At the loud groan reverberating through the door, I pushed against the heavy wood. It screeched on its hinges. Hurrying inside, I was met with gloom.  The lights positioned at key points around Lucius's temporary room offered only weak light. It didn't matter. I had visited so many times during Lucius's convalescence that I knew my way around without looking.

Still, as my heart thundered in my chest, my eyes searched the room. Castiel was stood sentinel beside the bed, guarding Lucius at all times. And then, there he was.

Lucius laid under dark silk sheets. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes while his weakened body was propped up against a pile of pillows. Yet, despite his obvious exhaustion there was a smile upon his face. A lump formed in my throat even as I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. He was okay. He was alive.

I stepped towards him and, for the first time in a week, as I met his eyes, I saw the man I knew and loved.

"Lucius," I breathed, moving closer and tentatively touching the back of his hand.

He flipped his palm and took hold of my hand; a smile forming on his lips as he gave it a soft squeeze. "None of that. There is no need for tears."

I brought up a hand to my cheek and was surprised when it came away wet. The action drew Lucius's eyes to focus on my cheeks and a frown creased his brow. On instinct I turned away, hating the changes the battle had made. And then I hated myself for my vanity.

My face had been left with a puckered line which scored down each cheek, an everlasting reminder of the beast's claws. Although the healer had fixed the worst of the damage, the claws had left a permanent mark on my skin.

I could see the expression on Lucius's face shifting so I gave his hand another squeeze. "None of that. It wasn't your fault. You saved me."

"I almost killed you." Lucius retorted, the shadows around his eyes deepening as he let his guilt consume him.

"You weren't yourself. You didn't even have your soul." I reminded him, rubbing my thumb in soothing circles on the back of his hand. "Don't punish yourself for things that were beyond your control. I can promise you, if you were to lay a hand on me in any other circumstance, I would be the first to walk away."

Lucius let out a sigh and slumped against the cushions. From the slouch of his shoulders to the tired lines etched into his face, he was the epitome of exhaustion.

Returning Lucius's soul had been a quick process. It was as if both body and soul longed to be reunited and, as soon Lucius had been given the orb, his soul had been reabsorbed quickly through his skin. There was been a brief moment where he had glowed as he became whole once more. I had somehow expected something more.

But the process wasn't easy. Regaining his soul took a greater toll than it had to lose it. Lucius had sunk into a two day coma. He had been recovering ever since.

"Everything okay?" I asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and taking great care not to jostle him too much.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Lucius hedged, his eyes lifting briefly to stare at Castiel who was hovering at my shoulder. He cleared his throat. "As you will know, I am still not fit enough to carry out my duties. And Hell without someone on the throne is a Hell that is in chaos. Hell needs someone to be on the throne – and I want that someone to be you."

I opened and closed my mouth several times, blinking at the wearied face before me as if it would somehow make him take back the words.

"What? How? I can't rule Hell. I'm just me."

"You can't," Lucius calmly agreed. "At least, not at the moment. Castiel, can you get the box from the drawer?"

There was shuffling around behind me followed by the bang of the drawer being slammed shut. I was tempted to peek at what Castiel was up to but instead I found myself drawn to the strange behaviour of the man before me.

Was he sweating? If I didn't know him better, I might have thought he was nervous.

Castiel dropped a box into Lucius's lap. It was covered with his hand before I could get a good look. Instead, a silence felt between us and I felt an anxious knot form in my stomach.

"As you are neither a God nor well – me – there is only one way you can rule. By marriage." Lucius continued calmly but, upon seeing the expression on my face, he hurriedly added, "I've known for a long time that I want you by my side for however long we have. And, if there was any other way, I would wait for this to happen. I would wait and give you the day you deserve. But Hades still has some time before he is due back and I cannot lead as I am. Even now I feel sleep creeping up on me."

I shook my head. "What about Castiel? He's your second in command."

Lucius shook his head, his eyes darting to the man beside me. "He couldn't even if he wanted to." He gave my hand a comforting squeeze. "I love you Savannah Holmes. And even if we were not in this current predicament, I would still want to marry you."

He took his hand from mine and picked up the box. A velvet box.

I swallowed to try and clear the lump that suddenly held my voice captive. My heart started to race. This was really happening. He was really doing this. We had slept in the same bed a number of times but, other than that one amazing time, it had just been sleeping. Could we really do this?

And yet, as I stared into his eyes, I knew my answer had already been decided.

"I've been carrying this around for a while. I had it made before everything happened and then, without my soul, I just kind of forgot." He paused and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. What does matter is that I love you Savannah. You are my humanity. You are my heart and soul. One of the reasons I was able to keep hold of myself for so long, one of the reasons I survived the attack, was you. You are strong. Brave. You're a brilliant mother to Danny and that damned Pegasus. And I know you will make an amazing queen."

My throat felt incredibly tight as he pulled open the lid to the navy blue ring box. Inside, nestled within the black cushioning was a gleaming band of metal that wrapped delicately around a princess cut jewel which glittered and sparkled as if lit by an internal light. The metal I recognised, it was the same material as my sword. The same as Lucius's sword. But the gem, it was unlike anything I had ever seen.

"Will you marry me, Savannah?" Lucius finished, his expression hopeful as he looked up into my eyes.

I swallowed. It wasn't a picture perfect proposal for social media but, as I met his eyes, I realised it was the perfect proposal for me. And I couldn't imagine it any other way.

I nodded my head.

His smile was wide as he took the ring from the box and carefully slid it on to my trembling finger. It fit perfectly. As I stared into the strange jewel, I knew I had made the right decision. It just felt right.

Though things were happening in a way I had never expected, I had always known that being with Lucius would bring responsibility. I had just never pictured that I would be thrown in at the deep end. Yet it was happening. And I wouldn't turn away.

He stroked his finger over the ring and smiled up at me. "It's a Seraph Diamond. My father gave it to me when I was still in his good books. It's one of the few things I kept when I fell. And now it is yours."

"Oh Lucius," I murmured, quickly closing the distance between us and pressing a desperate kiss to his lips. "You shouldn't have. This is too much. "

"I should have. You are precious to me and worth more than any gem."

There were no words to describe the warmth that flooded through me. Joy. Happiness. Love. I felt so many things but mostly I felt complete. The only thing that would have made this moment perfect would have been to have my son at my side.

"Sorry to interrupt your moment." Castiel interrupted, causing me to jump. "But if Savannah is to take over the throne, we need to do this now."

"Now?" I yelped, staring between Castiel and Lucius while my pulse started racing.

Lucius lifted my hand which held the ring and kissed the back of my hand. His warm lips lingered against my skin and I felt his apology even before he spoke. "I'm truly sorry but it has to be now. It will take weeks if not months until I am back to full strength. I wouldn't ask you to take on this burden lightly but I need you." He gave me a smile. "I promise you will have the full ceremony with the cake, our friends, and the big frilly wedding dress if that is what you want. For now, we need to carry out the binding so that you can get full control."

I swallowed but in the end there was only one answer I could give. "Let's do it."

Castiel nodded his head before dipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out a small silver bag.

"Lucius, take her hand." He instructed as he withdrew a corded rope from within the bag. "The ceremony is simple but, in your current condition, this may set you back a few days in your recovery."

Its threads were golden, glimmering brightly in the low light. As Lucius's fingers curled around mine and I found myself staring up into those blue eyes I had fallen in love with. The cord was woven around our entwined hands, the magic energy contained within it hummed against our skin. It was warm. Electrifying. It felt as if every nerve ending in my body had been awakened. It was both wonderful and uncomfortable.

"With the threads of fate you are bound." Castiel murmured, our hands jerking as he created a knot. "In body. In soul. In spirit. By the grace of the fates, so mote it be."

A gasp was torn from my lips as light exploded from the threads. The magic contain within the cord coursed up my arm and through the rest of my body, filling me completely from head to toe. There was the strangest sensation, a tugging as if I was losing a bit of myself. And yet I also felt as if I was gaining something more.

It brought with it a new awareness of things that were beyond my understanding – it was magic. Even with all the things I could do and all of the things I had seen, there was still a part of me that rebelled at the existing of all things magical and supernatural. I could feel Tartarus. It was like a dark cloud on the edge of my consciousness. I could feel the protections and ancient magic that was threaded into the very fabric of the underworld.

It was weakened, just as Lucius was. And yet, as I became bound to Lucius, so too did I become bound to the magic. It used my strength to patch up its buckling defences.

"So mote it be," Lucius murmured breathlessly.

"So mote it be." I mimicked. There was a jolt between our joined hands and stared down at our joined hands, I noted that the rope had vanished, leaving behind a golden shimmering line around both of our wrists.

Lucius gave my hand a single squeeze before his hand dropped from my grasp. Glancing up, I saw his eyes roll back in their sockets before he slumped back against the pillows. His chest rose and fell evenly as he slept.

Castiel's hand landed on my shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "He'll be okay. He just needs time."

I nodded my head. "So that's it?"

"What were you expecting?" Castiel asked with a smile. "An animal sacrifice? Those cords were created by the fates. They offered them willingly for your binding and the very fact they accepted you and have marked you accordingly is a testament of the strength of your bond. It also tells us that fate has a future planned for you."

I swallowed hard at the thought. Hadn't we all been through enough? "So fate isn't done with me yet."

"Fate only gives you the path. It is your choice to do with the opportunities given to you. You were meant for Lucius. You were meant to rule by his side. Gabriel knew it and so does everyone else. You've just been a little slow to the party." He replied softly before giving a small bow of his head. "Now, my Queen. Your subjects are waiting."

Queen? It didn't even feel real. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that."

I spared one last glance at Lucius's sleeping form. He turned and settled further into the pillows. Then, with only a little prodding, I followed him Castiel out of the door.

With the residents of the underworld still recovering from Terran's attack, and the demons needed a leader. As much as I wanted to stay and watch over him, Hell's throne belonged to me.

Duty was calling for me and I would answer.