Gunpowder and Lead

IX

[O Brother Where Art Thou?]

Sam was in complete darkness, lit only by lightning flashing around him. He panicked as realized he was in the Cage and turned around to face Lucifer. Lucifer walked towards Sam. He placed his hand on Sam's face and smiled. Sam felt comforted.

Sam woke from his vision. He was outside, in a forest, in the day. He looked towards the sky.

"Is this really the answer? Is this what you want?" Sam asked.

Behind him, a bush burst into flames. Sam turned slowly to look at the bush and then looked skyward again.

---

Sam, Dean and Kennedy were in the bunker. Kennedy was sitting near them, trying to feed Nadia, but she kept turning her face away.

"Because it's crazy, okay! And it's not going to happen. How many times do Kennedy and I have to say that this is a horrible idea?" Dean yelled.

"About as many as I have to say, okay then what else have we got? Listen, I'm all ears. Dean, Kennedy, ordinarily I'd agree with you two, but the visions only happen when I reach out to God. I asked him for a way to beat the Darkness and the visions got more specific – and I was in the Cage."

Kennedy frowned at him. "Yeah, with Lucifer. The biggest monster ever hatched. That doesn't sound smart to me."

"You two know Lucifer was the biggest monster ever hatched, until you and I hatched one that's even worse. Listen, in the vision, Lucifer touches me and I feel calm, like things will be all right. And that's not something I would ever come up with. I mean that is the last thing that I would ever feel."

"If Lucifer touched you, it would be the last thing you think. Ever," Dean said.

Dean got up from the table to pour whiskey for himself. "Why would God even ask this of you? What proof do we have that any of this is actually real?"

"There was a burning bush," Sam replied.

"A burning bush?"

"Like in the Bible."

"You were in the forest. There are bushes there and sometimes they burn!" Dean sat back down with his whiskey. "You know what man? Maybe there is something to it all, maybe, and maybe there's not."

"Dean, Kennedy, doesn't it make sense? I mean, Lucifer would know how God ended the Darkness. He was there."

Dean and Kennedy shook their heads and he took a sip of whiskey.

---

That night, Crowley, Sam and Dean meet under a bridge, near a homeless camp. Kennedy remained at the bunker with Nadia.

Crowley said to Sam, "So God assured you of this, did he? I'd say you're making this up but I never think of you as imaginative."

"We're not saying it's going to happen. We just want to know..." Dean began.

"...theoretically..." Sam added.

"...if it's possible."

Crowley looked between them. "The Cage is a can of worms you do not want to open. I believe this conversation is over..." He prepared to snap his fingers.

"Is it?" Dean asked. "Crowley, you know that the Darkness is going to pound on everything and that includes you."

Sam nodded. "Yeah. And you had a shot at taking her out when she was with you, but apparently you thought that sucking up was the way to go."

"And that didn't work out so well."

Crowley looked at Dean. "Because she chose you. And you couldn't control your girlfriend. What happened in that room? Why did she insist on sparing you?"