15. To Lucifer's Cage We Go!
"Jo, you could've just stayed at the bunker," Sam insists as we walk beside each other. "You didn't have to do this."
It didn't take long for Rowena to find what we needed, and for Crowley to get the said ingredients. Dean had gone to see Amara's latest massacre path, so I had opted to babysit with Sam.
So, yes, we're in Hell now. The very place where I lost myself. The very place where I'd met Alex Franco. It feels like nothing's changed. But this is new to me, because I was used to the view behind bars. Still, I can't deny the high brick walls feel like they're closing in on me. The torches give me flickers of head pain. To make things even "better", a storm rolls overhead.
"I wasn't about to let you walk in with them on your own," I tell my little brother as Rowena and Crowley walk ahead of us. "Besides, it makes me feel better." Hopefully it'll make Dean feel better too.
"Flop sweat, sonny?" I hear Rowena ask Crowley. "Dread of what's to come?"
"Can it," snaps the King of Hell. "Your barbs may amuse your circle of hags. You have no idea what you're tampering with, what Lucifer is capable of."
"Well, dear, if you can't stand the heat, get out of Hell."
We walk down bricked steps. All I see is a large, empty cage, with a table away from it. I close my eyes uneasily, willing my Hell tour out of my head. Focus on the now. Don't let the past get to you.
"I must say it's not as scenic as I'd expected," Rowena mutters.
"We are in the furthest reaches of Hell, Limbo, where I send unruly souls for timeout," Crowley explains.
"This is where I meet with Lucifer?" asks Sam. His voice sounds so small. He's wary too, just as much as I am.
"What it lacks in ambience it makes up for in security."
Rowena gets to work, painting sigils on the case, while Sam, Crowley, and I watch. The thunder continues overhead. This is new to me. I didn't have the pleasure of thunder as music; I had the pleasure of screaming souls, including my own.
"Makes your flesh crawl, doesn't it?" Crowley mutters. "I get it. I'm the King of this place. It's still not my cup of tea."
"I don't know, Crowley," I say, trying to ignore my fear. "I'd say it suits you. Dark. Empty."
"Fascinating; the utter contempt, when I'm in the midst of saving the Winchesters' bacon, again."
"The point of this is to save everyone's bacon, including yours," Sam tells him. "Let's just hope she knows what she's doing. This cell won't hold crap if the warding isn't right."
"Don't you worry about me, Samuel, I'm a professional," says Rowena.
"Are you certain you can do this without actually opening the Cage?" asks Crowley.
"We are about to find out, aren't we? Foro dega la moray! Mah ho tah!"
I stumble back, seeing flames shoot up around the Cage. My hand finds Sam's.
"Now, let's have a go at that Cage," Rowena purrs. "Foh reh say-lah!"
I wince as the thunder becomes louder overhead. Talk about dramatic.
"It begins," Crowley whispers.
The fire slowly rises, the thunder booms louder, almost deafening all of us. I try and see through the flames, search for Lucifer. The pain in my head grows. I slowly back away, releasing Sam's hand in the process. You gotta stay strong for Sam. You've faced far worse than this. You overcame yourself. This is nothing.
But then I see it, the shadow. Those glowing red eyes. Eyes that make me almost believe that I didn't see them. The shadow begins to move towards our part of the cage, and I feel my heart start to run. I'm not sure what I expect. A being with red skin and horns?
Yeah, okay. Not.
Lucifer isn't the creature you automatically see as a monster. He's as human as Sam and I. Or his vessel is, at least. He hasn't seen Sam or myself yet; his eyes find Crowley first.
"My old friend, Crowley," he greets the King. His voice isn't what I expect either. There's no rasp, no grit in it. It's surprisingly gentle and calm. That's definitely not a good sign.
"A mere acolyte, carrying your torch," says Crowley.
"You're too kind...to yourself. What do you want of me?"
That's Sam's cue to step out of the shadows, into Lucifer's line of vision. I know Sam has told me about his previous run-ins with the Devil, so the look on Lucifer's face doesn't surprise me in the slightest. He looks as though he's just reunited with a long lost best friend.
"Sam Winchester," says Lucifer. "My old roomie. Hug it out?" He stretches slightly, and now I'm sure his eyes have found me. "Who's your friend? Don't be shy, I don't bite."
"Yeah, I highly doubt that," I say weakly, stepping to be at my brother's side. "Josette Winchester."
"Oh, so another Winchester, huh? Truth be told, I didn't expect you to look like...this." He gestures to me. "Where's your girlfriend, Sam? How is she, by the way?"
"Hey." I snap my fingers, feeling courage rise in me. "We're not here to play catch up on Sam's life."
"Oh, spunky." Lucifer sighs dreamily. "I remember the last girl who had that much spunk. You did tell her about Dakota, didn't you, Sam?"
"Easy." I put a hand on Sam's chest. He's not scared of Lucifer any longer, more pissed off than anything. I can't begin to imagine what Lucifer's done to Dakota, whoever she is.
"I gotta say, I'm a little in the dark about this meeting," Lucifer admits. "It's not about catching up for lost time. Am I up for parole? Time off for bad behavior?" He laughs. "I don't really get visitors."
"If it weren't for the crisis top-side, you wouldn't be getting one now," Sam says quietly.
"Crisis?"
"You're aware of the Darkness?"
Lucifer inhales sharply. "Yikes, that doesn't sound good. Um, I'm aware of what she was, but that was eons ago."
"She's been released. So now she's somewhere or everywhere on Earth."
"How ever did that happen?"
"The point is...she poses a threat to all that exists, including you."
"Hmm. Oh, that leads me to my next question. Where's the big burrito himself? Where's God in all of this?" The Devil makes the religious sign.
"All current indications of his presence are that there are no current indications of his presence."
"What? Caught the fun bus out of town? Figures."
"But, recently, he's reached out to an interested party," I say ominously.
"Who?"
"Me," says Sam.
Lucifer points to my brother. "You?"
"He answered my prayers."
"Did he now? And, what was Dad's suggestion?"
"To seek out you."
This earns a laugh out of Lucifer. "Get outta town! Seriously? Who'd have thunk it? I completely get why you came to me. You can't ignore God, right? God says jump, everybody says 'how high'?"
"So, does this mean you're on board?" I ask.
"Well, I did help Dad seal up the Darkness all those years ago. She's quite a force. Determined to take over everything, even back then. Prone to tantrums. I can see why Pop is laying low. Now that sis is here, God's not the only circus in town."
"Is she equal to him in power?"
"Raw power? Sure. But she's got none of the experience. God is a master strategist. That's why you're here."
"And why is that?"
"Oh, because God needs me to help put the cat back in the bag." Another laugh. "He can't do it by himself. Seen that movie."
"And?"
"And, I need a ride out of here. I mean, I look swell in here and everything, but I'd be so much smoke top-side."
"You want a vessel," says Sam.
"One who is strong enough to hold me, handsome, and available now. Catch my drift?"
My mind is reeling already, but this tops it. Lucifer wants to ride out in one of us. I know he wants to use Sam's body, because they share a knowing look. I know for a fact Sam and I aren't gonna let that happen.
"Did you really expect me to agree to this?" Sam asks.
Lucifer nods, smiling.
"So, what, I just disappear while you take my body and get set loose on the world again?"
The Devil smirks. "I know. I know, Sam. It's a lot to ask. But desperate times require desperate measures."
"That's not desperate!" I say hysterically. "That's certifiable!"
"Okay, hold on there a second, take a breath. You have been working with Crowley. You passed certifiable three off-ramps ago. And look, I'm no fan of the ruler of the Universe, but here I am, ready to pitch in. Sam, why do you think God sent you to me? To get my help, which I only now just offered. Sam, your visions were the Word of God. You can't say no to that."
"The hell he can't," I hiss.
"Like you know anything about how the world works, Jo-Jo."
I wince. "I'm a Winchester, I know way more than you give me credit for. And don't call me that."
"If Sam here rejects me—"
"Sorry, bucko, your charm isn't gonna work on me."
"Who said I was trying?"
I roll my eyes. "I think it's safe to say that we'd sooner find an alternative than let you out of the box."
"It's not your call to make, is it, sweetheart? I gave the option to Sam, not you."
"Oh, I should feel so jealous," I say smartly.
Lucifer snorts a laugh. "I wish I'd met you before. We could've had a lot of fun moments together."
I feel like I'm about to throw up.
"Look at you, trying to look all brave. You're just a scared little puppy. You've been to Hell before, haven't you, Jo-Jo?"
"None of your fucking business," I growl.
"Oooh, so I'm right." The smirk is back on his face. "You know how I know?"
"I don't give a shit."
"It's all in the eyes. The eyes tell a compelling story."
"Stop trying whatever it is you're trying to do." I rub my temples.
"Fine. So, have you thought about it, Sam? Do I have an invitation to look forward to?"
I look at Sam warily. I don't need to say or do anything, he knows my stance on it. He knows Dean's stance on it. I'm vaguely aware of Crowley and Rowena in the background, since it's been my brother and I talking to Lucifer.
"No, I won't do it," Sam says strongly. "There has to be another way."
The roar of the fire is dying down. Looking around, I see it's disappearing. I lick my lips nervously. Okay, now it's time to scram. Lucifer can't help us. I'm ready to pull Sam away, but he's gravitating towards Lucifer. Damn it, Sam. I run after him to try and retrieve him.
Before I know it, I'm not outside of the cage. I'm behind bars. The fire is gone, and now all there is, is darkness and cold. No Crowley, no Rowena.
"What the...?" I panic, tugging on the cage bars. They don't budge. "No. Hey, hey! Rowena, get us out! Crowley!" I turn my head to Sam, who looks just as scared as I do. "Sam..."
"Together again," Lucifer sings.
Terrified, grabbing me, Sam pulls us both into a corner of the cage. The bars feel extremely cold against my skin, through the clothes that I'm wearing.
Not many things frighten me. Fire frightens me. Losing my family scares me. Losing Cas scares me. In terms of monsters, I've never been scared of them.
Except for Lucifer, who's way too close.
"Hey, Sam Winchester. Did you miss me? I bet you did."
I look at Sam for the answer. He's had visions of this, supposedly. He'd know what to do. But he didn't say anything about the visions including me...
Sam takes a deep breath, trying to chase the fear out of his body.
"I have to say, you're extraordinarily calm given the circumstances. Might want to lend your sister some of that," Lucifer muses.
"Well, it's pretty much exactly how God told me it was going to be. Guess I have to go with it and play my hand."
"Well, that would make so much sense if it was God that was doing the talking. You see, Sam, when the Darkness descended, the impact on Hell was massive. The Cage was damaged. Through the fissures I was able to reach out."
"Oh shit..." I say feebly, feeling all the warmth leave my body.
"It wasn't God inside of your head, Sam. It was me. So you see, he's not with you. He's never been with you. It was always...just...me."
**You really think I could let Jo slide on this one?
If y'all have read "You Found Me", then the references are ringing clear as a bell in this chapter. If you haven't, a little confusion is totally normal. I ended up connecting a few SPN fics with references in other fanfics. I kind of regret it a wee bit.**