InsaneJournal

WHO: Lucifer, Meri Winchester, & Jack Winchester (with a guest appearance by Meg)
WHAT: Lucifer gets a pleasant surprise...and then a not so pleasant one.
WHEN: August 16th; Early Morning
WHERE: Colligo Streets; Near the Warehouse District
RATING: PG-13 (Character Death)
STATUS: Log; COMPLETE

After the beautiful insanity of the fear toxin and getting to watch the locals try and rip each other apart, the lull was nearly unbearable. Meg had wandered off to find something to do, either poking at her archer or messing with the local population that nobody gave a rat’s ass about most likely, which left him utterly and completely on his own and dependent upon himself for entertainment. And when he had all of these restrictions on him, that was really next to impossible to manage in any fulfilling way. So he’d just taken to wandering. Ambling the streets without a purpose in the dead of night tended to be a recipe for trouble, and considering that was just what Lucifer was looking for, he took every opportunity that he could to find it, wandering off the main streets into backroads and down dark alleyways. He even stepped into the territory of some rather nasty local thugs, but it was all to no avail. The streets were oddly quiet tonight even as they were still populated. People were on their way to wherever they were headed, and it seemed that nobody had any mind to pick a fight.

Depressing.

As he reached the end of the long stretch of downtown, Lucifer stopped, sighing as he took a slow extensive look around, trying to figure out whether he should chance himself in the warehouse district since he might run into a bit more than he bargained for down there. One gang was enough. A location with several at once might leave him getting blinked out of existence for use of excessive force. After some debate, though, Lucifer figured that skimming the edges probably wouldn’t hurt. Besides, someone might be a bit more willing to take a run at him if there weren’t so many other people around.

It hadn't been that difficult to locate Lucifer. Ironically enough, though, it hadn't been the years she'd spent trying to kill him that had enabled her to do so, this time. Rather, it had been the handful of years that, as a child, she'd considered him a friend. Dredging up those memories hadn't been the most pleasant of experience but she had done so, and had remembered him mentioning once, in passing, that when the city was being especially quiet, he often looked for trouble near the warehouse district.

So she had headed off in that direction, knowing Jack was close but also out of sight. More than used to her brother tending to shadow her without others any the wiser, Meri paid him no attention as she maneuvered the streets of Colligo until she finally, finally, came across her target. Then she'd stopped, just out of sight, and spent a few seconds trying to compose herself. The urge to attack the fallen angel was a strong one but she managed to get it under control, along with the pure, blind rage that she felt whenever she looked at him. She hated him, loathed him with every fiber of her being. But, if she wanted to get close enough for the plan to work, she had to pretend otherwise. With that thought in mind, Meri stepped out of the shadows and began making her way toward Lucifer with a smile on her face and no hint of anger at all.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered under her breath, knowing Jack would hear her but likely wouldn't respond. They were close, exceptionally so, but it wasn't like they had some kind of telepathic bond or anything. "Be careful." The final words were all but breathed out and then her game face was firmly in place.

She knew what she and Jack were going to attempt was quite likely going to fail. And, if they succeeded, then the people they were, right here and now, would never exist in this Colligo's reality. However, Meri didn't mind that. The thought of stopping the terror before it began, of saving all of the lives of good, innocent people who had died much too young, was worth forsaking her own potential future. That idea alone was enough to make her smile sincerely, and she kept the expression firmly in place as she finally drew close enough for him to see her.

"Hey there," she greeted the Devil lightly. "Look who is all grown up and doesn't need parent permission to talk to you anymore." Her smile grew a little more. "How's it going?"

Jack didn't like this. He really didn't. It wasn't that he didn't want Lucifer dead. God, he did. He wanted it more than almost anything else in the world. In fact, the only thing he wanted more in his life was to shove Loki's spear right through his chest and watch the light die in his eyes. Jack wasn't a violent man by design, but life had pushed him to a point where there wasn't much he wouldn't do to destroy the two beings who had taken everything from him.

No, he amended silently, not everything. Because he still had his sister and she was everything to him. He had both his sisters, but for now Meri was the only one here. He didn't count the infant version of Gabi he'd seen when he first arrived. And that was why he was so uneasy about this. There was every chance that by doing this he would lose Meri. And he couldn't lose Meri. If that happened, there would be nothing that could stop him from putting a bullet in his own brain. Fuck their cause and their fight and everyone else. If Meri died, then he was already dead.

He closed his eyes against her softly spoken words, hearing them and fighting the urge to laugh bitterly at the idea that he needed to be careful. He wasn't the one going toe to toe with Lucifer. He was just hanging back and waiting. Watching. Having his sister's back the way he had for almost thirty years now. Or technically a little more than two and a half, if you looked at chronological time from the day they were born until now. The point was he would be there to watch the latest bit of blindingly stupid recklessness from his sister. Because that was his job.

"You too," he said softly, more to himself than anything because she was already on the move and the words wouldn't reach her. He watched, eyes trained on his sister's movements, as she addressed Lucifer. He had to clench his fists and remind himself it was part of the plan, because just seeing Meri even pretend to be friendly with that monster made him want to tear the fallen angel apart with his bare hands. He closed his eyes for a moment, tamping down on the well of anger inside him. He didn't need that now.

He just had to trust that Meri could handle this, and ignore the sick fear in his gut that this was all going to go terribly wrong.

All right. That was not what Lucifer had been expecting to find coming out this way. A bit confused and staggered by the greeting, it took him a long silent moment of inspecting the woman in front of him before he came to the rather obvious conclusion of who she was. With a laugh, Lucifer reached out, settling his hands on her shoulders as he grinned, “God, Dean must have had a fit,” Lucifer said, a devious yet affection grin spreading across his face as he looked her up and down. She was solid, strong, with all the looks of a force to be reckoned with, but really, what else did he expect from a Winchester? Being a powerhouse basically ran in their family. She was just lucky that she didn’t get the gigantism gene as well.

“I’m a bit surprised that you found me down here like this,” Lucifer said with another laugh. “But I suppose with the way that the city’s gone all quiet, it would be the natural assumption.” Allowing a moment of silence fall between them, a comfortable one that allowed an idea to dawn on his features, Lucifer dropped his hands from her shoulders only to offer them out to her. “Care to join me, Meri? I’m sure we can deal with twice as much trouble than I can one on one. And maybe I won’t have to hurt anyone as a bonus. Well, not much.”

Meri's stomach churned sharply when Lucifer touched her. She managed to bite back the desire to jerk away from him, instead keeping her smile in place and reminding herself that it would all be over very, very soon. Then he had to go and ask her if she wanted to join him and Meri... well, Meri felt as though she was going to puke right then and there. Fortunately, she was able to keep her gag reflex in check and tilted her head to the side, buying herself a few precious seconds to compose herself while pretending to consider his offer.

"Sure," she replied after a heartbeat, her tone light and carefree even if all she wanted to do was beat him to death with his own arms after she'd shoved the angel killing blade that Jack had on him in places she shouldn't talk about in mixed company. Casually turning toward the alley he'd been heading down, using the movement to get his hands off of her shoulders, Meri studied the darkness for a second or two - mostly to buy her brother enough time to make sure he was able to follow without being seen - then she looked back to Lucifer.

"It's not hard to find you when I know all of your usual haunts," she pointed out, purposefully making it seem as though they were quite close in the future as they were in this day and age. Idly, she found herself grateful that, unlike either of her parents, she had managed to learn how to act. Otherwise, the entire plan would be screwed from the start.

"So," she tacked on, turning directly toward Lucifer again to keep him in place in case Jack decided to strike out now rather than wait. If he hadn't by the time Lucifer had responded to her next asked question, she'd know to continue on ahead. "Seriously. How have you been? It's been a while since I was in this particular year. Can't say I remember too much about it, what with all the crazy this place throws at us constantly."

Lucifer was touching Meri. He was touching her and looking at her in a way that made Jack's stomach twist uncomfortably as he forced himself to watch. He needed to keep his eyes on this. He needed to be ready for anything. Because his sister was right next to Lucifer and there was no place more dangerous. He knew that. He'd seen what the angel was capable of. For all his smiles and jokes, Lucifer was the worst sort of monster. And no amount of teasing or camaraderie could make him forget that.

Still, he had to dig his fingernails into his palms until his hands bled to keep from running into the middle of things and ruining the plan they'd worked out so carefully. He was pretty sure Meri would murder him if he tried to come to her rescue, if Lucifer didn't beat her to the punch. No, he would stay there until the time was right and then they'd finish this, or this part of it anyway, once and for all. They'd stop Lucifer before he ever had a chance to hurt anyone. Before he had a chance to create their future.

He watched the exchange, impressed with how well Meri contained her reactions even as he remained disgusted by Lucifer's proximity to the most important person in his life. He couldn't wait much longer. He just couldn't. He unclenched his fists, giving his hands a moment to stop shaking before grabbing the blade in his belt. Once he had a good grip on it, he closed his eyes and gave a low whistle. It was a quiet sound, easily mistaken for a distant bird, but familiar to Meri. She would know what it meant.

“Pretty good. Last week was a laugh and a half. Someone released a toxin in the city that made everyone hallucinate their worst fears. They were tearing themselves apart,” Lucifer said, a little too much glee in his tone at the idea as he looked over at Meri. He knew that she likely wouldn’t approve. She might have had more than enough leeway for him when she was younger, try and think the best out of his reactions to things, put in a position where he could be the force that she saw while still being the force that he was, but she was older now. She was older, and she was a Winchester, and if there was anything that Lucifer was expecting to see, it was at least annoyance at his rather flippant attitude towards humans destroying themselves. “It was a riot to watch. Shame that it had to be cleaned up so quickly, but you know how it goes. Most sane people don’t want to let stuff like that linger.”

Lucifer offered her a smile, “Bored out of my mind now, though, as you can obviously see. What about you? You look... good,” He said, looking her over. “I can’t say it’s entirely how I expected you to look at this age, but I’ve got no complaints. How’s the future holding up? Uncle still keeping this place in one piece?”

There it was. Jack's whistle, so soft, so easy to miss by anyone who wasn't trained to listen for it, was like music to Meri's ears. Finally, the time had come. Lucifer was going to die. There simply wasn't any alternative she was willing to accept. And as she made damn sure to keep Lucifer in place so Jack could draw closer, Meri's smile was, for the first time in quite a long while when dealing with the devil, a truly authentic one. Not because of him, of course, but rather because it was finally about to end, once and for all.

"You could say that," she tacked on slowly, in regards to his question about Asaph. Honestly, as much hatred as she had for Lucifer and Loki, she had even more for the supposed deity that was in charge. Screw him, for letting things turn out they way they had. If she could, she'd kill him too. Yet she kept all of that in the back of her mind, carefully buried so it wouldn't affect the here and now. Because right here, right now, Lucifer was what mattered. His demise was what was important. Anything, and everything, else could wait.

"Or," she added, knowing the way she drawled out the word would more than attract his interest, "you could also say that you're the one calling the shots now." Her smile grew, turning a bit cold around the edges, as she continued.

"In fact, I wanted to personally thank you for that, before it was too late. You've done an awesome job since you teamed up with Loki and took control of the city. You've made sure those who were loyal to you were properly rewarded." She continued to smile as she stared at him, unblinking, the truth of her words ever so close to finally sinking in. "And, of course, you've made sure that those who aren't loyal paid for their mistake."

She arched an eyebrow at that one, the smile going from slightly cold to positively lethal. "So thanks, Lucifer," she bit out, practically spitting out his name. "Thanks for killing my dad. I really appreciated it." Pausing, just long enough for what she'd said to sink in, Meri tacked on, "Oh! And there's one more person that I wanted to thank you for dealing with, too, before I let you go on your way. I'll give you three guesses who it is. Go on. See if you can figure it out."

Not that he was going to get the chance, of course, because already Meri could practically sense Jack closing the distance between them. She stayed where she was, though, staring Lucifer directly in the eyes, refusing to look away not only because she wanted to see him die but because she knew, so long as his attention was on her, he wouldn't see Jack coming. No one ever did.

Jack smiled to himself as he watched the change in Meri, the way she let Lucifer know exactly how grateful she was for what he'd done. How much she'd appreciated the way he'd made their lives hell. He only wished he wasn't coming from behind, because he wanted nothing more than to see the look on Lucifer's face when the penny dropped. But he'd settle for what was about to happen. As much as he'd enjoy that look, this was a memory he'd hold close on cold night to keep him warm.

Lucifer was focused on Meri. They always did. Meri was the one people watched, while Jack faded into the background. And Jack was fine with that, more than fine because it meant that they never expected it when he took them down. Meri was the one people expected, the brazen badass who could hold her own in any fight and who was more deadly than anyone else he could name. But Jack was the one to come up behind you and drive a knife into your gut. Jack was the one you really had to watch out for.

Like now. He waited until Lucifer had a chance to process Meri's last words, wanting him to understand his crimes completely, before he drove the angel killing blade into him. It felt good, and he all but grinned as he leaned forward to speak directly into Lucifer's ear. "That?" he said softly. "That was for Adam."

Then he gave the blade a vicious twist.

Confusion was Lucifer’s initial reaction. Confusion and curiosity at the idea that he was the one ‘calling the shots’ now and how in the world that could have even come to pass. He was powerful, yes, but there were always limits, limits placed on him by not only his Mother’s ultimatum but the other members of his family present. And then she’d continued, and it had all made sense. The pagan deity that was here seemed much more capable than the ones that known, much more than a little flash and bang without the weight behind it, and he supposed, if anyone could manage a hostile takeover from his Uncle, it was an angel and a god.

He’d thought maybe, on her next words, that she honestly was thanking him for taking over. Those that were loyal to him had been rewarded, and he could only assume that she had been loyal, that he’d had no reason to do her wrong, but then the other shoe dropped, and it all became obvious what this was. Dean. It was really always about Dean, wasn’t it? That boy was going to be a thorn in his side no matter what sort of reckoning he brought about, and it seemed that now, even with him dead, he had other obstacles to face. Because he was well aware that if there was one thing that was more than assured to make Meri turn her opinions against him, it was doing or saying anything against her father. And killing him...more than counted.

“Meri,” Lucifer started, trying to formulate some sort of argument that would separate himself now from the himself that she knew in the future, but his words were cut off rather quickly by the feel of metal slicing into his back, his entire body bent against the angel killing blade. Panic, brief yet frantic, crossed his features as he glanced between the twins, Meri in front and Jack behind, before the blade fulfilled its purpose.

Of all the people to put him down, he never would have guessed it would be the quiet one.

It was done. It was done, it was over, and now, the reality that she and her brother called home would never exist. With any luck, the Asaph that was here would see the error of his future self's ways and wouldn't bring Lucifer back. With a little more luck, if he did, her parents would strike out on their own to stop the devil before it was too late.

Whatever happened, the point was that it was done. And yet, as Meri watched the light leave Lucifer's eyes, she felt no real satisfaction, no sense of justice. She simply felt as dead as she'd felt for years now, only a touch less angry at the injustice of it all. Turning her tightened expression to Jack to ensure, with her own two eyes, that he was physically unharmed, she let out a breath.

"Well," she said in a flat tone, "that was-"

"What in the fuck did you do?"

Turning on her heel at the sudden interruption, Meri's hand slid to the knife she had tucked away on her side at the sight of a positively livid Meg. Her jaw tightened, her shoulders straightened, as she raised her chin a notch and announced, "What does it look like we did? We fucking killed your daddy."

The words tasted like dirt on her tongue, the Meg from her own reality so far removed from the one standing there that Meri couldn't imagine saying such a thing to her. However, she wasn't going to let sentiment of a creature that didn't even exist yet cause her to put her guard down. Instead, as Meg's eyes turned as black as coal and she began to advance, Meri sprung into action.

Relying on her ability, she disappeared from sight and maneuvered herself along the peripheral line of sight that people often forgot existed. Once she was close enough, which really only took seconds, she drew her knife and appeared in front of the enraged demon... only to stab it directly into her gut. As Meg's eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent scream, Meri sneered into her face.

"Kinda sucks that I'm killing you with a knife you gave me, huh?" she muttered. Then she pulled the blade free, letting the corpse of the demon's meat-suit collapse to the ground as she turned back to her brother. "As I was saying," she commented casually, wiping the blade off before sliding it back into the holster at her side, "that was something, all right. Now let's go get Loki so we can call this a done deal already."

Jack watched dispassionately as his sister struck down a woman who had been like family to them in the future. But he couldn't find it in himself to feel anything but grim satisfaction, because she wasn't their Meg and anyone who was on Lucifer's side didn't deserve mercy. It was a cold mindset to have, but that was necessary in their lives. They couldn't afford to be sentimental.

So he just gave her body a passing glance, sparing a brief thought for the woman who had become strangely like a second mother to him and Meri, and nodded at his sister's words as he put the blade he'd used to kill Lucifer back in his belt.

"One down," he said, "one to go. Think we can get our hands on the Glowstick of Destiny?"