Chapter Fourteen: The Crossroads OC Remix ((Jovette Rivera))

Lucifer was as tall as Dean's first assessment of him. He was probably a bit shorter than Sam, but he seemed much bigger in presence. Dean thought that probably came from being the fucking DEVIL.

As far as appearances went, he was pretty unassuming. A quiet man, with calm eyes and short blonde hair. He was wearing the same clothes as the first time Dean saw him, dressed in the same manner as the Hunter was. Jeans, boots, t- shirt and flannel over shirt. He looked like a suburbanite on the weekend rather than the embodiment of pure evil.

He stared at them all in turn as he stepped closer. He didn't seem to be in any hurry. His arms were crossed, and he looked at them calmly.

"Surprise…"

The devil was soft- spoken. This was probably more unnerving to Dean than if he'd come in yelling and cursing.

"What are you doing here?" Crowley hissed, his eyes narrowing. He took a cautious step back.

"You're supposed to be dead," Dean shook his head. "I saw you. You were dead."

Lucifer chuckled. "Did you think it would be that easy to kill me? You humans are awful sure of yourselves."

He supposed Sam owed him an 'I Told You So'.

The third member of their argument was silent. Gabriel inched over, trying to hide himself behind Crowley. Lucifer caught sight of the motion and smiled. It was just as calm and eerie as the voice.

"Gabriel…"

The archangel swallowed thickly, a hand gripping at the sleeve of Crowley's suit jacket. "Hey Luci…"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I don't suppose you're working with him too?" he glared at the shorter man.

"Don't be daft," the demon snapped quietly. "Even for you."

Gabriel shook his head.

"No, he's not working with me," Lucifer tipped his head to the side. "Although he really should be. I guess family doesn't mean much after all."

Dean stared. "You're related to the devil?"

Crowley sighed. "I'm going to revoke your talking privileges if you're only going to ask stupid questions."

"He's my brother," Gabriel shrugged, like that much should be obvious. "Lucifer was an archangel once, remember?"

"Oh, right." Bible study wasn't really Dean's forte. Maybe he'd ask Cas about all this angel family tree stuff later. If there turned out to be a later, anyway.

"And yet you'd offer your help to some demon over your own brother," Lucifer lamented with a sigh.

Gabriel frowned. "At least he's not an ass… well… not as much as you, anyway."

"That hurts, Gabriel, it really does…" he stepped closer, and the other three moved back instinctively. "But we don't have to do this. If you're ready to change your mind, you can fight with me, and I won't have to kill you."

His grip tightened on the demon's jacket. "I'll pass, thanks."

The devil shrugged. "If that's the way you want it."

Gabriel was flung across the room without another word. He slammed into a cabinet, held off the floor by an invisible force. The archangel winced. He was held against it, unable to move.

"Gabe!" Dean moved to help him on impulse, but soon found himself in the same predicament. He was tossed aside against the kitchen cabinets like a toy, pressed against the wood beside the angel.

"I'd appreciate it if the two of you waited there. I have to deal with this one first." Lucifer turned to stare at Crowley. The expression was calm, but the intent in his eyes was enough to make the demon squirm.

"Now, let's not do anything too hasty…" Crowley took a step back, but found the wall blocking all further escape.

"Luci stop!" Gabriel struggled against the hold.

"Have a little patience, brother," the blonde began a calm stride toward Crowley. "I'll deal with you in good time."

"Dean, we've gotta do something!" the archangel hissed.

"We?" Dean arched a brow. "I'm gonna work on a way to get myself out of this. You two are on your own."

"C'mon man, it's gonna be like that?"

"Did you forget that you turned on us?" Dean managed to get his head to turn in the other's direction, and he glared as hard as he could. "You expect me to just forget about that and help you when you get into trouble you can't handle?"

"There was a reason, I swear!"

"Save it, Gabe, I don't wanna hear it." He worked on fighting the fallen angel's hold instead. Maybe there was some way to break free when the other was focused on the fight.

"Dean, what about Cas?" the other looked imploringly at him.

"Cas doesn't know his brother's a traitor." Dean snapped. "Don't you dare bring him into this like I'm supposed to help you for his sake. We trusted you, and you betrayed us."

Gabriel was quiet. Dean figured he'd made his point. He kept working against the hold, ignoring the archangel. Lucifer was advancing on Crowley and the demon wasn't moving. He didn't know where Lucifer had the same hold on him, or if he was just waiting for the other to strike. The impromptu plan was to let one take care of the other. In this case, he assumed Lucifer would kill Crowley. Then Dean had to find some way to escape while they focused on fighting each other. He'd get back to the road and find Sam and Castiel. They could come up with a better plan after that.

Lucifer towered over Crowley, not doing anything aside from stand there and stare at him. Crowley had leveled up to full height, matching the gaze.

Everyone, it seemed, was waiting for the first move. It was like a showdown in the old west, except it was taking place in a demon's kitchen.

Lucifer reached out, as if to put a hand on the other's shoulder, but it was Crowley that struck first. He aimed a punch square in the devil's jaw, connecting hard enough to tip his head back. If it had been a normal person, he would have been knocked back. But this was the devil, so it merely surprised him a bit.

He worked his jaw with a frown. "Ow."

Crowley wasted no time in punching him again. And again. Lucifer took the hits, looking unconcerned. The demon paused for a moment, rethinking his strategy, and Lucifer grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, slamming him against the wall so hard it cracked.

He leaned closer, into the demon's space. "This wasn't one of your better plans, I'm afraid."

Then Crowley was flying through the air. He crashed into the breakfast table, the force enough to shatter it. He pushed himself up from the pile of broken wood, glaring at the other.

"Not really, no. But I'm nothing if not ingenious."

A chair went flying toward Lucifer. The blonde raised a hand, knocking it away at the last second. It slammed into the wall beside Dean, who cringed. Crowley wasted no time in sending the remaining chairs at him, all simultaneously. They were splintered into pieces on contact.

Lucifer sighed. "Chair throwing. Really? I expected more from you."

"I was testing out my new juggling hobby."

Lucifer was on him in a second. Bits of broken table were flung away as the demon was slammed into the side of the fridge. It left a dent. A hand curled around the shorter man's neck, squeezing tightly. Crowley gasped for a breath he didn't have.

Gabriel muttered something Dean couldn't hear, although his voice sounded panicked. The archangel started moving against the hold once again.

Lucifer tightened his grip around Crowley's throat, causing the demon to let out a breathless noise. His hands reached up to pull at the one crushing his windpipe. He scratched and pulled and frantically pulled at Lucifer's arm to no avail. His legs kicked out, trying to push the other away.

"Did you really think this little rebellion of yours would work, Crowley?" Lucifer asked, his tone as calm as ever. As if he weren't strangling someone with no effort. The demon was a little busy trying to breathe, so he continued. "Fighting against me is useless. I created you. All of you. And I believe the saying goes… I brought you into this world, and I can take you back out just as easily."

Crowley landed a desperate kick to the other's side. Lucifer didn't even flinch.

He chuckled. "Not so easy to use one of your smart comebacks when you don't have any air, is it?"

Crowley made a choked noise in response. Lucifer pressed him harder against the fridge, tightening his grip. The demon's hands tugged against the arm holding him, but the movements were getting slower. Weaker.

"You shouldn't have gone against me. So much for self- preservation."

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Gabriel disappear. So the archangel betrayed them all in the end, he thought bitterly.

Crowley's eyes were wide, mouth open as he tried to force air past the grip on his throat. His face was red, moving towards a strange purple color. He continued to struggle as best he could, while Lucifer watched him with a detached expression. It was like slowly trapping and torturing a bug to him. Morbid curiosity to see the light go out of the demon's eyes.

Then Gabriel blinked back into existence, knocking into Lucifer so hard they both went flying. Both archangels crashed into the kitchen wall, a cabinet breaking under their weight.

The demon gasped loudly as the restriction left, gulping in large breaths of air. He slid down the side of the fridge, hands rubbing his raw throat as he panted.

Dean also slid to the floor, Lucifer's hold on him breaking as the devil lost his concentration because of his brother.

Lucifer had his brother by the collar, shoving him back. But Gabriel was having none of it, attacking the devil furiously. He moved faster than Dean had ever seen him, punching, kicking and even, on one occasion, biting his brother. For the first time since meeting him, Gabriel looked like the fierce archangel he was supposed to be, instead of the joking, sugar- addicted man he put himself out to be.

It was almost impressive.

Still, Lucifer had the upper hand in the fight, and he tossed the shorter angel back. Gabriel's sneakers skidded across the linoleum, and he ran back to tackle his brother in an instant with an angry snarl. Lucifer grabbed him by the hair, yanking him back. Gabriel slammed a fist into the devil's eye.

Lucifer let out a yell, though Dean couldn't tell if it was from pain or anger. He tossed the archangel aside. Gabriel fell back, but was steadied by Crowley's arms grabbing his shoulders. The demon had gotten to his feet while the others were fighting. He was still panting, but he held Gabriel upright long enough for the angel to catch his balance. Gabriel glanced back at him for a second, a wry grin curving along his features.

"Took you long enough."

Crowley's hand rubbed at the angry red marks around his throat where Lucifer's hand had been minutes ago. "Oh bite me, angel."

"Later," the archangel teased, before advancing on Lucifer once again. "Get Dean outta here."

The hunter blinked, hearing his name. Oh hell no. There was no way he was going anywhere with the freaking demon he was sent here to kill. Crowley looked exactly as hesitant as Dean, but Gabriel was already knocking into Lucifer again, not waiting around for any arguments. So instead the demon ignored him completely, charging at Lucifer as well. Two against one evened the odds a bit.

But apparently not enough.

Lucifer tossed Gabriel aside, into the dented fridge. This time it knocked over entirely, spilling its contents on the kitchen floor. Gabriel moved to get up once more, but tripped over an apple, flailing before he fell. Crowley was thrown after him, landing atop the archangel with a pained grunt.

Lucifer stepped closer as they tried to untangle themselves. "You can't beat me, Gabriel. Especially here. Purgatory is no place for angels."

He leaned down, reaching for them. Then he stopped, his head tilting curiously. He twisted his arm behind him, pulling a knife out of his back that hadn't been there a second ago.

It was their demon- killing knife.

Lucifer looked almost surprised, turning the bloodied knife in his hands. He smiled.

"A demon knife won't work on me. I'm neither angel nor demon anymore." He sounded almost admonishing. "Sam."

Dean's eyes widened. Sure enough, his brother was standing in the doorway, eyes narrowed and arm outstretched after he'd thrown the knife. Castiel stood behind him.

"Leave them alone, Lucifer…"

Dean slumped against the wall in relief, letting out a sigh before he thought of something.

"How the hell do you know the devil?"

His brother's eyes widened. Lucifer tossed the knife aside with a chuckle. "So you haven't told him about our little meet- up, Sammy? I suppose we're not the only family with secrets, huh Gabriel?"

"Sam, what's he talking about?" Dean moved to the doorway, staring from his brother to the devil.

"Nothing. I'll explain later."

"What, about how your little guardian angel left you in the middle of nowhere with her spell, and how I made sure you didn't get killed within your first ten minutes of coming to Purgatory?"

Dean scowled. "Why would you do that?"

Lucifer rolled his shoulders, stretching. The knife wound was healed completely. Even his shirt was fixed. "Your brother interests me."

"You son of a bitch…" he began to charge at the other, furious, but Castiel had moved past Sam to stop him, gripping him tightly by the shoulder.

"Dean, don't. You don't stand a chance against him right now."

"Baby brother's right, Dean," Lucifer smiled, glancing at the other angel. "Castiel, right? The only one stupid enough to follow Gabriel to Purgatory…"

Castiel's eyes narrowed.

Lucifer didn't seem to care. He looked around the kitchen. "Well, now here's a bit of a problem. There's five of you and only one of me." He chuckled. "I'm just not sure which of you to kill first."

After a second, he decided on Dean. Before anyone could move, he flickered out of existence, blinking back in to slam the older hunter against the wall bodily. He grinned fiercely, leaning in to whisper.

"I'm going to deal with you and your angel first. Then my wayward brother and his demon. And then I'll take your brother with me. Without you, he'll do whatever I want him to."

Lucifer's hand pressed against his chest. It felt like his ribs were breaking under the pressure, and a scream was ripped from his throat. Castiel tried to push him away, to free the hunter, but Lucifer shoved him aside with no effort. He continued on as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"I'm not sure what I'll do with him yet. I want to take him apart, see how he works. It'll be so entertaining."

Dean hissed sharply, the pain only growing by the second. He was sure Lucifer's hand would just go straight through his chest in a moment. He shut his eyes tight, fighting unconsciousness in favor of white- hot agony.

There was a snap.

Dean was sure it was his ribs finally cracking under the pressure of the devil's hand. But the pain was fading. That wasn't right. Was it a dying numbness? Was he dead?

"Dean!"

The wall keeping him upright was gone now as well. He fell back onto something soft. There were hands on him, not painful like Lucifer's, but gentle.

"Here, move, I'll take care of it."

Then the pain was gone entirely, leaving only phantom traces of the searing pressure, and Dean could breathe again. His eyes opened as he gasped in a breath, only to find Gabriel staring down at him.

"Okay?"

Dean could only stare with wide eyes as the archangel moved back, giving him some room. He tilted his head back to see Castiel, studying him in concern. His head was propped up in the angel's lap. Sam stood beside them, gnawing at his lip. Dean moved his fingers, feeling grass under them.

Grass?

"What 'ppnd?" he croaked out, voice not wanting to work.

Castiel tried to calm him, fingers carding gently through his short hair. "Lucifer was going to kill you. Gabriel transported us all away in time. Then he healed your broken ribs."

Dean relaxed. They were safe. He glanced at the archangel, who looked like he was awaiting news on his execution. Which Dean supposed he was, after everything that had happened.

But they could deal with that later. The important thing was that they were all okay for the time being. Lucifer hadn't killed them, and he hadn't gotten hold of Sam. Dean was exhausted. He could deal with all these new revelations after he'd had time to get his bearings back.

For now he just nodded. "Thanks."

Gabriel looked surprised, but managed a nod in return.

"We need to get back to Chuck," Sam was speaking now. "Tell him what's going on."

"What do we do about Crowley?" Castiel asked, looking at something on the other side of Gabriel.

"Nothing," Gabriel replied, his expression serious. "He's with me."

Dean sat up a bit, realizing that the demon was with them as well, sitting beside the archangel.

Crowley shrugged. "Enemy of my enemy and all that. I'll give you guys a hand with Luci."

The older Winchester started to protest. There was no way he was working with a demon. Not even against the devil. Castiel's fingers worked through his hair, trying to calm him once again.

Sam frowned. "At this point, I'd welcome all the help we could get, but we can't trust you."

"I'm not asking for you to trust me, moose, I'm telling you we're fighting the DEVIL, and it's going to take everything we've got."

"Chuck wants you dead."

He snorted. "Tell him to get in bloody line."

"We're going to have to tell him something…"

"Look, for right now, let's just get back. We can make plans—"

Gabriel stopped mid- sentence, his eyes fluttering before he collapsed. Crowley caught him, eyes widening in surprise as he gave the archangel a shake. His head rolled to the side. Gabriel was out cold.