way she wanted, even gave her the sword as a gift. Apparently, she wanted me to have it back, kept cutting through universes until she got to this one. She shouldn't have been able to without all three pieces, but she managed to find, or recreate, one of the missing pieces. From what I understand, she cut a hole in space at the exact place Linda was, and Linda got sucked into whatever universe Mum was in last. I assume that would be yours," Lucifer told the Supernatural crew.
"How did she open a rift in the bunker without us knowing? We've got every inch of the place warded," Sam told him. His Lucifer scoffed.
"Um, Goddess of All Creation, Sam. Dad made her when he began creating the universe, and she has just as much power as he does. Is it really that surprising that she can get in and out of that tin can without setting off your little alarm system?" He looked to this world's Lucifer. "What's she like?"
"Evil, manipulative, conniving, whoreish," Maze began, Chloe seeming to agree.
"But," Linda added, "She cared deeply for Lucifer and his siblings, would do anything for them."
"Our mother was nothing like that," Castiel replied. "She loved all of us greatly, and she was the most selfless and kind being in all of creation… Unless you messed with family." He shuddered at the memory of the last time she'd been enraged.
"And she was a bit on the quiet side, too," their Lucifer added. "She kind of liked to sit back and watch how we interacted with the early version of the universe. The few times she did come out of that shell, well…" He mouthed, Party animal, and Sam and Dean raised eyebrows while the Lucifer crew considered the information. Castiel gave a soft laugh in agreement with his brother. The two parties shared more stories about family members from tragic, hilarious, embarrassing, and downright awesome moments in time before the conversation finally returned to the topic of Linda.
"About what I said before…" she began. "I was being serious. I'd love a chance to be able to understand your world, get the perspectives of a… hunter, you called yourself?" She then looked to their Lucifer. "And it would also be interesting to see if the Lucifers are any different from one another."
"Oh, trust me, from the way you talked about yours, definitely," Dean told her.
"Hey! We've established that I've turned over a new leaf. No need to bring up anything," he protested.
"Speaking of the Lucifers," Sam began, "Can you explain how you knew who Linda was back at the bunker?" Their Lucifer looked to Linda, then to LA Lucifer, thoughtful.
"Mr. British accent over there and I are… Connected, so to speak. We're essentially the same person, but in different realities. In this one, I assume Dad never locked him up in the Cage and just gave him free reign over Hell." He chuckled under his breath. "Then he decided to move to LA and solve crimes," he finished, remembering uttering those words to Sam a few years back. "We kind of share memories. A few might bleed through every now and then and I'll know they're not mine, not from our universe at least."
"Yes. That also explains why I know that I have a son," LA Lucifer continued. "Jack… Seems like a nice young man, but…" He made a face. "I'm not the best person to raise a child with."
"You're not perfect, Lucifer, but Trixie loves you. You help raise her just fine," Chloe told him. Lucifer smiled warmly, kissing her cheek gratefully.
"Shall we file that away for next session?" Linda asked him. He sighed.
"It was inevitable, wasn't it? Yes, I suppose we should," he replied. Linda looked back over to the Supernatural crew.
"My offer still stands," she told them. "You don't all have to schedule an appointment, but I'll be here if you need me."
"We'll let the others know," Sam responded. "Um, how soon can we stop by?"
"I've cleared my calendar," Linda replied. "Anytime after today is fine. Just call." She pulled a card out of her pocket, handing it to him. While those six discussed the wonders of therapy with Linda, Castiel and Maze conversed away from the group, curious about the other.
"So, rebellious angel," she addressed him, "How did you end up with Dean?" He talked about his and Dean's profound bond they shared after he pulled him out of Hell, how they'd been through everything together and finally, after many shenanigans by Gabriel and Sam, how they'd started their relationship. Neither he nor Dean knew how to navigate a long term relationship, but they'd been successfully doing so for a few years now, and it was the happiest he'd been in millennia.
"What about you? How did you come to be in a relationship with Linda?" Maze sputtered for a moment.
"Is it that obvious?" she asked him. He smiled.
"You were very overprotective of her when you found her in the bunker, and you hadn't left her side during their discussion until now," he pointed out. She looked away for a moment before looking back at him, explaining. Linda had always been understanding with her. They'd had their fair share of close calls, and it wasn't until she was holding a dying Linda in her arms that she realized just how much Linda meant to her. Their friendship strengthened beyond what anyone thought it would and, eventually, Maze asked Linda out on a date. Their dates always ended… Interestingly, whether it was chasing someone through the streets, Maze defending Linda's honor, Linda defending Maze's, or just the two of them getting into trouble by accident. Maze couldn't imagine a life without her. "She's a very lucky woman then," Castiel told her.
"Cas!" Dean called from across the room. The angel looked over to see the six standing, facing them. "We're gonna hit the hay. You coming?" He nodded, giving a brief goodbye to Maze before joining Dean's side. Maze returned to Linda's, taking her hand with a smile that she returned.
"Follow me, Cassie," their Lucifer told him as he disappeared with Sam, Castiel following his older brother with Dean. LA Lucifer swept Chloe up in his arms, making her laugh, startled.
"I think a good night's rest is in order, don't you, love?" With a flap of wings, they were gone, arriving back at Chloe's apartment to tuck Trixie into bed. Maze glared at the spot the two had just been in.
"Seriously?" she questioned. Linda pulled a set of keys out of her pocket with a surprisingly devious smile.
"Luckily for us, Lucifer owes me a favor. I don't think he'll notice one of his sports cars missing. Do you?" Maze felt a grin appear on her face as Linda handed her the keys.
"No," she answered gleefully. "No I do not."
Closing A/N: Um, I had a lot of people request shenanigans… for some reason, and while there weren't any this chapter, there will be some eventually. I'm kind of trying to establish pairings and connections between characters and things at the moment. Next on my list of things to write is a therapy session between Sam and Linda I think. Also, if the Black Panther and Star Wars cameos confused anyone, it's just to establish that The MCU and other cinematic worlds exist as universes accessible by rifts.
