Sam's Theory

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I simply borrow characters.

Summary: Lucifer's cage. A conversation. A theory.

AN: I wanted to write a continuation of this but I wasn't too sure how well it would work.

The cage wasn't like the hell Dean had described.

No torture. No fire. No brimstone. It was more like a void. Blackness rather than darkness.

Everything was black but nothing was dark. Sam could see his brother's soul, feel it pulse with weakened energy as it curled up against his own, reaching out for some comfort, any form of comfort he could and when Sam found it in himself to give comfort, Adam's soul thrummed, pleased, and was quiet. Quiet enough to avoid any attention from the warring brothers above their heads.

With no bodies to be destroyed, Sam was free to witness the beauty of the Archangels. It was incomprehensible, Sam had no possible words to give justice to what he saw, and those that came close didn't even brush the surface.

Light. Not quite light, but something beyond it. It shimmers and swayed, emanating from each form like the flames on the surface of the sun.

Power. Too much. Too much and not enough and bound. The cage was built for Lucifer. Built for him and then some. Built for the possibility that demons would eventually learn to feed him, though that never happened, God pulled out all the stops.

Chaos. Chaos was the closest word Sam could think of to describe what he saw. Michael and Lucifer were distinguishable from one another, like night and day. But it was all chaotic. He saw static and it was heartbreaking - if he had a heart to break. Sam imagined the force on a human body when confronted by such a sight would be immense, as they had been warned over and over by Castiel, by Gabriel... he imagined it to be helplessness.

Like when your heart skips a beat, your muscles tense, ready for action, your fight or flight response kicks in, ready for your decision, adrenaline pumps through your veins, nerve endings are raw, fire licks at your skin and you're falling and falling with no hope of stopping and saving yourself.

He imagines, if he was human, seeing an angel in its truest form would be something like that.

Purity. Neither Archangel was pure of anything. Intent, sin or otherwise. Both had committed crimes against God and against humanity; God's greatest feat. But their essence was pure and sweet and it made Sam feel like his teeth, such as they would be, were aching.

He watched the two fight for an insurmountable amount of time before he just laid back, Adam safely tucked up against him, and laughed.

"When I was fourteen," he said with a smile. "I had a friend, she was a creature - not a demon... she killed her own mom to save me. Her name was Amy. I don't even know if she's alive anymore or if a hunter got her or whatever. But she killed her mother... her flesh and blood, to save me, a hunter, who's Dad and brother had been hunting her and her mother. She saved me. Because she wanted to be different. She wanted to be something else."

"What is... your point?" Michael glared at him and Sam felt a wash of hatred that was certainly not pure ride over him and he shrugged, still smiling. The two angels had ceased their warring when Sam began to laugh, both interested in the distraction though neither willing to be the first to step back.

"Just opening up conversation with something vaguely meaningful. I bet both of you have tales to tell that will pass the time from here to eternity, you've certainly lived long enough. So... have at it."

"This is a cage designed for punishment you foolish, insignificant little wretch!" Michael hissed.

"You think I'm insignificant?" Sam laughed again. "Would a truly insignificant being force two archangels into a lock box? Would someone with so little significance be able to hold the devil at bay? Even for a short while? Not to blow my own trumpet or anything but, you gotta admit, that's pretty significant. And all that... from a lowly human."

"This cage was meant for him!" Michael gestured harshly to Lucifer, who was sat on a manifested armchair watching their exchange with interest. He was using Nick's human visage and Michael was using a younger version of Sam's dad to differentiate - Sam wondered why he even bothered. "Not me! And certainly not two pitying souls from a wretched race-"

"A wretched race, I might add," Sam pointed out with a grin. "That your father, the one you claim to love, the one you claim to obey to the detriment of your own brother," Sam gestured towards Lucifer with a nod of his head. "That he commanded you watch over, that you bow down to... that you show deference to. Humanity is not the playground of angels and demons. We are not... toys for your amusement. Your father created us and he gave us the Earth. He created us with free will, but without power and he gave us limited life spans to encourage growth and development. What you have done, Michael, is go against everything your father asked of you. Such as you are... the good son." His tone was light and absolutely not mocking at all, but Michael sat down in the seat Lucifer kindly manifested for him. "Now Lucifer, from what I understand it - please correct me if I'm wrong - was created as you were, as Raphael was, as Gabriel was. You are all Archangels. But Lucifer and Gabriel had something more to their design. As I heard it, they had some semblance of free will to them." He looked at Lucifer, who nodded. "And if what you said to my brother was true, that free will is an illusion, then that would mean that your father created your brother to fall. I don't empathise with him, I am not excusing what he has done since, but I sympathise with the hand he was dealt."

"He betrayed-"

"But did he?" Sam asked, cutting Michael off. "By your own admission, events are not random. Lucifer's fall was not random. Your father created Lucifer to be his antithesis. In you he had the devout, faithful son. A general who would lead the others in his absence. In Raphael he had a drill sergeant. In Gabriel... he had what we might call a morale officer. Gabriel wasn't created to fight, that's not to say he couldn't, but he was God's messenger, was he not? He was the herald, he was the Angel of Justice... and so much more. But Lucifer... what function did he have? He was the second son, he had power, he had thought and opinion and he had choice. Lucifer was always faithful to your father because he loved no other more. What he found when God asked you to put humanity before himself, was something he hadn't encountered before. Doubt. It's probably why angels today fear doubt so much, because it was the start of Lucifer's fall. Am I wrong?" Sam asked Lucifer.

"You are remarkably well informed..."

"Had feathered friends in both high and low places," Sam's smile was bittersweet.

"Please, continue..."

"Part of this is my theorising, part of it is fact as I understand it to be. But God had a plan from the off. Well, after the whole Leviathan Purgatory debacle anyway. He wanted to create a race and watch it grow. Leviathans were too voracious; their appetite insatiable. Angels were created grown and required no more than a century or so's tutelage. So he designed a being, human, to inhabit the Earth. So he put down the building blocks, sending the asteroid flying into the Earth, bringing water into play, creating single celled organisms and so on. He gave you a taste with Adam and Eve but Lucifer, and this is my theorising after getting mostly human Castiel drunk and chatty, he was intrigued enough to wait and see what became of us lowly humans" Lucifer nodded.

"Castiel was drunk?" Michael asked, aghast, and Sam narrowed his eyes.

"I am no expert on the ins and outs of what it is to be an angel, but I'm pretty sure ordering one to go to hell to lay his hand on the soul that broke the seal that started the apocalypse was setting him up to fall just as Lucifer. Only faster with greater pain."

"It was written." Michael said stiffly.

"It. Was. Not." Sam growled.

"And how would you possibly know?"

"Because Gabriel was God's messenger, and he heard no such word from your father!" Sam nearly shouted. "The End of Days was always going to happen, after humanity had outgrown their home world and had left. The End of Days refers to the End of these days. The days on Earth! Gabriel said he had heard nothing from God about this damn apocalypse! You brought it on yourselves because you're impatient and you think you are above humanity."

"That is not the reason!" Michael retorted hotly.

"Oh? Then please, enlighten me." But Michael didn't speak and Sam rolled his eyes. "Castiel's fall aside... Lucifer confronted his father, telling him he couldn't love humanity more than him and, so the story goes, he was cast out. He left heaven, tempted Eve in the garden and was there to greet her when she was cast out, but she was shamed and was inconsolable. She still had the power of Eden within her and with the world God had created, she started to create her own population. Lucifer left her to it and returned to Earth where he waged his own war with heaven. He tempted the first Earth born human into hell and she was the first demon. God threw Eve into Purgatory for her crimes and had you, Michael, cast Lucifer into this lovely piece of work."

"Where did you get all this information?" Lucifer asked, curiously.

"You've been in my head... you should know."

"I was... focussed on other things."

"I like to read and my partner had access to the greatest and oldest libraries time could offer... as well as his own mind."

"I had no idea Gabriel was so... fond of you," Lucifer said idly.

"At the risk of sounding vaguely petulant, what you don't know could fill a few very large libraries. My point is... God created Lucifer so there would be balance for humanity to grow in. Too much good in the world does not provoke competition which would in turn spark imagination which leads to invention and development. Too much bad would be... well... bad. And far too destructive to have any working society. So there has to be balance. As twisted as it sounds, I believe that God cast Lucifer in this role because he trusted him to handle it... if that makes any sense. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am."

"It would make sense, in, as you say, a twisted way," Lucifer mused.

"You cannot be buying into what this foolish insect is saying!" Michael exclaimed.

"You have no room to speak about anything nearing righteous indignation, brother. You disobeyed father, just as I. The whole host of heaven disobeyed father just as I did. Well, save Gabriel and Castiel..."

"If what you said is true, that free will is an illusion, Michael, then God's plan is between him and the Fates, because as you know, once it is written it cannot be unwritten. But maybe God has veto rights because what I did? What Dean did? Hell... what Cas and Gabe did... we went against what you perceive to be written. In fact, I'd lay bets down on heaven knowing nothing at all about what is coming. You are grasping at air and hoping you are doing the right thing. But we mere humans have a saying... The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And my... where are you now?"

Word Count: 1,991

I have this conversation written into other fics, but in different ways with different wording and alternative explanations. I find it fascinating and I often think about what 'might be' and what 'could be'. My theological interests aside though, I hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know if you did! :)