It was the end of the world.

At least, it should have been. If it weren't for those meddling Winchesters, Lucifer would've had free reign over the earth. To destroy Father's creation as he saw fit.

But no, Sam had to overpower him at the last minute, taking control and stepping closer to the edge. Lucifer looked around for something to hold onto; anything to keep him from descending back into the cage he despised. As Sam took the final step and they began to fall, the Prince of Darkness reached out and caught hold of his brother; Michael. If he was going back into the Pit, the insufferable Archangel would have to suffer with him.

As they tumbled into the darkness, Lucifer saw something out of the corner of his eye. A white blur, falling beside them. What was it? They were moving too fast, spinning...

They hit terminal velocity, and his vision began to grow dark around the edges...

Upon waking, Lucifer sat up, panic setting in. He was back. Back in the cage. But something...something was different. Wrong.

His vessel. Where was Sam? He was no longer inside the younger Winchester. He was simply...a multidimensional wavelength of not-so-celestial-intent.

How?

Regardless, this situation sucked. He looked around, and saw Michael glaring daggers at him a few feet away. "Well, hello Brother." He greeted.

"Lucifer, what have you done?"

"Well, we both know what I tried to do. Now we're stuck here. Hey, you haven't seen my Vessel by any chance, have you? I seem to have misplaced him."

"It was...strange. I think it might have been Father..."

"Woah, no way. Dad has been gone for centuries, he wouldn't come back to rescue Sam Winchester."

Michael shrugged. "No matter. It looks like you are left without a Vessel." He smirked.

"Whatever. I'll make it work." Lucifer spat. He was out of practice, but he could mold his Grace into a body. The Cage wasn't within the realm of reality anyway. He concentrated, and within moments he was corporeal.

"Impressive." Michael said reluctantly.

It was Lucifer's turn to smirk. "I always was the most talented."

Before Michael could articulate an insult, something caught his attention.

"What in Father's name is that...?"

Lucifer turned his head, and blinked in confusion. A lone sheep had wandered out from behind a particularly large stalagmite.

"Is...is that a sheep?"

"Wow. That's not something you see every day." Lucifer chuckled. "I guess it was separated from its herd and stumbled into the pit. Not the brightest thing, are you?"

The sheep bleated in response, almost as if protesting his assessment of its intelligence.

Before they could fully adjust to the shock of having a sheep in the Cage, Lucifer noticed something else. A dim glow, coming from behind the same stalagmite. As he approached, it grew brighter until it was fully in view. A shining blue-white spark. A human soul.

Sam Winchester's soul.

Oh, the fun he would have with this one...

In the coming days, the sheep was forgotten as Michael and Lucifer wreaked havoc on Sam's poor soul. They tortured it; poking and prodding and doing everything short of destroying it. It was nice to be able to vent their rage on something.

After a satisfyingly long day of torture, Lucifer sat back against the cold wall and watched Michael kick Sam's soul into submission. He loathed his brother, but as much as he hated to admit it, he was no match for him right now. Not without a Vessel. So breaking Sam would have to do for now, until he could get out of this wretched cage and find a way to destroy Michael. And the rest of Heaven. And Hell. And the Earth.

As he sat there fuming, the sheep wandered up to him, bleating sadly. Almost as if it could sense his misery. "What do you want?" He grumbled. The sheep nuzzled his hand, and Lucifer yanked it away. Was it trying to eat him?

Wait. This sheep was not immortal. It was not a celestial being. It had needs that they hadn't considered. Without food and water, the creature would die.

This thought should have brought him satisfaction. Another one of his Father's creatures, withering away to nothing.

But instead he felt pity.

On impulse, Lucifer summoned a small patch of grass for the sheep to graze on, as well as a water bowl. The Cage might have inhibited most of his powers, but he still had some tricks up his sleeve. Making a small noise of happiness, the sheep hungrily started devouring the grass.

"What are you doing?" Michael frowned.

"What's it look like?"

"It looks to me like you are keeping this miserable creature alive. Why?"

"Why not?"

Michael sighed. "We should put it out of its misery. I am surprised you have not done so already."

"It hasn't done anything wrong." Lucifer defended. Wait, why was he sticking up for the thing? It meant nothing to him.

Michael looked surprised as well. "Alright. I shall leave you alone with your new plaything."

Time passed, and torturing Sam's soul lost its appeal. They'd done everything to him; broken the spark until there was nothing left but a dull glimmer. It simply wasn't fun anymore.

The sheep followed Lucifer everywhere. It was by his side as he paced the cage, pounded the walls, and screamed out his frustration until his voice was hoarse. And when he finally broke, collapsing to the floor in a heap of exhaustion and despair, it simply laid its head on his lap.

Without thinking, he clutched the sheep close to him. He buried his head in its soft wool. It sat very still, and Lucifer began to calm down.

He lifted his head, and looked into the animal's kind brown eyes. He felt an unexpected wave of emotion. It had been centuries...millennia even, since he'd been shown any compassion.

But surely it wasn't real. The sheep just followed him everywhere because he was keeping it alive.

As if to prove him wrong, the animal gently nuzzled his hand and curled up next to him like a dog.

He couldn't help but smile. Now he understood why humans insisted on keeping animals as pets.

"I don't care if you're bored of Sam's soul, you're not touching my sheep!" Lucifer held it protectively in his arms. "Stay on your side!"

Time passed differently in the Cage, but if felt like they'd been there forever. Michael was going mad, and lashing out at anything and everything. Lucifer remembered the first time he was trapped here. It had driven him insane too. But after centuries of captivity, he'd grown used to it.

"Why do you even care about it? It's nothing but a stupid animal!"

"It's okay, he doesn't mean it. Uncle Michael is a meanie. Don't listen to him." Lucifer soothed the sheep. "You're scaring him!"

"Forgive me for not understanding why the Devil is interested in keeping a sheep alive."

"I dunno, he's kinda cute. Don't you think?"

"You infuriating little-"

"Let's not forget that I'm the elder brother, Mikey." Lucifer spat.

"Do not call me that." He hissed.

"Then don't touch my sheep."

"Fine." Michael threw his arms up in defeat. "If you insist on keeping your pet, you might as well name it."

"Hmm..." Lucifer's brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to come up with a fitting name. A mischievous smile crossed his face as he had an idea.

"Fish."

"Excuse me?"

"His name is Fish."

"Lucifer, you cannot name a sheep 'fish'. It isn't right."

"Your face isn't right."

"For the eldest brother, you certainly have an immature streak."

"Your mom has an immature streak." Lucifer stuck out his forked tongue, and the sheep - Fish - made a bleating noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

"We do not have a mother." Michael rubbed his forehead as if physically pained by his brother's lame comebacks. "I'm going to repeatedly bash my head against a wall. Come get me if you find a way out."

"Will do." Lucifer smirked. He set the sheep down and began to pet his fluffy wool. It always made him feel better for some reason.

Who'd have thought? That Satan, the Father of all Evil, could have a soft spot for a sheep. Lucifer chuckled to himself. "There's a first time for everything, Fish." He said, patting the sheep's head fondly.

Let Michael judge him. It wouldn't do any harm. If he wanted to live out the rest of his existence in isolation, fine. But Lucifer and Fish had each other.