So uh... Been a while, huh?

Yikes.

Sorry guys. I really have no excuse for abandoning my fics for so long. But I thought I'd start small, with continuing this story. I hope you notice any improvements since I wrote this!

Where we left off...

And the New God left the Archangels in Hell, choosing not to meddle with the ancient beings.

Now, in Season 11:

"What do you want?"

Chuck shuffled nervously. Lucifer's eyes were cold and harsh, despite their recent reconciliation.

"Well, see, I-"

"Spit it out," Lucifer snapped. In Castiel's body, he was less menacing, but the odd expressions that twisted his face from time to time made him look even more intimidating, seeing as it was rather foreign. "I have better things to do than listen to you blabber on."

Taking in a deep breath, Chuck prepared to admit something that could very well ruin the newfound bond he had created with his son. "There's... something I haven't told you."

"About what?" Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "More lies? More deceit? Must every word out of your mouth be a riddle?"

"No, just-" Chuck shook his head. "Please, listen. After everything, you deserve to know."

Lucifer rose one eyebrow. "Tell me, then."

And so Chuck did. "Years ago, Castiel made a mistake. He swallowed too many souls from Purgatory, and developed a pretty serious god-complex."

"I know that," Lucifer huffed. "I can see all of his memories. Nothing interesting happened, though. He just ended up getting possessed by the Leviathan."

"Right. In this timeline, at least."

If anything, Lucifer's expression hardened even further. "What do you mean, this timeline?"

"In the other timeline," Chuck continued, unnerved by the dark look on Lucifer's face. "Castiel decided he needed help cleansing the Earth. So he sort of... released you, and Michael, from the Cage."

Lucifer blinked. He blinked again. "What?"

"Yeah. He healed Michael's shattered mind and brought Gabriel back from the dead. Except he didn't, he only created a cheap copy, because even I cannot recreate an Archangel how they were from when they died. Gabriel isn't dead, by the way. Thought you ought to know." Before Lucifer could protest, Chuck barreled on, "So basically he forced the three of you to pledge your allegiances to him or die. You all chose the former."

"Michael would never," Lucifer said incredulously. "I would never!"

"Guess your self-preservation instinct won out." Chuck laughed to himself.

"What happened then?"

"Castiel gave you three jobs: Gabriel had to murder douche bags, Michael had to restore Heaven, and you were tasked with... babysitting the Winchesters + Bobby."

"Really? The most degrading job?" Lucifer rolled his eyes.

"It gets worse." Chuck pulled out a chair and sat down. "Castiel basically made you his servant. It was sort of entertaining, in a pitiful kind of way." Lucifer made a muffled noise of insolence. "Then, all of you tried to gather the ingredients for a spell to send Castiel's stolen souls back to Purgatory. It was something like dirt from the garden of Eden, an archangel feather, and..."

"Hellfire," Lucifer finished. "It was hellfire."

"Yes. That. So you went up on the roof to get some feathers, and... sort of got caught, by Castiel." Chuck winced. "It's best it I just show you the memory." He reached out and touched Lucifer's forehead.

Castiel smirked.

Lucifer had never begged for anything in his entire life. He didn't know how to beg. But also, for the first time in his life, there was something more important than his pride. The Winchesters needed his feathers.

So Lucifer clasped his hands in the simplest example of begging. "Please... Castiel, I beg you to allow me to live, allow me my freedom-"

Castiel's hand struck him across the face. Unprepared, he gasped in pain.

"Like you mean it, brother."

Lucifer swallowed. He slowly fell to his knees, gazing up at Castiel's cold expression. His voice was more pleading that time, but he couldn't get enough air to increase the volume.

Another slap. "Better. Again."

The Devil lacked the experience of being humble, and he didn't know how to. He tried again, and failed again. His cheek ached. He tried.

Again.

Again.

And again.

He didn't know what he was doing wrong. Castiel was never satisfied. For the first time, Lucifer prayed for help from his father. God was silent.

After another 30 minutes, Cas finally took pity on him and nudged him in the right direction. "You're telling me what I want to hear. That isn't begging. Why do you deserve my mercy?"

Lucifer mumbled a weary "I understand", but he didn't feel it. Why should he be shown mercy? He was quiet for a long time, unsure how to phrase it.

He tried again, and nearly a hour had passed since they began. Castiel told him to stop, but doesn't slap him this time.

"Not quite. Convince yourself first, not me."

Lucifer closed his eyes. He found that he had no reasons to be spared.

Several long minutes later, he opened his eyes. He took in a shuddering breath, and his voice trembled. "I can't. I can't convince myself I deserve mercy."

Lucifer gasped. He covered his mouth with one hand. That couldn't... that wasn't him. He didn't beg. And he most certainly didn't let little angels walk all over him, even if they're pumped up on souls.

"You're lying," he accused, jumping to his feet. "I never- I didn't-"

"You don't remember," Chuck said sympathetically. "I erased that timeline, though sometimes I wish I hadn't. You and Michael fixed your relationship. In fact, you died for one another. You learned to be humble, and how to apologize. Sam, Dean, and Bobby all forgave you. Things were improving." He sighed. "If only I'd intervened with Castiel sooner, I could've preserved that timeline and all the things that came with it. I'm sorry."

"... two apologies in one day," Lucifer muttered humorously. "That's a record." He raised his head and met Chuck's ashamed gaze. "Show me the rest."

"Lucifer-"

"Show me all of it," he insisted, stepping closer. "I deserve to know what happened."

And so, albeit reluctantly, Chuck did.

"What's wrong with you, grouchypants?" Dean asked roughly, tipping back a mug of coffee.

Lucifer was sitting at the table, hands folded in front of him and eyes fixed on the wood. He didn't respond to Dean's question.

"Huh? Why you so depressed? Does the Devil even get sad?" Dean wondered the last part aloud.

"Do you ever wish..." Lucifer trailed off, uncertain. "Do you ever- ever wish you could do things differently? Like, go back and change something?"

Dean's reply was swift. "All the time." He gave a wry smile. "Almost everything in my life, actually. But I can't change it, so I deal. And my mistakes eventually led to good things, however sporadic those events are."

"Hm."

"Why? Got some regrets? Spill."

"I don't owe you anything."

"Well, if you're hopping aboard Team Free Will, I suggest you get ready to talk about your feelings." Dean cocked one eyebrow. "So?"

Lucifer told him about the memories Chuck showed him, about the alternate timeline where they didn't hate each other. Dean's expression ranged from disbelief, to astonishment, then to sympathy.

"That's tough," Dean mumbled, sipping his drink. "Like, really sucky. I can't imagine."

"And once I saw them, I can only wish that things were like that now," Lucifer lamented. "I hate the way Sam looks at me. Like I'm a monster. And you, too, for possessing your angel boyfriend."

"We're not- me and Cas aren't-"

"I miss Michael," Lucifer whispered. His collected facade wavered. "And Gabriel, and even occasionally, Raphael. Why couldn't I just be obedient? Why couldn't everyone just get along?"

"Things don't always happen like we want," Dean told him firmly. "And nothing we do can change that. But we can try. You can't sit around all day moping. You gotta do something if you want things to change."

"Like what?"

"Like fixing what happened between you and Sam." Dean set his mug in the sink. "And eventually, maybe even Michael. You've already taken big steps with God. Some advice, though: take little steps with Sam. He needs some time to catch his breath. Help us how you can, and maybe things'll go back to how they were on that other timeline."

"O-Okay. That's really helpful. I'm going to try."

"That's all we can do."