Lucifer had hoped Michael would have been his plaything for just a little while longer, but the Archangel was already showing restraint. It concerned him he wasn't getting through to Michael as well as before. As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, Lucifer suddenly noticed something warm sticking to his hand — blood. Was that... Michael's blood? Impossible. How did he have it on him? A hard knock on the door interrupted Lucifer's thoughts. It swung open, and in walked the Angel of Death.

"You know you're supposed to wait until someone says 'enter', right?" Lucifer sighed in exasperation as he cleaned his hands in the water bowl on the nightstand. "Otherwise, what's the point of knocking?"

"Let's worry about etiquette later." Samael met Lucifer's annoyed glare. "We have a problem. Your witch contacted me."

"Bathory? What happened?" Lucifer got to his feet.

"Joan tried to stop the Horsemen from leaving the Dream Realm. Bathory made sure she couldn't reach them by literally grounding her. But then, your witch got trapped herself. Joan caused the floor between them to tear apart and levitated over her. Apparently, she was in some sort of trance. I've checked the story with Morpheus, who confirms it. He stepped in and sedated the girl. He was quite amused by the whole thing, but I don't share the sentiment. How is it Joan could perform such a feat? I believed Fallen Angels have no powers?"

"They don't," said Lucifer. "They are stripped of everything that made them a creature of the Heavens, apart from their immortality. It is their punishment to drift the Mortal Realm as a figure frozen in time and as worthless as a human. The only way to gain new powers is by allowing a natural force to possess them, such as the darkness here in the Circles, or by redeeming themselves. But the latter is extremely difficult to accomplish. I don't believe anyone has ever managed it. Nor would Joan be able to do it so close after falling. And she hasn't been exposed to any ethereal forces either. As long as she carries that child, I dare not bring her into contact with the dark. It may destroy them both."

"What else can it be, then?" questioned Samael.

"Michael." Lucifer gritted his teeth. "He must have done something."

"Before banishing her from the Heavens, you mean?"

"I doubt he has such power, but it cannot be anything else."

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Pop back into his head and find out."

"Mind your attitude, boy. Send word to Morpheus. The sooner he manipulates time in his Realm, the better. And isn't there somewhere you need to be? Something to report to the 'Lord Protector'?"

Samael scoffed but left the chamber with a curt bow, leaving Lucifer to prepare for another visit in Michael's mind. The Devil was certain the answer to this strange turn of events lay there. He only had to find it.

***

Joan awoke with a startled gasp. Her hands moved to her belly. The baby was still there, thank God. It was just a dream... A nightmare. She blinked a few times to get her surroundings clear. It looked like she was back in her room. A rustling drew her attention, and she saw Leonora hurry toward her.

"Joan, are you all right?" the maidservant asked.

Joan tried to sit up but was forced back down again as her head throbbed.

"Easy," shushed Leonora. "Morpheus had to use some of his poppy powder on you. You really wrecked the West corridor."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"What do you remember?"

"I was... here. I think. And I heard..." With a jolt, Joan sat up, instantly forgetting about her headache as one clear thought came to her. "The Horsemen!"

"They were here, yes. You were trying to get to them, to stop them from escaping this Realm."

"Then what the hell — the Countess!" Joan clenched her fists as she recalled that witch blocking her path. "Please tell me I at least hurt that rotting bitch."

"Crushed ankle, I believe," said Leonora. "No doubt she'll heal quickly with her demon magic. Joan, do you have any idea how you did... whatever it was you did?"

"I don't. But I can't worry about that right now. Is there any way I can send a message to the Nephilim or Peter? They need to know."

"Nothing leaves the Dream Realm unless Morpheus allows it."

"Take me to him right now."

Leonora helped her up, albeit with some mild protest, and they left the room in search of Morpheus. When they passed the West corridor, Joan was surprised at the damage it sustained. It hadn't sounded so bad from what Leonora told her.

"Did I really do that?" she asked

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." The maidservant grinned at her.

She guided Joan further through the labyrinth. The boy who had followed them earlier was there again, skulking from pillar to pillar. Leonora wanted to shoo him off, but Joan stopped her. He wasn't doing them any harm, and they really had no time to waste.
Unfortunately, Morpheus wasn't in his throne room. They doubled back and checked the gardens, also without luck.

"He must be in his private chambers." Leonora sighed.

"Can you take me there?" Joan noticed the reluctance in the young woman's eyes. The fear. "Leonora, please, it's important."

"Yes, all right."

Taking Joan by the arm, Leonora again led her through the corridors. They went deeper into the heart of the palace. A few servants crossed their path, but none bothered them. When they turned yet another corner, the Fallen Angel abruptly halted.

"Something wrong?" Leonora asked.

"I'm not sure." Joan reached for her belly. The new clothes she'd been given gracefully showed the beginnings of her baby bump. "I've been feeling the baby move since yesterday, but now it's like it's... I don't know, pulling at me, maybe? Is that normal?"

"Every pregnancy is different. I had a similar sensation during one of mine. The baby would always move when he heard his father's voice. They can sometimes perceive things we cannot, even in the womb."

Joan closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. When she opened them again, she noticed the door she had just passed.

"What's in here?"

"Nothing," answered Leonora quickly. "Storage."

Too quickly. Joan gave her a suspicious look but asked nothing else. She didn't have time to investigate, anyway. She had to meet with the Lord of Dreams.

***

There it was again. That same peculiar presence, only closer this time. Michael was sure of it. His prayer worked — the Archangel had found him. But they were still not fully connected. He couldn't fathom why this was. As Lord Protector, he was linked to all Archangels. Yet this one was unfamiliar, unbound. Elusive, even. 
Suddenly, Michael felt a pull, as if someone had yanked a hook on him. His surroundings swirled and morphed together. He braced himself for whatever was about to happen. When the fast spinning finally stopped, he gasped. He was in the underground caverns he only recently discovered—the ones beneath the waterfall at the far edge of the Vale.

"Is this really what has become of our spot?"

Michael jumped back when he found Lucifer standing beside him. Though his voice had sounded sad, his face was contorted in anger.

"You destroyed it with rocks and made it near impossible to get to." Lucifer turned his head to him. "Why, Michael? So that no one could have what we had? So that you wouldn't have to look back on us? Did you really hate me so much that you erased it from existence?"

Michael stared at him. Their spot... Yes. Yes, that second vision. It was all coming back to him now. He'd found a meadow near a waterfall in a new corner of the Vale during one of his flights and told Lucifer about it. They'd gone down to explore it together and had... Since that day, it became the place they went to when they wanted to be together, away from prying eyes. Their own little piece of Heaven within the Heavens. It had been so perfect.
After Lucifer fell, Michael had begged God to expunge not only the place itself but also the knowledge of it. His memories of all the times he had been there with his lover. Michael had been so heartbroken that he could not bear such a constant reminder. But instead of destroying that part of the Vale, the Lord had simply reshaped it, taking Michael's memories as well. Nobody had set foot there again — until Gabriël.  

"I... never hated you, Lucifer," Michael said. "I hate what happened to you. What you did and what you made me do. I did not want to be reminded of what could have been."

"Does the thought of me bring you so much pain, then?"

"More than you will ever realise."

For the briefest moment, the Lord Protector of the Vale and the Prince of Hell stood silent, side by side. They avoided each other's gaze, but their fingers touched ever so slightly.

"What could have been?" whispered Lucifer. "What should have been. Our life together never even had a chance. You refused to reveal what we were to the others and shunned me away. I was so frustrated with you only giving me your love when you felt like it, and I... Everything that happened is because of that, Michael. Because of you. But being the sanctimonious bastard you are, you never got that into your thick head."

Lucifer walked away, preventing Michael from slipping his hand with his. Michael swallowed back the tears. He knew no matter what he said, Lucifer would never let him go.

"Why are we here?" he asked instead, keeping his voice in check.

"I'm dealing with a bit of a conundrum. You're going to clarify something for me. That's why I'm taking us on a trip down memory lane."

The sound of swords clashing and voices screaming echoed around them. They stepped further into the caverns until they came upon a scene. Michael realised with a shock he was looking at himself, fighting Gabriël. Joan stood further away with her mother, Isabelle.

This was when I took her wings, thought Michael. 

Lucifer looked at the unfolding scene with fascination while Michael's face twisted in horror. Only now did he understand the ferocious determination his closest friend had shown in their fight. Only now did he see Gabriël's tears when Joan disappeared in the bright light. The threat and eventual loss of a lover. The same he experienced.

"Nothing out of the ordinary there. So what is it?" Lucifer directed his attention to Michael. "What else did you do to our girl?"

"What do you mean?"

"Joan," said Lucifer, "is with me, or rather, somewhere I can easily get to her, and she's exhibiting certain... abilities. Powers, if you will. Powers she is not supposed to have if she is truly a Fallen Angel."

"Joan would never join you!" exclaimed Michael.

"Voluntarily and with no strings attached? No, you're right; she wouldn't. But I offered what you refused. A haven for her and that baby growing inside of her. Not to worry; she hasn't been to the Circles yet, so she remains... untainted. Joan is clever. She is ever vigilant and still doesn't fully trust me. Something she picked up from you, no doubt. Yet, unlike some, I keep my word. So in order for me to protect her, I need to know if these powers are really her own or if they come from somewhere — or something — else."

Michael's mind was racing. Last he knew, Gabriël and Joan were together in the Sanctum at Resia. How long had he been gone? Had they both joined Lucifer now? He left instructions for Gabriël to act as Lord Protector in his stead, should anything happen to him. Did Joan leave Resia because Gabriël returned to the Vale? Either way, he couldn't allow Joan to fall further into the hands of darkness. For Gabriël's sake. He had already lost one person he cared for; he couldn't lose him as well.

"I already knew," Michael lied, trying to sound calm and convincing. "Joan confessed everything to me when Gabriël was first taken to the catacombs. She'd just learned she was with child and sought me out. She agreed to be sent to Earth on the condition that I provided her with the power to protect herself and the baby, and to be called when the Final Battle began so that she could join us in the fight. We knew Gabriël would never allow this. It was in his best interest to be separated from her and to make sure his link with you was broken. So we set everything up. Our arguments in the presence of others, Gabriël's escape, me finding out from Raphael she was pregnant... The only one who knew was her mother, who confirmed the pregnancy."

Lucifer scoffed at him. "Do you really expect me to believe all of this was an act?"

"Believe what you will. It makes no difference. Joan is protected from harm and from your influence. So is the child she carries; I made sure of it. You will never control them."

Lucifer looked sceptical. In the old days, Michael had never been the best of liars. But centuries of keeping the truth about Lucifer and himself from everyone in the Vale had made him better at it. Much better. 

"Show me," ordered the Devil then. "Show me the precise moment. Think back on when you and Joan made those arrangements. We'll see if there is any truth in what you say."

He held out his hand to Michael. The Archangel had little choice and took Lucifer's hand. The caverns morphed and changed into the Villa's parlour. Michael felt a pang in his heart. It seemed so long ago he was in his home. He saw himself again, in conversation with Joan this time. It was the day after Gabriël had attacked him, accidentally hurting her. She'd begged him to let her stay on as Gabriël's guardian, but he'd refused, suspecting something more had been going on between them.
Another wrench twisted Michael's heart when he realised Joan had already been carrying Gabriël's child. Had he known then... Maybe there was still a way he could help. He asked her if she had been with Gabriël, but she'd said no. Her answer had to be yes. 

Say yes, prayed Michael as he watched his dream-self interrogate dream-Joan. Please say yes.

"I can't lie to you any longer, Michael," she said in reply to him.

That was different, wasn't it?

"It's already tearing me up as it is. We... We've been together for some time now—weeks, in fact. I truly love Gabriël, though he doesn't know it yet."

Definitely different! Michael made sure he kept looking ahead, but still caught Lucifer's mouth dropping from the corner of his eye. The Devil was dumbstruck.

"You know the consequences, Joan," Michael heard himself say. "Did Gabriël tell you to keep quiet?"

"Yes, he feared reprisals. For me, more than for him. But I won't be able to keep it a secret for much longer. I'm... Michael, I'm pregnant."

"What? Joan, that is impossible. You are an angel. You cannot be with child."

"I haven't been feeling well the past few days, so I asked my mother to run some tests. She told me the results when she treated the bruising on my throat. I have no idea how this happened, Michael, but I do know that I need your help. You care about Gabriël, so please, for his sake — help us."

The vision unfolded further, exactly as Michael told Lucifer. Dream-Joan agreed to become a Fallen Angel and hide with the Nephilim, and dream-Michael granted her and her baby protection. Together, they laid out the plan to fool Gabriël and the others. As bewildered and relieved as the real Michael was, he still kept a straight face when he turned to Lucifer.

"Happy now?"

Lucifer's head snapped back to him. He threw Michael a foul, menacing glare. 

"This is not over, Michael," he spat. "Not by far!"

Michael felt another pull at his body. He lost his footing and stumbled to the ground. Darkness shrouded him. He was back in the empty void — alone. 
The need to contact the unknown Archangel and get them to find his body was greater than before. He had to escape the Dream Realm and find Joan. He owed it to Gabriël. To them both. But the Archangel was gone. And Michael could not afford to waste time whilst waiting on this stranger. Perhaps there was another way he could get out of this prison.
What he and Lucifer witnessed wasn't a memory (well, it was half a one). He had thought — wished, really — that events would change, and they had. So maybe he wasn't completely powerless. After all, this was his dream. It was time to see what he could do.