After leaving Gabriël in the woods, certain that his wing was healed and he could make his way back to the Vale, Lucifer returned to the Circles. He found Grigori and Katheryn Howard outside his chambers, talking most amicably. It seemed an unlikely friendship, but Lucifer had seen stranger things happen.
The Howard girl's report was brief. She'd been welcomed back into Borgia's bed, as Lucifer had known she would be. He further instructed her to rekindle the spark and remind the Italian warmonger who and what he truly was. It was time Borgia was put back into play, but Lucifer would let him make the first move.
His conversation with the former advisor and confidant to the Romanovs was less brief and far more complicated. Grigori was asking questions — questions he shouldn't be asking about things he shouldn't even know. Lucifer believed he had appeased him with the promise that all would be made clear, but he had the impression the man would try to find the answers himself. He sincerely hoped Grigori wouldn't force his hand.
As soon as the Russian left, Lucifer received a note from Morpheus, asking him to come urgently, as something had happened with Joan. He didn't dare waste another second and made his way to the Dream Realm. The Lord of Dreams waited at the palace steps and briefly recounted the incident with Bathory, and Joan losing consciousness again not long after.

"Where is the Fallen Angel now?" asked Lucifer.

"Taking a walk in the garden, I believe."

"Take me to her."

Morpheus led him back down the steps. As they walked, Lucifer saw Countess Bathory standing on a balcony. He pinched his lips. Perhaps he shouldn't have put her in charge of Joan's safety. The witch's powers could never match his, but they were formidable, nonetheless. If she did something that caused a miscarriage... Everything would have been for nought.
Lucifer sped up when Joan came into view. He wasn't amused when he saw who she was with, but as long as the maidservant couldn't reveal her true identity, he saw no harm in it. Joan halted her stroll when she noticed Lucifer approaching. She opened her mouth to greet him, but gasped when Lucifer took her hands and pulled her aside. 

"I heard what happened. Are you all right?"

"Y-Yes, I'm fine," said Joan, visibly surprised by his concern.

Morpheus cleared his throat. Lucifer threw him an annoyed look, making him cringe in place.

"We will, um... leave you to speak in peace." He quickly gestured for his maidservant to follow.

"One moment, Kyrios."

With a swift motion, Lucifer drew a knife from his waistcoat and reached for the young woman's golden hair. She froze when he cut a lock off and wrapped it around the knife before putting it back in his waistcoat.

"Now you may go." Lucifer dismissed the pair with a wave of his hand.

As the two left, the Devil returned his full attention to Joan. She frowned at him and asked, "What was that about?" 

"Nothing you need to worry about. We need to focus on the matter at hand — your little tiff with the Countess? Were you hurt?"

"No," Joan mumbled and lowered her gaze.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at her. Why was she being so meek? This wasn't like her at all.

"Joan, what is it?"

She nibbled her lip, briefly glimpsing up at him through her lashes.

"I cannot help if you don't speak to me," insisted Lucifer.

"I don't like that woman," she finally said.

"We've discussed this, Joan. Bathory is here for your well-being."

"My well-being?" Joan scoffed. "Don't bother defending her to me, Lucifer. I know she's only here to ensure I deliver a healthy baby. I very much doubt she cares what happens to me afterwards."

Lucifer sighed. "Do you still not trust me? Have I not kept my word so far? I've told you; anyone who dares to even think about harming you will answer to me."

"Prove it. You're asking me to trust you? Fine, I will. Once you take her away. Send anyone you want in her place; Rasputin, de Rais, or Borgia even, I don't care! But I will not allow that witch near me again. Not after..."

She fell silent and averted from him again. Lucifer cupped the side of her face to make her meet his gaze. 

"Not after what, Joan?" he asked. "What has she done?"

"Nothing yet, but... I had a dream earlier. Or a vision, I suppose. The Countess stood over me with a bloody knife. And she held my baby in her arms. I tried to move, but it hurt so much. There was blood everywhere."

Lucifer let go, licked his lips, and dragged a hand across his face. All this because of a dream, unbelievable.

"And I had wings," continued Joan. "One of them turned black like it'd been touched by dark magic. Bathory is up to something; I know it. She's the only one near enough who wields that kind of power."

One black wing? Lucifer stiffened when he realised that sounded a little too familiar. There's no way.

"When did you say you had this dream?" he inquired.

"A few hours ago. Leo—the maidservant, I mean, said that I collapsed, and they put me in bed, but I don't remember any of that. I just recall the dream."

In all his years as the Devil, there was one thing that Lucifer had learned — there was no such thing as coincidences. Everything happened for a reason. If Joan collapsed approximately at the same time Gabriël got hurt, their bond was far stronger than he had thought. Or perhaps...
But no, that was impossible. The child couldn't possess powers already. To feel its father in pain and channel that to its mother, warning her of danger before it occurs... No, it just couldn't be.

"As I said, Joan, I care for your well-being," spoke Lucifer, "and that of your child. If you believe the Countess is a threat, I will act accordingly. I'm proving that you can trust me, so I must ask the same of you. Stay with Morpheus's maidservant, and for Heaven's sake, try not to use your powers anymore. We have no idea what effect they have on the baby."

"My powers? These aren't mine. I don't understand how I got them. I thought Michael stripped everything away when he took my wings."

"What? But he... offered you protection, didn't? Considering your condition?"

"If he had, I wouldn't have made this deal with you. I only found out I was pregnant when I was already at Resia."

Lucifer balled his fist. His jaw clenched in suppressed rage. That conniving son of a bitch!

"Lucifer?" Joan tilted her head. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, fine. Forgive me, but I must leave you now. Don't worry about the Countess; she will not stay here with you. If there's anything else, you know how to reach me."

He walked away before Joan could react. The Countess awaited him at the steps of the palace, bowing to Lucifer as he stalked past and beckoned her so they could speak. 

"It's clear you and Joan cannot be near each other, so I'm taking you out of the equation. Guard the borders of the Dream Realm and make sure nobody attempts any rescues. You are not permitted within Morpheus' palace except to rest, and you will only engage with Joan to ensure she and the baby are safe, understood?"

Lucifer chose to ignore Bathory's furious glare as she gave a curt nod. A disgruntled witch was the least of his worries. There were far more pressing matters he had to deal with.

***

Gabriël and Raphael silently entered the ward where Uriël rested. The room had been closed off and darkened to eliminate noise and light. Isabelle had warned them Uriël had complained of migraines, and they'd let him rest as long as possible, but they couldn't wait any longer. Uriël winced and pushed himself further into his pillow, dragging a cold lavender compress over his face as the two Archangels came to his bedside.

"Sorry to disturb you, Uriël, but we need your help," said Raphael.

"Again? The last time I helped you, I got kidnapped from my home," muttered Uriël.

"We'll leave you for the Horsemen next time, I promise," said Gabriël. "Tell us about Lucifer."

"What about him?"

"There's a reason Lucifer was called LightBringer, wasn't there?"

"Obviously."

There was a scoff from the other side of the bed. 

"I thank you for not rolling your eyes at me, Raphael," said Uriël, peeved. "Just because I'm blindfolded does not mean I can't see what you're doing."

Raphael mumbled an apology. Gabriël motioned for him to sit and let him take over. The physician had never had the patience to deal with Uriël, and he might just cause Uriël to throw them out.

"The inscription on the Archangel chronicle," he said, "next to Michael's rune. Heaven's Fire, Heaven's Light. It's about him and Lucifer. They share a... a connection of sorts?"

Gabriël waited for Uriël's response, but the Seer didn't say a word.

"No one was ever supposed to know, right?" he pressed on. "Not even Michael and Lucifer. But then, Lucifer fell. That changed everything, didn't it?"

Uriël sighed deeply. He held out his hand, and Gabriël helped him sit, propping up the pillows behind him.

"We never expected it to go so wrong," began Uriël. "Father and I believed they would lead us side-by-side: the Lord Protector and the LightBringer. But Lucifer wanted more. He could never just be happy with what he had and was... restless, longing to find meaning in his existence. He spent more time with the mortals and wanted everything they had. Everything he felt was out of his reach up here. 
"It took some time, but Father found a way for Lucifer to have the best of both worlds. It should have solved everything. But He had failed to consider how much Michael truly loved Lucifer. Michael's heart broke, and he considered Lucifer's actions a betrayal of their love. He acted before we could. It all fell apart after that, and Father had to start anew. Now, after all these years, the new light will shine soon."

Gabriël glanced at Raphael, who gave him an 'I'm not even trying to understand him'- look as he shrugged and shook his head. They were thinking the same thing — they didn't need more riddles, but answers.

"So impatient." Uriël sniggered at their silence. "Give me a pencil and paper. I need to show you something."

Gabriël handed him what he had asked for. Uriël didn't take off his blindfold, nor did he bow his head to the paper whilst his hand guided the pencil across it. It was like his hand knew exactly what to do.

"Did you read the entire chronicle, Gabriël?" he asked.

"I, um... scanned through it. I was searching for specific info, so I didn't read everything."

"And when you 'scanned through it', did you come across this rune by any chance?"

Uriël lay the pencil down and handed the paper to Gabriël. Raphael drew closer and peered over his shoulder.

"Hm, no, I don't recall seeing it in the scroll," said Gabriël. "It looks familiar, though. I'm not sure, but —"

Suddenly, he knew. He had seen the rune before — it was around his neck! He reached for the amulet underneath his clothing and took it off to compare it to Uriël's drawing. It was an exact match.

"Lucifer gave this to me," said Gabriël, as he handed Uriël the amulet. "He said it would guard me and link him to me. It's how he knew I was in trouble when I fought the Horsemen. I completely forget this used to be his Archangel mark. But why isn't it in the chronicle anymore?"

"I suspect Father merely hid it from sight," said Uriël. "After all, Lucifer is technically Archangel, no more. However, as long as the connection with Michael remains, even if only by a thread, Lucifer will always have some part of his former Archangel self within him. We haven't lost him just yet."

Gabriël furrowed his brow at Uriël's words. Lost. Lost...

"My God, it's him!" he exclaimed.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Raphael.

"'Retrieve the one to darkness lost. Two hearts once more as one'. It's about Lucifer! If Michael manages to save Lucifer from the Circles, then... well, I don't really know, but that's what Michael's text must mean. Uriël, what was Lucifer's verse? Do you remember?"

"I'm sorry, Gabriël." Uriël shook his head. "It's been too long."

"Please try to remember. This changes everything. This can help us get him... home."

He fell silent. The notion of Lucifer returning to the Vale seemed highly improbable, but... not impossible. Not anymore. 

"Tch, aren't we all forgetting about something?" Raphael crossed his arms. "As long as Michael is missing, we — or rather, he — can't retrieve Lucifer. And what makes you think Lucifer even wants to come back after what Michael did to him? He will not let bygones be bygones."

"You're a real sourpuss sometimes, you know that?" grumbled Uriël.

"I'm realistic," bit Raphael back. "And apparently the only one with the ability to reason logically. We know Lucifer knows about his bond with Michael, so doesn't that give him motive for Michael's abduction? Either to sever that bond completely so he can fully embrace the darkness, or to utilise it against Michael and us. If Lucifer was aware the Horsemen were about to break free, he knew Michael would attempt to reason with Morpheus. All he had to do was lie in wait and set a trap for him."

He's right, thought Gabriël, stiffening at the daunting realisation. I was so focused on Samael and then those damned Horsemen, but it would have been fairly easy for Lucifer to orchestrate everything. 

Gabriël cursed himself for not seeing it before. He had let Lucifer take advantage of his weakened state and allowed him to play his mind game. Oh, but wait...

What was it he said? To love not one but two is a curse. If you could only rip your heart in two so you could love them both the same. But I only love Joan. So why does he think I—of course!

"You might be right, Raphael. We've been handling this all wrong."

"What do you—Gabriël, where are you going?"

***

Lucifer shut himself in his chambers. He couldn't fathom how Michael duped him, but he had. How could he have underestimated his former lover so? Michael was a manipulative liar, so of course he would lie about this if it meant saving his own skin. But how? He'd seen Michael's memories for himself. Unless... No, that wasn't possible. Even if he hadn't given Michael his blood to strengthen the link between them, the Archangel was still trapped in Morpheus' Dream Chamber. There was no way he could conjure things up in there. Right?
The Devil paced non-stop, trying to make sense of it all. But the more Lucifer thought of what Michael had done, the more irritated he became. What vexed him even more was this quaint, yet growing sensation he had since meeting the Fallen Angel. Nothing personal for her, but a more general feeling of wanting to protect and do good. He hadn't felt that way in over almost two millennia, and it clashed with everything he knew and had become. It was so strong that it almost swayed him to return to the Irish woods to ensure Gabriël returned to the Vale safely.

Lucifer halted mid-pace and brought his fingers to his mouth. The feeling of Gabriël's lips lingered there. Surprisingly, he was beginning to understand Michael's affection for him. Sweet Gabriël, who was so good and pure, and who always stood on the sidelines but was admired without realising it. Innocent Gabriël, who had made the same mistakes Lucifer had but who wasn't punished for it. Naive Gabriël, who had begot his help without asking for it and had reminded the Devil of the Archangel he had once been. How Lucifer hated him for it.
Yet the part that wanted to rush back to Gabriël's side, the part Lucifer thought he'd suppressed long ago, told him otherwise. It told him to hold on and allow himself to feel like an Archangel again. Because he had enjoyed it. Fighting with Gabriël at his side, using his powers, the knowledge he learned from Raphael about healing herbs and medicine so long ago...

"Oh, this is getting preposterous!" Lucifer yelled at himself when he hastily brushed a tear from his cheek. "Get a grip!"

Still, the concern didn't go away. He rushed to the mirror on the wall and waved his hand over it, thinking of Gabriël. The reflection changed rapidly as it searched for the Archangel. Lucifer sighed in relief as he recognised the Vale and then the Hospitium. If the mirror showed him this, it meant Gabriël had already made it back home. Good. No need to concern himself with him anymore then.
Lucifer raised his hand to shut the looking glass off, but froze as the image of a darkened white room appeared. He gasped in shock when he saw Uriël lying on the bed. The recluse Seer was the only Archangel Lucifer occasionally still spoke to, and only because he felt badly for 'borrowing' Uriël's gift of foresight to rescue his family. It still hadn't mattered in the end. 

So that's who the Horsemen were after, Lucifer thought. But why?

He had had no contact with them; Samael was the middleman. But how would the Angel of Death even know about Uriël? What would he gain from having the Seer gone? Unless... Samael feared Uriël would reveal the truth about them. Oh, he better not!
The anger Lucifer had been holding in since the Dream Realm surged as he followed the conversation between the three Archangels. Why did they insist on meddling in his affairs? And what did Uriël mean with the new light? Damn him and his riddles. The man was a walking billboard of an enigma, but Lucifer wouldn't deny he had his worth. He focused the reflection of the mirror a bit as Uriël drew something — a rune.
Lucifer smirked when he recognised it. The symbol that once represented his whole being as an Archangel was now used as a token for his followers. And even amongst them, only the elite were allowed to wear it. He knew Grigori kept it under his robes, close to his heart, as one would wear a crucifix, while Bathory used it as a power conduit. When she spoke the right incantation, she could directly tap into his own powers. Only those he allowed her to use, of course.

He returned to the conversation, squinting to make sure he read their lips correctly. They were discussing a prophecy, it seemed. A way to... get him home? He drew back. No, surely not. 
Lucifer stumbled and gripped the bedpost to steady himself. It couldn't be true. He couldn't possibly... Could he? Could he return to the Vale because of his bond with Michael and leave Hell behind? Pretend it was all a bad dream and start again?
Did he even want that?