The morning after the equinox festivities was subdued. The party had lasted into the early hours of the morning; the sounds had been so loud they could be heard even on the other side of the palace. Danny had slept through it all but I had found myself staring up at the canopy waiting for Lucius's return. It had been a long wait. Eventually I had fallen asleep with the sheets beside me still cool and empty.

Drawing a deep breath, I bit my lip and tried not to laugh at the disgruntled look on Lucius's face as I entered the dining room. His hair was in disarray and stubble coated his clenched jaw. He had stumbled to bed sometime after I had first drifted to sleep. There had been no words exchanged, he had simply crawled in beside me and wrapped his arm around my waist. Still half asleep, I had snuggled closer to the warmth and drifted back to sleep.

Lucius had been suffering. He sat at the table with a glazed look in his eyes, his attention somewhere else. Apparently even the Devil could get hangovers.

Shaking my head, I took a sip of my coffee before absently moving my food around on my plate. My stomach grumbled in protest. Hunger clawed at me but the worries filling my mind consumed me more. Lucius was – I couldn't put my finger on it. Something was just different lately. Maybe it was the stress and pressure of dealing with Terran and his cronies. Something in my heart warned me it was it was more. Something worse.

Clink.

Giving a shake of my head, I glanced up just as Lucius's goblet teetered on its base before its contents spilled out across the table. The fruit juice spread rapidly across the polished surface in search of the precipice.

In a split second, Lucius's dazed expression morphed into something else. If I blinked I would have missed it. It was as if a stranger had taken possession of his body. It must have been a trick of the light which made his eyes appear colder and darker. It was the only explanation I could come up with as he twisted his head and snarled at the Pegasus at his side. It was feral, his top lip curling up in an animalistic fashion.

Percy, completely oblivious to his ire, leaned further forwards still while his large snout edged towards the food on Lucius' plate. When he bit at nothing but air, his tongue stretched out from his open mouth. It lolled towards the food, eager noises emitting from its mouth.

I pressed my lips together to stop the giggle from escaping as Lucius attempted to push Percy away. His face stern and his eyes mere slits as he glared at the young horse. The beast refused to move. Instead, the Pegasus snorted, pulling back from the table just so he could rub his nose into Lucius's hand, his usual demand for scratches.

"When did we decide that pets were allowed in the dining room?" Lucius asked, glaring when Percy remained completely oblivious to his anger.

I rubbed at my arms and shudder rolled down my back. Goosebumps formed on my exposed skin as if the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees. Staring at Lucius's face, I felt as if I was staring at the face of a stranger.

The black maned beast, irritated at the lack of scratches, rubbed his nose more persistently against Lucius's hand. In response, Lucius folded his arms across his chest and stated firmly, "Animals do not belong in the dining room."

"What crawled up your backside?" Castiel quipped. "And you say that I have a stick up my-."

"Thank you for that. Little ears." I cut in with a stern look in Cass's direction. The fallen angel offered a sheepish look in response.

"We can't leave him on his own." I explained calmly, placing a napkin over the puddle of juice. "He chews everything up when we leave him in the rooms by himself. You saw what he did to the bedspread last night."

The Pegasus, not pleased to be ignored, rested its head on Lucius's shoulder and nuzzled into the side of his face. He stiffened in response and Lucius raised a brow, the rest of his expression oddly disconnected. "We have stables. He belongs out there with my horses. He shouldn't be in the palace. He'll better off with his own kind. "

I rolled my eyes. "You're giving me whiplash. Just a few days ago you told me that Danny shouldn't be separated from his companion – you." I jabbed a finger in his direction to iterate my point. "I know nothing about fledgling bonds. So if something has changed and we need to take a different approach, then please tell me. However, you explained to me just last night that it is essential my son remains with his clumsy friend as much as possible."

Lucius grumbled and looked down at his plate which was now empty except for a few scraps of bacon. However it had not been spared the slobber treatment and instead of bacon grease, it was covered in streaks of Pegasus drool. It glistened in the light, the sight making my stomach roll.

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Lucius pushed his plate away.

Ducking my head, I stared down on my plate. Danny fidgeted within his seat beside me. He kept his gaze on his plate, carefully cutting into his food with his tongue sticking out between his lips in concentration. Each attempt sheared off just a few meagre bits. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as he huffed impatiently. His eyes drifted between the food still on his plate and the Pegasus who was slowly manoeuvring around the table.

"Don't feed Percy anything from your plate." I warned.

My son froze and slowly turned his head in my direction. "I won't, Mummy." His eyes were wide and he offered me an innocent and angelic smile.

"Don't give me that look." I chastised gently, tickling his sides when he refused to drop the expression from his face. "I don't believe it for a moment."

Danny giggled and resumed eating his breakfast, content and out of trouble for the moment. His resilience was astounding. After the ordeal with Percy just a few days ago, I had expected some type of reaction. But, despite my fears, he appeared to be showing no lasting effects. The Pegasus on the other hand was intent of remaining close, far too close. I had gone to wake my son on each morning since only to find both boy and beast snuggled together on the floor.

Percy continued around the table in pursuit of food. He was relentless in his pursuit; his tongue and teeth being used eagerly to get all the scraps he could. I shook my head. You would think the poor thing hadn't been fed in several days with the way he was acting. In truth he had been treated to his own stable master approved breakfast just an hour ago.

His excitable hops to the side as he edged around the table caused several chairs to be knocked to the floor. Wincing at the loud sound, I rose from my seat. However, no longer content with scraps, Percy placed his hooves onto one of the empty chairs and then his small four legged form was scrabbling on top of the table.

"Percy! Get down." I commanded, reaching out to grab the Pegasus only for him to scramble out of reach. "Percy! Enough."

The winged horse ignored me, continuing in its pursuit of a second lunch. Plates began to fly. Pushing away from the table, I dragged Danny back with me as the Pegasus kicked plate after plate as it eagerly snuffled across the table. Plates shattered as they went flying off of the table and dropped on to the floor. Little pieces of china exploded across the hard surface upon impact, the sharp shreds glinting in the light.

"Percy." I called out again, raising my voice when the horse continued on its destructive path.

The Pegasus lifted its head from a plate, swinging its head in my direction with a baffled expression on its face. I knew it would only encourage him but a laugh escaped my lips anyway. Percy's nose had gained a beard of cereal, parts of his hide covered in sticky syrup from the pancakes, and the poor creature hadn't even realised he had stepped into the bowl of fruit.

Clicking my tongue, I held out my hand to the Pegasus and smiled, "Come on Percy. It's time to get down now." When the beast hesitated, its eyes swivelling back to the remaining food, I clicked my tongue again. "Come here. Now, Percy."

Turning, the beast flicked its tail. Lucius, who was stood on the other side of the table and was attempting to coax the beast down, was rewarded by being slapped on the face with the winged horse's tail. Spluttering and wiping at his mouth, Lucius glared. His blue eyes flashed black, the promise of retribution as he stared up at the beast.

"Come on Percy." I called with more urgency, pulling out a few sugar cubes from my pocket and holding them out in offering. It was always good to be prepared.

The Pegasus snuffled loudly, enticed by its favourite treat. I breathed out in relief, guiding him to the edge. However, just as the black beast place one hoof on to the chair, its rear leg stepped on to a platter. It skidded under the horse's weight causing the beast to panic. In its scrabble to get off of the table several metal platters went flying across the table and straight towards Lucius.

"Look out," I shouted. It was too late.

Lucius flung out his arms to deflect the platters which were shooting towards him like missiles. With loud clangs, he hit away the first and second platter. The third shot through his defences and slammed straight into Lucius' stomach. Curling over, one arm across his stomach, he staggered backwards.

I held my breath, my hold on the Pegasus remaining firm.

He sucked in a sharp breath as he tumbled to the floor, groaning when he landed on the food which had been knocked off of the table.

"Damned horse." Lucius wheezed. "He's a bloody menace."

The Pegasus, who had finally gotten down on the floor, dropped his head and gave a pitiful whinny as he looked in Lucius's direction. For some reason, a reason unknown to the rest of us, the creature held a strange affection for Lucius. Other than Danny, Lucius was by far its favourite companion. I only felt a little slighted. I was the one who had given the creature its treats and made sure it was properly groomed. Apparently it was not enough.

I shook my head. Percy was a glutton for punishment; he adored Lucius even more when he was ignored by my dark haired husband-to-be. When he received a glare, Percy drooped and took a tentative step towards the man on the floor. Begging for forgiveness with a pitiful whine, he took another step forwards.

"Stay away from me beast. This is entirely your fault." Lucius shouted angrily, forcing his body up on to his feet.

Glaring down at his clothes, Lucius brushed at his trousers and flicked the bits of bacon and eggs off on to the floor. When he noted that the Pegasus was still shooting him baleful looks, he growled at the colt.

"Get out of here beast, you don't belong in here. I knew I should have put you in the stables." Lucius shouted, taking an aggressive step towards the creature. "You are a menace who has caused nothing but chaos in my household. I will stand for it no more. I want you out."

"Mummy, don't let him make Percy leave." Danny pleaded from my side, both hands clutching on to mine as he watched everything from behind my back. "I want him to stay forever."

Hugging my son close, I struggled to keep up with what exactly was going on. A moment ago we had been eating a nice family meal. When Percy remained rooted to the spot, Lucius let loose another growl and continued his advance.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I subconsciously backed up a step. My angel blade hummed lowly, reminding me of its presence. I frowned. It was the first time I had ever truly felt in danger in Lucius's presence.

Percy obviously sensed danger too. The poor creature skittered backwards away from Lucius. It quickly took up position behind my back as it cowered from the negativity energy being directed towards him. I stretched my free hand behind me and ran a soothing hand through its mane.

Lucius continued to stare at the beast, his eyes flashing back and forth between blue and black as his hand twitched at his side. I knew that stance. The one with his legs set slightly apart, ready to move on the offensive should he need to.

"Lucius!" I reprimanded. "That is enough. It was an accident. Stop overreacting, you're scaring the children."

Turning towards Castiel, I nodded towards the cowering boy and his Pegasus "Please can you take them back to their rooms? I need to have a word with Lucius."

The angel, who had remained silent during the altercation, stood on the far side of the room. His eyes were alert and focused wholly on Lucius. At the sound of my voice, Castiel frowned. Glancing between Lucius and me, he shook his head.

"Please, Castiel. Please do this for me. We need to talk alone." I said calmly. The concern was evident in the strained lines on his face but I shook my head once more. "Please. The things I have to say should not be said in front of a child."

Castiel glanced over at Lucius, staring for several long seconds before he muttered, "Fine, but I'll be back in just a minute."

Rubbing one of his hands up and down the length of the terrified Pegasus's neck, Cass led the creature from the room while holding on to Danny's hand. I waited until the door was firmly shut before I spun to face Lucius.

There was no containing my fury. I felt it from my head all the way down to my toes. My body was vibrating with it and any second it was going to burst. Instead, I stalked around the remnants of our breakfast, breathing deeply and evenly as I attempted to rein myself back it.

It didn't work. When Lucius raised a single sarcastic eyebrow, his arms folded nonchalantly over his chest, I just exploded.

"What is the fuck is wrong with you?" I asked, closing the distance between us. "Your mood swings are giving me whiplash and don't think I haven't noticed you've been forgetting things lately. Small, almost inconsequential things like agreeing to meet Castiel. Or forgetting you had agreed to play Lego with Danny. Or the way you were at that house -- with that girl."

"Is that what this is about? In case you haven't forgotten, I am the Devil. I have a job to do and it doesn't revolve around you and your son." Lucius replied back, his voice level and uncompromising. There was no emotion at all in his tone. It was almost cold. "I have to take care of my people - people who rely on me to make the decisions and to rule the underworld properly. Not that you could ever possibly understand."

I breathed deeply when all I wanted to do was snap back at him. "Don't try to put words in my mouth. And stop judging me. I have never begrudged you for the titles you hold. I think you are an amazing man, Lucius. I have for a long time but this you, the one I am seeing right now, is not the man I knew just a few weeks ago. This is not you. Something has happened to you and I'm worried about the person you are turning into."

"There is nothing wrong with me. I am exactly who I am supposed to be."

"So you say. But you were just moments away from calling your sword and trying to impale Percy." I argued back, raising a hand when he opened his mouth. "Don't even try to deny it. I know you. I know your moves. You were going to kill him. And for what? Spilling some food? Making a mess that is easily cleared up. That Pegasus is still a baby and he needs our protection and guidance. He does not need you threatening his life over a childish infraction."

"I wasn't going to hurt the beast."

I shook my head sadly. "You're lying again but I'm not even sure who you are trying to convince." I paused and glanced away. "All I know is that a few weeks ago you would have seen the funny side. You would have laughed at everything that has just happened. You would not be acting like this."

"You're the one making a big deal out of this. I was just going to take the damn horse outside where he belongs." Lucius stated, waving his hand towards the door. "You cannot deny the damned Pegasus has caused a lot of trouble and aggravation since he has arrived. He almost caused your son to die. He needs to be broken in and trained. We've been far too lenient with him. I've been too lenient. No more. I will bring this realm back into order and I will get rid of any who stand in my way."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Lucius sniffed loudly and flicked a piece of pancake off of his shoulder. Then, he set his cold hard glare upon her. "It will be for the best, you'll see." He stated.

"And if I don't."

"Trust me, you will not want to get in my way."

I shook my head. "I need to call the healer in. This is not you. Maybe this is an after effect of your illness. It can happen, you know? Near death experiences can have adverse effects. I know they don't really do therapy down here but she might be able to help you." I said softly, stepping closer and placing a hand on his arm.

Lifting my head, I stared up into his eyes. Yet, in that moment, I did not see the man I loved. There was no trace of the man who had made love to me or proposed to me. It was like something was missing. His body was there but Lucius Satani was not. He was disconnected. Lost.

He just needed to be found again.

"Savannah, I am fine. I do not need the healer and I do not need you interfering with my life." Lucius snapped, shaking off my hand and stepping backwards away from me. He rubbed at his arm as if my touch had burned.

I didn't follow him. Instead, I allowed my hand to fall to my side.

"I'm not trying to interfere. I am just concerned. Since you woke up after the near death experience, you haven't been the same. There are moments when I see the man from before but those moments are becoming fewer and further apart as time goes on." I said softly. "I miss him."

When Lucius just stared blankly back at me, I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Tell me what you need me to do. I just want to support you and to be by your side. You deserve to be taken care of too."

"That's the thing that you keep forgetting Savannah, I am the Devil. I do not need to be mollycoddled. I do not need to be protected. I need to be able to do my job without that damn horse destroying my home." Lucius turned away from me, his entire posture stiffening. "If you can't support me, then maybe you shouldn't be here. Maybe you should just go home."

I blinked and staggered back a step. Even though I knew that this wasn't him – that there was something wrong with the man cared for – it didn't mean that his words didn't hurt. My hand rubbed at my chest. It felt as if a shard of ice had been jabbed into my heart. I was glad for a moment he wasn't facing me. I didn't need him to see it. When I finally got him back from this strange place he was in, I would hate for him to have this to regret. And I would get him back.

"So this is how you want to play this. You really want me to go."

"If you want to go, you should go."

"That's not what I said. Do you want me to leave? Do you want me to go home? Because let me tell you, home for me is wherever you and my son are."

Lucius didn't turn around, his back still too me as he remained silent.

I shook my head. How the hell had we even come to this? It had gone from nothing to him pushing me away. Rubbing my hand over the pain in my chest, I sighed. "Fine, don't answer me."

Without waiting for Lucius to say something else, I strode towards the door of the room. There were so many thoughts going through my head. I wanted him to call me back. I wanted him to tell me that he still needed me. To tell me he still wanted me. But the main thought in that moment was that I needed to be away from him, before he could say or do something that would make me hurt more than I already was. And I hurt. From my heart right down to my very soul ached at the very thought of separating from Lucius. I hadn't even realised how important he had becoming in my life.

I paused by the door, my hand resting on the handle, and then I glanced behind me – just once. It was all I would allow myself. Lucius was still facing away from me, his entire posture radiating with his stubborn refusal to capitulate.

With a sigh, I pulled down the handle and yanked open the door. I looked away from Lucius, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

"Wait," his voice called, the sound halting my steps.

My heart thudded in my chest as I waited for him to say or do something. His shoes crunched over the broken china as he stepped up behind me, so close I could feel his body heat soaking into mine. A part of me wanted to step back into his embrace, the part of me that loved him desperately and hated being at odds with him. But I was a strong woman – I would not come crawling back to him. He needed to make the first move.

"I didn't mean what I said. I want you here with me. I don't want you to leave." Lucius spoke softly, his voice cracking towards the end.

I shuddered as I drew in my next breath, my hands clenching as my sides. It took all of my self-control not to turn around and attempt to soothe him. It hurt to hear him in pain, even if it was of his own making.

"Please look at me. Savannah? I didn't mean it. I love you and I want you here by my side. Always." He professed, placing a hand on my arm and turning me around to face him.

I tried staring at a spot above his shoulder but he ducked to meet my gaze. "Please stay with me. I'm sorry."

I fought back the frown. Any trace of black had fled from his iris and I was once more staring back into his beautiful blue eyes. He leaned forwards and pressed a kiss on my forehead. And when I didn't immediately push him away, he pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly to his body.

"Please stay with me. I'm not sure what is wrong with me at the moment. I'm trying to figure it out. Just stay with me. Please." he murmured, resting his cheek on top of my head.

Slowly, almost tentatively, I wrapped my hands around his waist and hugged him back. In response to my gesture, Lucius started to cry, deep sobs which cut through me more than his words had. I didn't try to reassure him or interrupt him. All I did was push the door shut with my foot so we would not be disturbed.

We would deal with the fall out later.

"I'm scared, Savannah. There are times when I feel like I'm no longer here. Things are happening around me but it feels like I'm just a passenger. Instead someone else is in the driving seat. It's no excuse. I know it isn't a good excuse." His arms tightened around me the more distressed Lucius became. "I know it's all me. I just don't know what to do anymore. I feel like I'm losing control."

"Hush," I murmured, rubbing my hands up and down the length of his back. I buried my face into his chest so he couldn't read the expressions as they ran across my face. "We'll figure this out. I promise."