*Insert obligatory apology for the long wait here* No but seriously I am so sorry about how long this chapter has taken. It went through so many drafts and edits and re-organizations that I'm really not sure what I was thinking the first few times. It's still very rough in my opinion but it's done and it's been edited so I wanted to get it up for all of you incredibly wonderful and patient people. I cannot tell you how long it will take for the next chapter to be up because I work crazy hours at my new job, but thank you all so much for your continued patience and support of this project! You're all the reason this one-shot turned in to a years-long project!

[xxx]

Chapter 16

True to his word, Castiel continued to be fine in the days and weeks following their copulation. The rift between them slowly began to bridge and heal, despite Lucifer's refusal to work with the Winchesters on defeating Metatron. He fed Castiel helpful information and answered his questions when he asked them, but apart from that he seemed perfectly content to sit back and observe the unfolding of the world around them. Castiel voiced his displeasure with this often, but it only earned him a teasing smile.

It was on a routine visit to Castiel that Lucifer noticed Sam Winchester outside on his own, on an apparent stroll down the private road leading to the barracks they were now living in. Intrigued, the Devil decided to postpone the visit to his brother in hopes of some one-on-one time with his vessel.

"Don't tell me you're going for a walk to clear your head," the Devil teased as he appeared next to Sam, falling into stride with him. "It doesn't actually work like that, y'know."

Sam eyed him carefully before exhaling; the sound was caught somewhere between a sigh and an amused huff. "I'm holding out for the placebo effect, at least."

"In that case I wish you the best of luck," the Morningstar smirked, turning his gaze ahead. "Never could get it to work on myself. Interesting phenomenon though. Almost makes me jealous of the sheer power of the human mind." He risked a fleeting glance at the man beside him before focusing ahead again. "I do give Dad credit for the processing power he put inside your noggins. Even if most of you don't utilize it's full potential. But you do, don't you? And so does Dean, riddled by daddy issues and skewed perspectives though his processor may be."

Sam's lip quirked. "Wonder what that says about Michael."

Lucifer pondered. "Michael was a slave to his programming. His desire to be obedient weighed down his judgement and destroyed any hopes he had of individualism. He wasn't always like that. When we were going through training, it was the two of us mapping out Heaven and asking questions, and God always answered them. He enjoyed our curiosity. But a time came when he told both Michael and me to put a lid on it. 'Playtime's over, it's time for you two to be leaders' or some crap like that. And just like that Michael was able to switch it off, like his curiosity and personality never existed. But I couldn't. And you can't either, can you?" He looked Sam over. "Part of you still questions this life, questions if it's what you want, doesn't it?"

"I'm not leaving again," Sam dodged.

"Not what I asked."

The younger Winchester rubbed at the back of his neck, carding his fingers through his hair. "I don't think I'll ever stop questioning it. I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of that feeling in my stomach, the one that's secretly disgusted with it all. But Dean and Cas, they need me, and I need them too, and I'm not turning my back on them again. They're family. Kevin too. And yeah, being a hunter got almost everyone I've ever known and ever loved killed, but it's also given me so many people. I don't always love this lifestyle but I do love them."

The Morningstar smiled fondly. "I know this may not mean much, but I do understand. I do get it, and I admire you for sticking by your family. For sticking by your beliefs through the bad feeling in your gut. It's not an easy thing to do."

Sighing, Sam stopped and turned to face him. "Please do not tell me this was all an attempt to compare me to you."

The Devil held up his hands. "I promise it wasn't."

Sam cocked his head, his expression falling skeptical.

"…That doesn't mean I didn't jump on the opportunity to make a comparison when it presented itself." With a knowing smile, Sam regained his earlier pacing. The Morningstar fell in to step again. "I know you don't want to share similarities with the Devil but it was kind of quite literally the Fate's design for you. They did an excellent job plagiarizing themselves and just substituting your name for mine." Sam chuckled humorlessly. "Seriously. Their notebooks may not have a cut-and-paste option but I bet if I could get my hands on one-"

"What do you even want?" Sam stopped again, his tone defensive and demanding. "You've made it pretty clear that you have no interest in helping us with this problem with Metatron so why are you here?"

Lucifer held his vessel's gaze, and spoke earnestly. "I'm here because I saw you looking troubled, and I wanted to help you if I could. But if I'm doing more harm than good then I'll go. Admittedly being consoling isn't my strong suit."

"Not according to Cas."

The Devil's eyes sparkled. "Oh?"

Sam rolled his shoulders. "He said that you… Helped him, when he was in that psych hospital. That you helped him through whatever he took over from me." His expression was only slightly doubtful.

Lucifer waved his hand dismissively. "Angels are easy. The ones that find themselves feeling something usually end up feeling similar things for similar reasons. Humans, on the other hand, are more complex, because they were allowed to be. Cas's problem was an identity crisis. Yours is… Well, actually we haven't gotten to why you're out here yet. So now it's your turn: why are you here?"

Sam looked around instinctively before answering, "Just frustrated, I guess. The air in there felt thick. I've had my nose buried in books for days with nothing to show for it. I'm not sure there's anything we can actually do."

Lucifer shrugged. "You and your brother sometimes forget that you are only human. The only way in and out of Heaven for non-angel entities is to die. But I'm assuming you already knew that, so you know that getting in to Heaven isn't the problem, but the getting back part, which - with Cas's Grace regretfully gone - would be pretty much impossible."

Sam nodded sarcastically as he picked up a rock to skip it across the pavement. "Any other advice you'd like to give me? Preferably something I don't already know."

"Not really, but I could offer you some Dutch courage. From somewhere less… Bleak." Sam looked over his shoulder towards the bunker. "C'mon," the Devil nudged him playfully. When Sam glared at the contact, he took a respectful step back. "You could use a night of normalcy."

"Going to a bar with Satan is normal?" the Winchester asked incredulously.

"Everyone goes to the bar with Satan," Lucifer jested. "And don't tell me that's not the Winchester definition of normal. Going and getting alcohol with something not human is right up your alley." When Sam looked over his shoulder again, Lucifer had to school his expression. "And if Dean thinks he can yell at you for needing a drink, he's a damn hypocrite." He watched Sam carefully for signs of disapproval.

Turning back to the archangel, Sam raised his eyebrows and shrugged in his telltale appeasing manner. "Alright, yeah, I guess it couldn't hurt." With a cheshire grin, the Devil picked him up and transported both of them to a bar and grill across the country with which he was familiar.

Sam looked around as his surroundings changed. "Where are we?" He asked. They were standing on a cement street, tall buildings surrounding them on all sides and in the distance. Based on the fact that it was just after sunset he assumed that they had not traveled far, or were at least somewhere in the same timezone.

"The Silver Fox," Lucifer answered, "Only bar I actually know that's better than just decent. Apparently their steaks are award-winners. I've never bothered to check the credibility of damned souls; a lot of them are down there for lying."

"You're taking me to a bar that you heard about in between the screams of the souls you tortured?" Sam asked in the same incredulous tone.

"Heavens no," Lucifer gasped in mock disgust, "Anyway I never tortured them, that was always the demons. No, I know this place because I get a lot of contracts signed courtesy of the inebriation this place provides, and thus the poor judgment it brings to the surface. Word to the wise, demons love bars, strip joints, and casinos. So if you'r ever looking for a quick hunt to blow off steam, I'd start there. Shall we go inside?"

Sam stared after him in bewilderment as he followed the archangel inside. "You're giving me tips on how to hunt creatures that you made?"
Instead of sitting at the bar, Lucifer grabbed a chair at a two-person table, gesturing for Sam to sit down across from him. The Winchester hesitated. Rolling his eyes, Lucifer answered, "Sam, we were connected at one point. How much love and affection did you feel me expressing for those slimy cretins? I may have made them but that doesn't mean I like them. Why do you think they're the only thing I ever attempted making? I'm not good at creating. That's God's job description." He gestured for the human to sit down again. This time, Sam complied, somewhat reluctantly. The Devil smiled in triumph. "Are you hungry or do you just want to drink?"

Sam offered a small return smile. "Maybe I'll try on of their supposed award-winning steaks, see how credible a demon's word actually is."

"I'll save you the time: not at all." That earned Lucifer a small, breathy chuckle from his vessel. A waitress came over shortly after. Sam ordered one of the steaks and a beer, while the Devil ordered a Bloody Mary. When the waitress disappeared, Sam gave him a look.

"I think you'll find that most of my life nowadays is one long-running joke," the Devil said by way of answer. Sam snorted and shook his head.

"That's what I don't get. When we let you out - which was an accident, by the way. I don't care what the Fates had in mind, I wouldn't have done it if I knew what was really going on - you were hellbent on frying the Earth and now that you've gotten a free pass you're not interested anymore? You have to at least respect why Dean and I are so skeptical."

"Of course I do, I wouldn't buy it either." The waitress returned with their drinks, and Lucifer offered her a polite smile as he waited for her to leave again. Then he continued, "Before I was cast back into the nauseating pit that I had despised and tried to claw out of for millennia, however, I was inspired by a certain pair of hairless apes. Specifically, the one I was inhabiting at the time." He met Sam's eyes. "Thing is, Sam, that while I was down there, I knew I was getting out eventually. I tried escaping a few times, and when every attempt failed I knew that at least I had the Apocalypse to hope for. I knew that I'd be out for that, because I had a lead role in that particular play. The feeling of that first seal being broken, it was like a weight being lifted off my chest - which was a bit confusing because at the time I didn't have a physical form.

"Anyway, I had planned for the Apocalypse for millennia. During my time in exile I only had one way of entertaining myself, and that was to think of when I got out. I planned for every outcome, every possible repercussion of every possible outcome, every sudden twist or unexpected move by Heaven you could possibly imagine. For thousands of years I played it all out in my head until I had a plan, back up plan, and back up back up plan for every possible way in which those events could unfold. But the one thing I didn't expect, the one player I overlooked, was you, and your devotion to your family. And I should have seen that, because I love my family as much as you love yours. "You have only ever done the things that you did, made the mistakes that you made and accidentally set me free, because you were thinking of your loved ones. When I started that war in Heaven, it was because I did not want my brothers and sisters to be slaves to a species that was below them. I wanted our Father to treat us with dignity and respect. It hurt to go against Him and it hurt to have them think I was betraying them, but I only did what I thought was best for my family. So when you gained control for five seconds - of all things to happen - I was genuinely impressed, and even a little guilty for thinking so little of you. Your love for your brother rekindled some seriously old memories, ones that I thought I had locked away pretty securely. But you can never turn your back on your family, not really, right?"

Sam said nothing, his finger swirling around the mouth of the bottle in front of him. His eyes looked distant and deep, the human obviously in deep thought. He let his head droop for a moment before picking up his fork and twirling it in his and.

"And yet," the younger Winchester finally spoke up, "You won't help us help your family now."

Lucifer scoffed. "Metatron is a fifteen-year-old who just took his dad's Bentley out for a spin while his folks are away for the weekend. He hasn't been around for aeons; laughably out-of-date with all of the politics of Heaven. He'll either get bored up there like he did all those years ago or someone with actual competence - AKA you three - will boot him out. He may act all high and mighty but he's making this up as he goes along, and frankly he's a God-awful writer." The Devil smirked at his own joke and sipped his drink. "Outwitting him will not really be a problem for you two, because the two of you are notorious for winging your plans. It's the out-gunning him that will be a bitch."

"Yeah, we're working on it. It would go a little faster if we maybe had the help of someone who knows the ins and outs of Heaven."

"You're asking the wrong angel then. I've been away for almost as long as Metatron has. And either way, Metatron is not my fight."

Glaring, Sam gritted out, "See, that right there I don't believe. He's every angel's fight right now. Whether or not Heaven is your home anymore, if you care about your family as much as you claim to, then you'd be helping us fix what he broke."

Lucifer shook his head. "Not my fight. I made the same stupid mistake he did by trying to force an ideal future on my brothers and starting a war. Maybe my intentions were more honest than his but we're still both regarded as the bad guys of our stories. I'm done being the villain, Sammy. I never wanted to be that. So I'm sticking to being a neutral party for this one."

Shifting in his seat, Sam met the Devil's gaze. "And you're really okay with that? Just sitting on the sidelines sipping a Bloody Mary while your brothers murder each other over their lost home?"

"Of course I'm not okay with it, but I'm also virtually powerless to help them. They won't accept my help if I offer it, and realistically there's not much I can really offer in the way of help towards you and Dean. So I'm just going to wait it out by sitting here in Detroit, sipping a freaking Bloody Mary with my vessel while he loses pretty much all faith he may have had in me." When Sam's expression softened, the Morningstar smiled meekly. "I know I felt like you're last hope, and I thank you for being willing to give me the benefit of the doubt for this, but there's not much I can do, and what I can do you wouldn't approve of. This will all blow over in one direction or the other, and when it does I'll be allowed to enjoy my newfound freedom in complete peace." For the first time, the Devil dropped his gaze, swirling the liquid around in its glass, eyeing the blood-like mixture intently.

Sam watched the movement with him, before moving his gaze up to the Devil's face, trying and failing to read his expression. Some small part of him feared that even the most genuine emotions that he had heard in the past hour or so - the serious tones and flicks of pained expressions - could not be trusted. But a bigger part of him, the part that empathized with everyone he came across, wanted to give Lucifer the benefit of the doubt. Castiel trusted him, and Castiel trusted that he was incapable of lying to Sam. Perhaps the archangel really was just scared to lose his freedom again.

Sam cleared his throat. "Cas… Cas told us that you didn't know how to defeat Metatron. That's not true, is it?"

Lucifer looked up. "He actually lied? No, of course that's not true."

"But what you can do, you think I wouldn't approve of."

"Certainly not. And Dean would approve even less."

Leaning forward, Sam folded his hands on the table. "Dean's not here. At this point, I'm open to almost anything."

The Morningstar continued to swirl the liquid in his glass. "Metatron is not a particularly powerful angel. At the moment he's probably the most powerful, but he got there by way of cunning - and no shortage of luck - not by strength. He's not an archangel. Unfortunately, neither am I."
Sam quirked his head. "You were an archangel the last time I met you."

Lucifer laughed once. "The last time you met me I was still inside you. And that's the thing; outside of my true vessel I'm not at full strength. I finally stabilized this form so I wouldn't rip it apart, but that was a difficult and exhausting ritual that I don't care to ever repeat, and it still left me mostly powerless. Up in Heaven I could defeat Metatron no problem, but the chance of defeating him is still greater down here. Besides, I'm not in any rush to go back home."

"Not even if it meant being welcomed back as a hero?"

Lucifer's smile turned melancholy. "The angels would never welcome me back."

"Cas did."

Leaning back in his chair, the Devil's eyes sparkled. "Castiel is unique. I can't even say that he's unique like me, because he's not like me. He's… Passionate. There's no other word for it. His loyalty and passion are like fire, especially in the way they often burn him. There's never been another angel quite like him. And it's why I know that no other angel would accept me as their liberator. But I think they would accept him."

"He said that he's not strong enough to defeat Metatron on his own."

"And he's right."

"But you would be strong enough," Sam tensed as he considered his words, "With your true vessel you would be strong enough to take on Metatron. That's the way you can help that you think I won't like."

Lucifer regarded the younger Winchester. "When connected with my true vessel I could snap Metatron in half like a twig. But I respected you far too much to even offer that solution."

Sam blinked twice. "You… Respected me?"

Mirroring his vessel's position, Lucifer leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table. "Four years ago, I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul that I was better than you, and I believed it. I believed that my conviction, my desire for revenge and my hatred of humanity was stronger than your will towards freedom. You proved me wrong, Sam. And so when you three came to me for help, I respected your strength of heart too much to suggest possessing you. Your brother would have been furious and you would have immediately shot me down, just as you always did, usually with a good amount of resentment. Which, for someone as inclined towards freedom as you, I do not blame you for." He relaxed again. "And let's just say that I have a better appreciation for freedom now."

Sam quirked a smile. "Oh yeah?"

"Like I said, I always had the apocalypse to look forward to. When you jumped in to the pit, I thought for sure I was never getting out again. I'm not gambling with it this time."

"But you're saying that you could kill him."

"For the third time, yes."

"And you have a better appreciation for freedom now."

"Again, yes."

"So you'd let me go afterwards, right?"

Lucifer gaped at him. "What?"

Sam tensed, then rolled his shoulders. "If I… let you in… so you could kill Metatron, would you let me go once you did?"

Lucifer exhaled a stunned breath. "You're really determined, aren't you?" Sam just nodded solemnly. "I don't think Dean would approve of this plan."

"It's not Dean's choice," Sam said gravely.

"Truer words have never been spoken. But I'm not sure you've thought this through."

"I've been thinking about it for longer than you think I have."

"You're asking the Devil if you can trust him."

"Cas trusts you."

Lucifer stopped. "…Does he?"

Sam frowned. "You didn't know that?"

The Morningstar ran a hand through his hair. "I guess. It's one thing to assume it, another entirely to actually hear it, y'know? That was not something I accomplished overnight."

The Winchester smiled. "Yeah, I get that. Not that you can blame him for not trusting you right away, though."

"Of course I don't, hence why I was so determined to prove myself. Which is why I'm stunned I don't need to prove myself to you. For the second time you have completely amazed me, Sammy."

"Cas trusts you, and that's a good starting point for me. And despite everything, you never did really lie to me before. I'm assuming that you still won't. So, if I were to let you in so you could kill Metatron, would you let me go?"

Lucifer clenched his jaw before admitting honestly, "I wouldn't want to."

"But would you?"

"…It would be worth it."

With an air of triumph, Sam tipped his beer to the angel and gulped the rest of it down. Lucifer did the same, his movements a bit hollow with shock. When Sam stood, Lucifer unfolded a few bills from out of nowhere and they exited the bar together, the air between them riddled with nerves.

"This isn't something you have to agree to tonight, you know," Lucifer said hastily as they walked, "I think it would be within your best interests - and mine, now that I think of it - for you to at least mention this to Dean."

"Dean would freak out and try to find a way to stop us," Sam denied. "He wasn't too thrilled about going to you for help at all, but this? He'd probably lock me in the dungeon to keep me from doing this." He focused on kicking a pebble into the road, watching it skip across the pavement. "It's worth it."

"Worth the risk?"

"Is there a risk?"

"There's always a risk with every decision you make, Sam."

Sam chuckled. "Okay Ghandi. Look, I'm gonna be honest, I don't completely trust you. But I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt if it means getting rid of Metatron for good. Because right now, you're literally the only option that I can see. So if all it will cost me is, what, a few days of being a vessel again, then I'll take it." He considered a moment. "Unless there were some other conditions that you haven't told me about."

Lucifer raised his hands. "No tricks here. I'd say it balances out: a chance to reunite with my vessel again for a few days and all I've got to do is a little pest control." He regarded the taller man. "You're absolutely sure about this though? Metatron will put up a fight, and he's knowledgeable enough about spells and dark magic to mess with an angel's vessel. There are spells I cannot protect you from without certain preparations."

Sam stopped to looked at him. "So prepare for them. I'll stick around here for a while and call Dean to tell him that I'm out chasing a lead. You go do whatever you need to to protect us from any spells that Metatron might use. You'll be able to find me if I go get a motel, right?"

"Of course."

"Alright." Sam shifted his weight, then steeled himself and made for the motel sign he saw a few blocks away.

"Sam," Lucifer called after him. The Winchester turned to look. "While I'm gone, make sure you think long and hard about this, alright? Just do me that favor while you still haven't said yes. Because once you do, you'll be riding in the back seat until this is all over."

Sam nodded strongly, and with that, the Devil was gone. Setting his shoulders, he turned around again to make for the motel, only slightly surprised to find that money had materialized in his pockets when he got there.

[xxx]

Please leave any comments! The more I receive the more I'm forced to look at this and the quicker the chapters end up getting written! Also they're a huge confidence boost and whatnot. Seriously comments make my day.