Yikes! Sorry this is late - my boyfriend's sister had her baby today so I've been at the hospital :)

Here's another original chapter

March 1st, 2015
Lebanon, Kansas

Alex made her way down the bunker hallway, her broken wings dragging behind her as she stifled a yawn. The rooms around her were quiet, void of life, and the angel scrubbed at the back of her neck as she tugged on the hem of her wrinkled shirt. She hadn't remembered falling asleep, but somehow she had, and when she had awoken, Sam and Dean were gone.

The kitchen lay ahead, and Alex stepped through the doorway, her eyes scanning the concrete room. A blue post-it note sat stuck to the white refrigeration units, and Alex pulled it off with a grunt. " 'Gone out for lunch and groceries, Dean,' " she read aloud. "Coulda just texted." She crumpled up the note and tossed it towards the trash can; it hit the wall too high and bounced across the cold floor. It had been two weeks since Sam and Dean had returned from Wisconsin, full of determination to finally find a lead with Amara or with Castiel, but Alex had watched that vigor slowly die as the days grew longer. Personally, she hadn't shared in their resolution; if even Lucifer was at a loss, then Alex couldn't bring herself to put her trust in a few dusty books.

The inside of the fridge was sparse and cold, and Alex pulled out a beer bottle with a small sigh; that sigh quickly turned into a tight-lipped gasp as she felt hands grab her waist. She whipped around, wings rising defensively in her tight corner even as the perpetrator spoke. "Boo." Lucifer stepped back with a grin. "Did I scare you?"

"No." The lie came quickly, and Alex shook out her ruffled wings with a huff. "What the hell are you doing here? Sam and Dean —"

"Sam and Dean aren't around." Lucifer's eyes dropped down to the bottle in her hand, and he added, "You know, it's been two weeks since Crowley escaped."

"Yeah, I know. I can count." Alex pushed past the archangel with a grunt. "And? Has Ramsey found him yet?" She leaned up against the metal countertop, awaiting Lucifer's reaction, but the frown upon his face said it all. "Still nothing, huh?"

"I was thinking." Lucifer burst out the question, and Alex used her grace to crack open her drink. "How about you and I take a vacation? I think we've earned it." He sauntered forward, and Alex's head snapped to the side, her grace nervously stretching out through the bunker. "They're not here. And they won't be back any time soon."

"What?" Alex returned her eyes onto him, her wings curled forward slightly to keep the archangel from drawing too close. "What did you do?"

"Oh, ye of little faith." Crimson wings nudged hers aside, and Alex took a long drink of her beer before Lucifer stepped forward. He took the bottle from her hands and set it on the counter behind her with a dismissive flick of his wings. "I made sure that a particular story about a comatose little girl got into the papers, and then I made sure that a certain Sam Winchester got his hands on said paper." His toes were pressed up against hers, and Alex leaned further back against the counter to put distance between their faces even as his wings curled around her.

"They're not going to take a job right now," she retorted. "They're too hung up on the Darkness and on you — er, on Cas. It's all they've been doing since they got back."

"And from what I understand, they haven't found anything." Lucifer clicked his tongue even as amusement sparked in his eyes. "Trust me, le mohoath, they'll bite." He stepped back, his crimson wings retreating to fold in against his back. "Why don't you change into something more appropriate, and we can hit the road."

Alex's eyes dropped down to her wrinkled, oversized shirt and basketball shorts, fighting back a scowl. "Fine," she relented. "You're right that I need to change, but I'm still not sold on a field trip." She ignored Lucifer's quiet laugh as she led the way down the hall, but her frustration was short-lived as the archangel caught up to walk at her side. "Wait here, I'm going to change," she instructed as she stepped into her room. She kicked the door closed behind her, but she heard it bounce off of a foot with a dull thud. "Luce," she admonished as the archangel pressed the door shut behind him. "At least — at least turn around."

"Why?" Lucifer leaned up against the door, his arms crossed as he fixed his eyes on her. "I've been inside you."

Heat burned at Alex's cheeks, and her wings flapped indignantly. "You've been in my head a-and you — it's a matter of principle, okay? Just turn around." Alex twirled her finger, but when the archangel merely grinned, she whirled around with a huff. "Fine. Fine. I'll turn around."

She hurriedly changed, pulling on a pair of worn jeans and a purple sweatshirt. A glance in the cracked mirror at her unruly hair had a black hat joining the outfit, the scuffed brim pointed backwards. "You're an ass, by the way," she added when she turned back around, unsurprised to find the devil standing two paces closer than he had been before.

"And you're cute when you're angry." Hands cupped her cheeks as lips pressed up against hers, and Alex tilted her head back to meet the kiss, her anger dissipating beneath his cold touch. "Now, about this trip —"

The bunker door slammed shut, and Alex jumped back with a muted curse. "Shit, they're back." She rushed out of her room, barely pulling the door closed in time as Sam stepped into view. "I, uh — hey." Alex shook out her wings, chasing away her surprise. "I was — I wasn't expecting you guys back yet."

"Uh, yeah." Sam stopped in front of her with a smile. "Sorry we ran out like that, but we thought we'd let you sleep." He reached out behind her to flick at the brim of her hat, and his grin widened. "Looking good. Trying out something new?"

Alex knocked his hand away with a playful scowl. "It's called I can't control my hair," she quipped, and her grace reached out in search of Dean. "So, I guess you're back for another few mindless hours of reading, huh?"

Sam's grin faltered, defeat momentarily clouding his face. "Actually," he admitted, "I think I found case up in Michigan. A little girl wound up in a coma after what the mom is just calling 'an entity.' Doctors don't know what's wrong — the only sign of trauma is a handprint from the alleged attacker."

"Oh." Alex barely stopped herself from glancing back towards her room where Lucifer still hid; she could feel his grace pushing against hers from the other side of the door. "That definitely sounds like our kind of thing. I —" She hesitated, searching for some excuse — any excuse. "I was just thinking about heading down south, actually. I think I caught wind of what could be a ghoul, but if you guys have a job of your own ..."

Sam's face fell. "Oh, okay. Listen, if — I know you've sort of been avoiding us these past couple weeks, but you don't have to. I-I mean, Lucifer screwed all of us over, you know? It's not your fault if he fooled you, too."

"Thanks, Sam." Alex curled her wings forward towards the Winchester, the tips of her broken feathers brushing against his side. "And it's not that. It's just ... hard to explain."

Her shoulders fell as her wings drooped, and Sam shifted closer. "If you need to talk, I'm here," he promised. "Just let me know." He squeezed her shoulder, and something flickered in his hazel eyes, gone too quick to tell, before he moved off down the hall.

Alex sighed as he disappeared into his room, and she took a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose before she slipped back into her bedroom. The lights were off, and a soft darkness cloaked the walls. "Okay." She quietly closed the door behind her, eyes closing as she felt Lucifer stop in front of her. "You were right. Let's wait for them to leave, and then we can go."

Snow whipped through the air, billowing around her feet, and Alex shifted, her eyes narrowed against the cold. Lucifer stood beside her, seemingly unaffected by the biting wind, but even his own wings were drawn in tighter than usual. "So that's heaven's gate." His eyes were focused on the playground in the distance, and Alex shifted closer despite the chill to his grace. "It's not what I expected."

"It's not what anyone expected." Alex couldn't hold back a shiver, and a crimson wing unfolded to wrap across her shoulder. "We just can't walk in there, though. It's bound to be guarded." She felt his wings shift, and she jumped to add, "We're not killing them, Luce. There's not enough angels left just to kill them whenever it suits you."

"You say that like I enjoy killing angels." Lucifer stepped away from her, pacing back and forth along the line of trees at the edge of the park. "Alright, hotshot, so how do you propose we get in?"

"We could ..." Alex furrowed her brow as she thought, her small hands shoved deep inside her jacket. "What — what about a banishing sigil? Or would that affect the angel who activates it, too?"

"It would." Lucifer brushed past with a frown, and Alex leaned up against a tree trunk to watch him pace. "But perhaps we can distract them." He stopped in front of her, his face pensive as he brushed his knuckles across her cheek. "Think you can help out?"

"Whatever you need." Alex's eyes flickered off towards the sandbox, but Lucifer nudged her chin upwards until her eyes found his. "As long as we don't have to kill anyone."

"Promise." Lucifer's eyes drifted upwards, lost in thought as he formulated a plan. "I want you to go and get their attention," he finally instructed. "And see if you can lure any guards on the other side out here. I'll take care of the rest."

"Okay." Alex rustled her feathers as the archangel disappeared in a flutter of wings, and her grace prickled nervously as she started out from the line of trees. Two angels sat on the swings, their dark, bent feathers ruffled against the cold. Alex tipped her head as she approached, eyes narrowed as she searched her memory for their names. Ah, that was right. Purah and Asariel.

She drew her broken wings in tightly as two pairs of eyes turned onto her, and the air crackled as both angels rose to their feet. "Stop." Purah lifted a hand, her eyes glowing weakly with grace, but Alex kept pushing forward through the snowdrifts, only ceasing when the glint of an angel blade caught her attention.

"Whoa, there," Alex warned, and her eyes flickered towards the sandbox, the sand conspicuously lacking snow. "We're on the same team here, right? I just want to go upstairs."

"You're not allowed up there," Asariel said, and her wings lifted high above her head.

Alex met the challenge, puffing out her bare feathers to appear bigger than she truly was. "Like that's somehow going to stop me." Her eyes flickered down to the sandbox as her angel blade slipped into her hand. Careful, she heard Lucifer warn softly, get them away, but don't get yourself killed. Alex's wing twitched at his words, but she forced her eyes back up onto the guards before her. "There's not anyone on the other side of that door I'm going to have to worry about once I kick your asses, right?"

The sandbox glowed, and Alex shifted back as an angel stepped through, his wings flapping angrily at the sight of her. "Who is she?" he demanded, and snow crunched beneath his boots as he stepped forward.

"Castiel's mate." Asariel all but spat out the name, and Alex couldn't help how her grace snapped angrily, cracking through the cold air. "She's trying to get into heaven."

Good work. The trees trembled around them, and Alex's head whipped towards the source, eyes stretching wide at the light that emanated from within the woods. "What is that?" Purah's wings rustled uneasily, and her eyes sharpened in accusation. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." Alex stepped back, forcing a tremble into her voice. "There were demons, but —" She cut off, and the three angels exchanged looks, a silent conversation passing between them before they fanned out and started towards the light.

"Good work." Lucifer's voice whispered in her ear, and Alex barely had time to process her surprise before his hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the sandbox. White light surrounded her, pressing down on every inch of her body and crushing her bones.

Then the pressure was gone, and her feet were on solid ground. She was standing in a hallway, the white walls almost glowing with light. "Easy peasy," was all she managed to get out before Lucifer was pulling her around the corner, pressing her into the wall and covering her lips with a cold finger. Alex tensed, her wings drawn in tightly against the warm wall, but the hallway remained silent. What? She mouthed the word against Lucifer's finger, and the archangel hesitated only a moment before he pulled away.

"Thought I heard someone coming." Lucifer started down the hall with a flick of his wing, and Alex hurried after him. "I see they've redecorated," he added, dragging a finger across the spotless wall. "It feels like a doctor's office."

"Yeah. I don't like it." Alex quickened her step to walk at his side with a disparaging click of her tongue. "When did heaven become so corporate, you know? It's like they're going to fight the Darkness through donuts and memos."

"What happened?" Lucifer wiped his hand off on his coat with a scowl. "Michael would never have allowed this."

"I don't think it was Michael. They did this after he went into the Cage. I've only been up here a few times — apart from when I was living in that heaven." Alex shook out her wings, uncomfortable with how the air pulsed around her. "Speaking of, the personal heavens are around here somewhere ..."

She trailed off when she realized Lucifer wasn't listening, and she reached out to take his hand. "I'll take you to the Great Hall where my brothers and I grew up," he finally promised. "Once everything is back under control, of course."

They rounded the corner, and his grip on her hand suddenly tightened. An angel stood in the hallway, his brown wings lifted high above his head in shock. "Lucifer." His eyes flickered between the two of them, and Alex pulled her wings in tight.

She felt Lucifer's surprise dissipate, fading back into cold confidence. "Jofiel," he greeted, a lazy grin spreading across his face. "How's it hanging? Easy there," he added when the angel cast a panicked look around the halls. "It's just me."

Jofiel's face hardened at the joke, and his wings lifted higher. "How perfect. Castiel, one of heaven's most wanted, possessed by heaven's most hated." His eyes swung down to Alex, and he sneered. "We always feared you'd let him back out."

"It wasn't me!" Alex snapped, but Lucifer quieted her with a flick of his wing.

"We come in peace," he promised, his hands and wings dropping low in a display of innocence. "I just want to be part of the action again. I want to lend a hand."

Jofiel looked between the two of them, fear and hesitation dancing in his eyes. His wings tremored, and after only a second, he spun around. "Brothers!" he shouted. "I —"

Lucifer's grace snapped outwards, and Jofiel vanished, his vessel exploding into ash tinged with blue grace. The hallway fell silent, and Alex whipped around. "What the hell?" she hissed, her voice sounding loud in the silent hall. "You promised you wouldn't kill anyone!"

"I promised I wouldn't kill anyone who was at the gate." Lucifer started off down the hall, and Alex followed, carefully skirting the ash that decorated the white tile floor. "And what was I supposed to do? He was sounding the alarm."

"So? That's why we're here. We're not just here to sneak around for fun. Right, Luce?"

Alex tugged on Lucifer's sleeve, and the archangel turned to face her with a roll of his eyes. "Of course you're right," he murmured, one finger pressed against his lips to signal that she stay quiet. "Just — stick close and let me do all the talking, okay?"

"Lucifer." A voice came from ahead of them, and Alex peered past the archangel towards its source. Three angels blocked their way, and Alex's wings flapped twice in alarm. "What are you doing here?"

Lucifer's reaction was mere amusement as he turned. "Dumah," he greeted. "And Sidriel and ... it's Jehudiel, right?" His question remained unanswered, and the archangel grinned. "Long time no see, huh?" He strolled forward, his wings hanging loosely against his back, but the angels stiffened all the same, their wings rising and blades falling into view. "I'm just here to talk, alright? Maybe something about the Darkness."

He watched as the angels exchanged looks, and he grinned when Dumah's wings flittered nervously. "What do you know about the Darkness?" she asked.

"Tell you what. Why don't you gather up everyone who's around here, and we can have a little chat. Just hear me out," he added, his voice growing darker when Dumah's eyes turned onto the pile of ash behind him, "and no one else gets hurt, alright?"

The two angels at Dumah's side waited only a second before they scattered, hurrying off in opposite directions down the hall, and Lucifer's lips curled up into a grin. "Follow me," Dumah instructed, and Lucifer ushered Alex forward with his wings before he obeyed.

Dumah led the way down the twisting halls, leaving Alex and Lucifer to follow in silence. The air continued to hum around her, and Alex tugged on Lucifer's sleeve. "Hey," she whispered, leaning upwards to try and get closer to his ear. "This place feels ... weird. What is it?"

"Weird?" The archangel's smug look momentarily faltered, and his grace pressed curiously against hers. "Ah. You've never been here with your grace at full strength, have you?" His question was answered by Alex's puzzled frown, and his grace withdrew. "What you're feeling is Heaven. That's the power of every angel here."

"We're here." Dumah motioned to a set of frosted office doors, and Lucifer pushed his way inside with a small shrug.

Alex followed close behind, her eyes turning across the large white room. "The hell is this, a conference room?" she muttered, eyeing two angels who stood in the far corner.

"Jehudiel and Sidriel are gathering whoever they can find." Dumah's voice was tight, her displeasure clear, but Lucifer merely flicked a wing to show his thanks. He settled down in a chair by the wall, and Alex moved past him, reaching out to pull up a seat next to him; Lucifer, however, was faster, pulling her down into his lap. His grace held her tight as she tried to struggle free, but she gave quickly gave up when eyes turned in her direction.

She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment, caught in the devil's lap for all of Heaven to see, and Lucifer's grace curled tightly around her. Five more angels entered, followed almost immediately by three more, and Alex curled her broken wings around her to try and hide. "Stop that," Lucifer chastised, his breath cold against her ear, and his hands released her waist. "Alright, go ahead and get up." He let Alex scramble to her feet before following, pulling her into a quick, sharp kiss before stepping away.

"You fucking suck," she muttered after him, and Lucifer's grace twisted in sadistic amusement as he turned to address the gathering crowd. They had gathered around the table in the room, occupying the empty chairs, and Lucifer rapped his knuckles on the white tabletop.

"Okay, guys," he began, "eyes up here, okay?" He whistled, and the last few eyes turned away from Alex. "So, trying to smite the Darkness was a bust, huh? You had all the power of heaven behind you. Couldn't even slow the bitch down." He chuckled, and some of the angels exchanged glances. "Well, no need to feel like subject losers — you learned a valuable lesson. You need me." Lucifer grinned as he looked around, wings spread open, but his declaration was met with stony silence. The archangel's grin faltered slightly. "Alright. Not giddy with awe."

"You ... exploded Jofiel." That was Jehudiel — or Sidriel, Alex couldn't tell.

Lucifer pointed off towards the angel as a low murmur spread through the crowd. "Or did Jofiel explode himself?" he joked with a small shrug. "Just saying."

"God cast you from heaven," another angel said, and Alex hurried forward to stand at Lucifer's side as she felt his anger start to sharpen.

She reached up to put a hand on his shoulder, but the archangel roughly shrugged it off. "And who do you think spread that tabloid headline?" he challenged, turning to face the speaker. The angel was seated in a chair by the wall, and two steps took Lucifer to his side. "It was Captain G," he reminded, straddling the angel's lap, and the quiet room grew even quieter; not an angel breathed. "The eternal one." He chuckled to himself, his forehead momentarily pressing up against the angel's, and Alex watched as the angel's thin wings trembled in fear in the face of Lucifer himself. "Because I didn't buy into His obsessive-compulsive love for mankind."

"Mankind is His creation." Jehudiel spoke again, and Lucifer pushed himself back to his feet; the angel below him drew in a shuddered breath as the archangel stepped away.

"Oh, come on!" Lucifer's crimson wings arched high as he paced the length of the room, taking his time to look each angel in the eyes. "It's not like he invented the Prius, which actually works. I don't have to tell you people what a mess mankind is. The Salem Witch Trials, Third Reich, Twin Towers?" He stopped in front of Alex with a scoff, and the young angel diverted her eyes onto the ground. "And," he added, turning back to face Jehudiel, "sure, every once and awhile, He'll send down a little plague to straighten them out, but it's nothing permanent. Humanity brought us Hiroshima and got a redo. I merely question His priorities ... and I got the boot."

"He said you're evil —" The second angel immediately cut himself off as Lucifer's eyes narrowed, and Jehudiel cleared his throat.

"Incarnate," he finished; his voice was calm, but his anxiety was evident through how his dark wings twitched. "Evil incarnate."

Lucifer's feathers ruffled, his wings puffing out, but he only let a lazy smirk grow across his face. "It's marketing. He's creating a need in the consumer's mind." His wing dragged across Alex's stomach, a low purr momentarily rumbling through his chest. "You can't be a Super Savior if you don't have a super villain."

"We're just offering you help with dealing with the Darkness," Alex added, stepping forward. She felt Lucifer's good mood fade away, replaced by irritation at her decision to speak, but the young angel ignored him. "Obviously you can't do it alone. Not ... with so few of you."

More than one sets of wings rustled angrily, and Alex lifted her chin, jaw clenched to keep it from trembling as she faced the stares. "You think you can reason with her?" an angel called out.

Alex felt Lucifer approach, and she flattened her wings as he stopped behind her. "Well, I doubt that," he admitted. "But I can lock her away. This time for good. Done it before." One hand wrapped around her waist, holding her close as he watched the angels exchange glances, their expressions a mixture of confusion and unease. "Oh, Pops didn't tell you that, huh?"

Once you've ... gotten rid of her, you'll want ... want to ... stay around?" Jehudiel spoke slowly, and Alex felt Lucifer's grin against her ear.

"Oh, I like the way you think." Lucifer stepped away from Alex, clapping his hands together as he let her eyes travel across the congregation. "Man, I am jazzed!" he joked, and his tongue darted out across his lips as the angels shifted uncomfortably. "Hey." He leaned up against the wall, crossing his arms as he let out a grin. "If it makes you comfy, you can call me God."

"You don't have to do that," Alex hurried to add, and her small wings drew in tight as all eyes turned onto her. "They're not going to do that," she added over to Lucifer in a quiet voice, and the archangel's eyes crinkled, amused at her comment.

"Come here, little one." Lucifer waved her over, and Alex joined him, pressing herself into his side. The room fell silent, the only sound the occasional awkward shifting, and finally Lucifer sighed. "Tell you what. Why don't you all sleep on it." He straightened up, wings extending towards the door, and the angels hesitated only a moment before they started filing out; the air crackled with their grace, their discomfort clear.

Lucifer wandered over to hold open the door, seemingly unaware of their nerves. "Thank you," he called to one the leaving angels, reaching out to catch another by the shoulder. "Hey, I like your spunk," he praised, and the angel's face visibly paled. "There's always room for a go-getter in my organization." He winked, letting go, and the angel rushed away. Jehudiel tried to slip past, but Lucifer caught him by the arm and dragged him back, his other hand going up to grab him by the back of the neck. "Hey, I know I can count on you. But what about your people? They on board, or we need to do a little wing-twisting?"

Jehudiel's eyes stretched wide at Lucifer's grin, and his chest rapidly rose and fell in barely-contained panic. "I — I'll have to think about it," he got out, his wings trembling once before he stilled them.

"Don't think about it too long." Lucifer released his grip, and Jehudiel skirted the archangel before hurrying away, leaving Lucifer to point after him. "You know what they say. He who hesitates ..." He snapped his fingers, and the smile faded away. "Disintegrates."

The room emptied, leaving Alex standing alone beside Lucifer. "Well?" she asked. "Did that go how you'd always dreamed?"

"I was hoping for a little more pomp and circumstance. Maybe some cheering." Lucifer crossed the room to lean against one of the white tables, and Alex joined him, standing with her toes up against his. "You know, it's been how many centuries since I've been gone? So much for forgive and forget."

The confident humor that had filled him during his speech was fading, and his wings dropped as he sulked. Alex curled hers forward, and Lucifer reluctantly responded, his own wings wrapping around her, enveloping her in red. "Maybe you just have to rebuild their trust," she murmured, pressing her grace against his. "Right now you're just the guy who Dad threw out for breaking the rules. Show them how much more you can be."

There was a knock on the door, and Alex stepped back, her eyes narrowed. An angel stood in the doorway, her hands tucked behind her back, and Alex's wings flittered in surprise and elation as grace prickled curiously at the air. "Excuse me." The angel shifted nervously, and Lucifer's wings fell away. "I — Dumah said I shouldn't come, but I think he felt you and insisted."

Alex felt Lucifer's grace rise curiously as she crossed over to the door, her eyes locked on the small pair of grey wings that were tucked behind the angel's legs. "I would have asked for him, anyways." head peeked out from the other side, blue eyes wide with a mixture of hesitation and excitement, and Alex crouched down a few feet away. "Hello, micaelaz."

Ashiel looked up at the angel that held his hand, a question in his eyes, but the hesitation died when Alex reached out with her grace. He moved forward with a small grin, a grin that faltered when he caught sight of the archangel behind her. "Who ... who is that?"

He looked back up at his caretaker, and Alex pulled him closer by the arm, drawing his attention onto her. "It's okay," she promised. "He's my new friend." She flicked a wing, signaling for the other angel to give them a moment, and she brushed Ashiel's hair out of his eyes with a grin. "You're getting big, aren't you? You must be four, almost five by now."

"Four." Ashiel held up four fingers with a confident nod, and his gaze slipped back onto Lucifer. "You ... you have wings." He flapped his own twice, blue eyes moving between Lucifer's crimson feathers and Alex's burned vanes. "You — the angels don't have wings anymore." His round face fell as he lisped out the words. "O-Oriel said they fell."

Alex felt Lucifer's presence behind her, and he looked down at Ashiel, his head tipped to the side. "So this must be the fledgling you told me about," he mused, and his cold grace stretched out to wrap around the child, moving curiously like a wolf sniffing a newfound pup. "Asahiel."

"Ashiel," Alex corrected, and she rose to her feet, one hand resting on the back of the fledgling's head. "I'm surprised you remembered."

"I always remember my competition." Lucifer crouched down in front of Ashiel, his large wings sweeping across the tiled floor to brush gently against the fledgling's legs. "You're not afraid of me, are you? Not like everyone else around here."

"I'm not afraid," Ashiel chirped, and his hands went out to Lucifer's wings, hovering just above them; Lucifer lifted them the last inch, and Ashiel grinned as he grabbed at the large crimson feathers. "Why ..." His face screwed up in confusion, and he looked up into Lucifer's eyes. "Why are your w-wings so big?"

"Because I'm an archangel." Lucifer scooped him up into his arms, and Alex couldn't help but smile at the grin that grew across his face. "One day, maybe yours will grow as big as mine."

Ashiel giggled as Lucifer tapped him on the nose, and his pale grey wings flapped twice joyfully as he looked over at Alex. "And ..."

"Don't worry, bud. Mom's gonna get her wings back one day." Lucifer's words were accompanied by a wink, and Alex rolled her eyes as he gently bounced the child on his hip. "When do fledglings start to fly?" he asked, a crimson wing flicking against Alex's back, but before she could answer, he added, "Doesn't matter. Looks like I'm the only one qualified to teach you."

"Oriel says — says I'm not allowed to fly," Ashiel insisted, and his eyes turned onto Alex as he spoke. "Not until I'm big like you."

There was a knocking on the glass door, and Alex turned her head to find Oriel standing in the doorway. "Looks like it's time for you to go." She reached out for Ashiel, and Lucifer hesitated only a moment before reluctantly handing the fledgling over. "Oriel's been keeping you safe, huh?" Ashiel nodded, and Alex pressed a kiss onto his temple before she set him back down, grunting dramatically under his weight. "You're almost too big to pick up," she joked, and Ashiel's wings flittered as he giggled. "Alright, buddy, I'll see you in a bit, okay —"

She cut off as the ground began to shake, and the lights flickered angrily above their heads. Alex immediately scooped Ashiel back up, pressing his head into the crook of her shoulder as screams began to fill the air, sharp with panic. Angels appeared in the hallway, running towards the conference room where Alex and Lucifer stood, and Alex's hair stood on end as black smoke chased after them, billowing through the hall. Angels went flying whenever it over took them, throwing them to the ground, and Alex curled her wings around her even as Lucifer stepped forward, calmly pulling her out of the way as angels flooded through the glass doors. "Get down." He pulled her down to the ground as the smoke smashed through the windows, his crimson wings hiding her from sight. Ashiel screamed, thrashing in fear, and Alex felt Lucifer's grace slip out to wrap around him.

She narrowed her eyes against the onslaught, and through the smoke she saw Lucifer's face, alight with a broad grin. "This —" The smoke was beginning to dissipate, and Alex loosened her grip on Ashiel even as her wings trembled in fear. "What was that?"

"Amara." Lucifer hopped back to his feet before he reached down to help her up, taking Ashiel back into his arms as he looked around at the angels. "Well that ... was a little payback, ladies and gents." Ashiel sniffled, and he gently tapped the fledgling on the nose with a comforting smile. "I don't think Auntie Amara appreciated their little half-assed smiting, huh?" He set Ashiel back down onto the ground, and Alex pulled him close, kneeling down to wipe the tears from the fledgling's eyes as Lucifer continued. "And, uh, guess what. This ... this is just a teeny taste of what's to come. So, clearly my expertise is gonna come in handy. Cause God know what's next —" He cut himself off with a small wince. "Ouch. I almost forgot, um ... God doesn't care."

"Oriel." Alex waved the angel over, taking Ashiel's hand as she rose to her feet. "Take him somewhere safe."

"He's safer with us," Lucifer insisted, and Alex flicked him with a wingtip as she handed the fledgling over.

"He's safer in heaven," she retorted. "We have enough to deal with without worrying about a kid." She circled around to stand in front of Lucifer as the angels began to once again disperse, and she reached up to straighten the collar of his jacket. Lucifer's hands caught her wrist, and she paused, waiting until the room was emptied before she let her wings fall down. "There's got to be a way to stop Amara from reaching heaven. If Ashiel ..."

"Don't worry." Lucifer cut her off with a gentle flick of his wing. "She's trying to draw us out. If she wanted to destroy us, she would have." He pulled her hands away from his coat, running his thumb across her knuckles. "We need to find a Hand of God."

"What if ... what if we didn't find it here ... but in the past? We did it once," Alex insisted when Lucifer hesitated. "The demons are scouring the earth right now. So let's scour the earth a couple thousand years ago."

"That's dangerous," Lucifer warned, but his eyes sparkled at her suggestion. "If we affect the future ..."

Alex shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, I've seen the movies. We'll be careful. In and out before anyone even notices." She watched as the archangel's lips pursed, his eyes flickering towards the door, and she pressed her grace against his. "They'll be fine for a few hours."

"I'm not worried about them." Lucifer's forehead pressed up against hers, and Alex closed her eyes with a small hum. "Let's go."

A hot breeze brushed past Alex, stirring her feathers, and the young angel shifted uncomfortably on the packed dirt road. "Where are we?" she asked, turning her eyes to the rocky walls around her. They were standing between two stone buildings, each resting close enough to give her no more than two feet of space on each side of her, but the bustle of city life could be heard beyond its confines.

She felt Lucifer's grace twitch in amusement, and she cast a look up into his face. "We're in Athens, roughly 300 BC." Lucifer started towards the bustling street, and Alex hesitated only a moment before she hurried after him. "I checked through Castiel's memories for a point in time when the angels weren't hyper focused on current events. Can't have Big Brother seeing me, you know?" He chuckled at his own joke, but Alex simply nodded in understanding. "This seemed like the perfect time. Everyone upstairs is getting ready for the big christmas party, and God's chosen few are finally settling down. Perfect picking grounds."

Most of his words were lost on her, and Alex shrugged. "Okay, uh ... great." She rolled up the sleeves of her sweatshirt as they stepped into the hot, busy street, and she reached down to take Lucifer's cool hand. "Why Athens? Why not — I dunno — Jerusalem?"

"Nah." Lucifer clicked his tongue disparagingly. "Too high-profile. Besides, Athens is a big place, and the Jews are just starting to move in. If any God-infused items made it out of the Holy Land, Athens is where they're going to be." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he looked up and down the street, and Alex drew her wings in close as two men in blue cloaks brushed past, deep in conversation. "Now, all we have to do is find it."

"Why don't we just ask?" Alex reached out to catch one of the men by her, tugging him gently on the sleeve. "Uh, excuse me," she began, "we're, uh — do you know if there's any Jewish synagogues in the area? I ..." She trailed off, head tipping at the stranger's wide-eyed expression, and her wings flittered in confusion. He didn't just look surprised; he looked aghast. "You okay?"

"Excuse me?" The man's eyes darted between Lucifer and Alex before returning once again to Lucifer. "You'd do well to keep your wife under control —"

"Oh, we — we're not married," Alex jumped to insist, and she felt an arm wrap around her waist as the stranger's face paled.

"Of course we are." Lucifer pressed his lips against her temple, and she frowned as he turned to face the strangers. "You'll have to forgive her. She's from the north and is still adjusting to ... civilized life." He pulled her away, and Alex's wings bristled. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing! I just asked him a question." Alex glared back towards the stranger, but Lucifer cuffed her over the head.

"This isn't the twenty-first century." Crimson wings enveloped her, a cold presence, and Alex gave a sulking frown, hands shoved deep into her pockets. "You have to play by society's rules. Which means you're supposed to be seen, not heard." The hand around her waist fell away, but his wings stayed curled around her, keeping her close. "Just stick close to me. I'll get us there."

"That's stupid." Alex adjusted her hat with a small scowl, sidestepping closer to the archangel to let a mule-drawn cart rattle past. "I'm great at talking to people."

"You better let me do the talking." Lucifer tugged her down the street, falling silent, but they had barely walked a block before he spoke again. "So that was Ashiel, huh? Seems like a nice kid."

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, uh, he is," she agreed. "You should have seen him when he was younger. He could charm anything out of anyone he wanted with those eyes of his. And he wasn't afraid of anything — I mean anything." Her grace curled happily within her, and she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face.

"I think he liked me, you know?" Lucifer joked, and he cast a quick glance over at her. "Right? He liked me." He didn't wait for Alex's confirmation before he continued, "I've never seen a fledgling before — I'd never even heard of one until I came topside. The whole Enaaish phase didn't even begin until after I was underground. He's bigger than I expected. He was so small in your mind —"

"Yeah, he's grown a lot." Alex cut him off with a small shake of her head, and she gave Lucifer's hand a sharp squeeze as he pulled her around the corner. "Hey, look!" She pointed up the street towards a marble temple that gleamed in the afternoon sun. "That's pretty. What is it?"

"Hephaestus' temple. I think we'll avoid any pagans god for the time being, hmm? Don't want to ring too many bells." Lucifer's grace stretched out through the roads, and Alex pushed hers out alongside his, using his to strengthen her own.

"Good idea. Especially because you kill a lot of them two thousand years from now." Alex reluctantly drew her grace back in with a tight-lipped frown. "Okay, Sherlock, take the lead."

"Hey." Lucifer stopped in front of a street merchant's stall, rapping twice on the wooden counter to get the man's attention. "So, I'm new here in this part of town. Any chance you can point a guy in the right direction?"

The merchant's brow furrowed as he regarded the two angels. "I'll do my best," he finally said. "You must be from ... from the North?" Lucifer merely smiled; the innocent action was spoiled by how his eyes narrowed — if Alex didn't know him better, she could have sworn he looked like a snake ready to strike. The merchant swallowed nervously, and his brown eyes darted over to Alex as his tongue peeked out to lick at his lips.

"We're looking for the nearest synagogue," she explained, placing a gentle hand on Lucifer's arm. "We need to speak with a rabbi. Please," she quickly added as she felt Lucifer's grace twitch displeasingly at her input.

The archangel's cold disposition had clearly offset the merchant, as he barely spared Alex a second look. "There's one by Athena's temple," he said. "You can't miss it. The rabbi's always there."

His eyes dropped down to his wares, and Alex stepped away from the stall with a shrug. "I thought you were supposed to be the charmer," she teased as they started off down the road. "You almost scared that poor man half to death."

"He wasn't human." Lucifer's crimson wings lifted to keep Alex from looking back . "I think he was a kolabos." Alex's eyes narrowed, and Lucifer let out a dry chuckle. "There's still a lot for you to learn, little angel." Before Alex could respond, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her into a sandy alleyway. The world spun as his wings carried them up and over the city, and Alex's feet touched bare earth mere moments later. "I got us a close as I dared. We'll have to walk the rest of the way."

"What are you so worried about?" Alex hurried after him into the street, her wings immediately drawing in close; she had thought the last street had been crowded, but now she could barely see to the other side of the cobblestone road. More importantly, she couldn't see Lucifer.

Momentary panic coursed through her, thick and hot, and she opened her mouth to call out for him, but then the archangel was back at her side, his icy grace washing away her anxiety. "Don't get left behind," he warned, and Alex dug her nails into the back of his hand as she let him lead her through the throng. His movements were swift and sure as he moved among the carts, and Alex pressed herself into his shoulder as a horse tossed its head back with an angered snort, its heavy hooves stomping against the stones right next to her feet.

The further they moved, the more the shock of her surroundings wore away, and Alex expanded her senses to take in the people around her. Merchants lined the street, shouting their wares to the civilians who walked shoulder-to-shoulder on the road. Her eyes turned to a nearby stall where an older woman stood in front of several bolts of colorful fabric. "I didn't think women were allowed to sell things back then — back now," she corrected, glancing up to see if Lucifer noticed her mistake.

"It's not common," he agreed, barely sparing her a look. "Most rarely leave the home, and socializing with non-relative men is strongly discouraged. But some women were able to get professional jobs like this." He paused in his lecture as they came to a fork in the road, and his face darkened as he thought. "This way," he finally decided.

He pulled Alex after him, and the angel frowned, but her momentary displeasure was swept away by a wave of awe. A massive stone building stood in front of them, its doric pillar stretching into the cloudless sky. A marble statue of woman, nude from the waist up, stood between the columns. "This must be Athena's temple."

She turned her eyes across the street in search of the synagogue the merchant had mentioned. "There." Lucifer flickered a wing off towards the far end. "That's it."

The interior was darker than Alex had anticipated, and she blinked twice as her grace rushed to adjust. "Hello?" Lucifer dropped her hand as he moved inwards, and Alex felt his grace prickle impatiently. "Anyone home?"

"Hello?" A voice came from beyond an arched doorway, and Alex's grace snuck out towards the source. A middle-aged man stepped into view, his dark eyes stretched wide to make out their faces in the dim light. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. I think you might be able to." Lucifer sauntered forward, his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets. "I'm looking for something pretty specific, but I think you may be able to point us in the right direction." He stopped in front of the dark-haired rabbi. "We're looking for something that's been touched by the big man himself."

"God," Alex explained when the man's face went blank. "We need something that's been touched by God."

"By God?" The rabbi let out a nervous laugh, one that died under Lucifer's stare. "I don't think I know what you mean."

"It could be anything," Alex said. "A chunk of the, uh, the ark of the covenant. Or — what was it that Crowley had?"

"Aaron's rod." Lucifer folded his arms across his chest, and the rabbi let out a choked breath. The archangel flicked a wing, motioning her near, and Alex moved forward to stand at his side. "Really, anything that you have is worth a shot."

"I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're asking, sir. I —" The rabbi cut off with a shout as Lucifer grabbed him by the hem of his robe and swung him into the wall.

"Luce!" Alex jumped forward to intervened, but the archangel kept her back with his wings. "Let him go!"

"Not until he tells us what he knows." Lucifer's grace rose up, and his eyes burned red. "He's lying to us. Aren't you?" He loosened his grip, and the man's feet hit the stone floor. "Lying's a sin, you know."

He shifted backwards to make room for the rabbi to collapse to the ground, and Alex took the opportunity to slip in between the two of them, her hands planted on Lucifer's chest to keep him back. "How about trying a little more tact next time, huh?"

"Sometimes being direct is more productive." Lucifer shook out his crimson wings, and the sound of rustling feathers filled the air. "You know," he began, addressing the rabbi on the floor, "maybe I was a little harsh." He squatted down in front of the man, who scrambled backwards until his back hit the wall. "I'm usually a nice guy. Isn't that right, Alex?" Alex kept her mouth clamped shut, and Lucifer chuckled before reaching out to straighten the rabbi's robes. "It's just, when a professional holy man lies to my face ... let's just say I can see why Dad always got a little wrathful." The light in his eyes hardened, and he gripped the man's shirt. "So let's try the truth this time, hmm?"

"I swear I don't know. I —" The rabbi squawked as Lucifer hauled him to his feet. "All I know is that a few years ago, some soldiers came through, and they — they raided our temples. They took whatever they wanted and brought it to Hephaestus' temple. They ... some people are saying that one of the items they took was a fragment of the original stone tables from Mount Sinai."

"That could work." Lucifer loosened his grip, and the rabbi landed on his feet with a muted cry. "Hephaestus. Huh." He turned with a small click of his tongue. "Now that I can work with." He lifted his hand, fingers poised to snap and vaporize the rabbi, but he paused. Cerulean eyes turned onto Alex, and his grace rose against hers, pressing softly in a silent question. Alex gave a small shake of her head, and his hand fell back to his side. "Alright. Come on." He reached out to grab her wrist, and then his wings carried her off into the sky.

Hephaestus' temple was a massive stone building on the north side of the city. Despite the intensity of the sun, the air around Alex was cold, chilled by the looming shadows of the white marble pillars. People moved around her, garbed in black robes, and the angel shifted closer to Lucifer as one brushed past. "Hephaestus' worshippers." Lucifer answered her unspoken question, a crimson wing curling around her, and Alex let him lead her further into the shadows. "They shouldn't cause us any trouble."

They passed beneath the pillars and entered the temple, lit by a line of candles along the far wall. An alter sat just beyond it, a slick, black stone. "How do we know it's here?"

"Hephaestus is a collector. It will be here." Lucifer's hand came up to rub thoughtfully at his chin as his eyes turned across the room. "And there should be a way down."

"Down to where?" Alex hesitantly let her grace out, but something blocked her path, like a wall that prevented her from reaching below the floor. "Oh. There's something down there."

Her words fell on deaf ears, and she turned to watch Lucifer examine the marble walls, his fingers dragging across the smooth stone as he walked the perimeter. "Ah." His grace rose up through the air, and the wall in front of him shimmered. "This way." He stepped forward through the stone and disappeared; Alex hesitated only a second before following.

The brightly-lit altar room vanished, replaced with darkness, and Alex blinked rapidly to adjust. The marble was replaced with cobblestone, cold beneath her feet, and the angel shifted closer to Lucifer as the archangel's wings snapped out. "No." Lucifer pushed back past her to pound on the wall they had entered through, but it was as solid as the floor beneath their feet. "Dammit!"

"Luce? What's going on?" Alex tried to stretch her grace outwards, but a pressure pushed against her skin, locking her grace deep within her body. "What did we do?"

"There's warding that's powering us down." Lucifer thudded his fist against the wall. "Clearly, Hephaestus doesn't want visitors." His wings rustled as he shook them out, and Alex watched as he started down the dark stairs. He paused when she didn't follow, and he extended a wing up towards her. "Well? If you want to get out, we need to go down."

"Down the stairs, huh?"

Her words hung in the still air, and Lucifer's head cocked to the side, his eyes squinted in amusement. "What were you expecting to be here?"

He turned his attention to the wall behind them, and Alex peered down the darkened stairs. "Dunno. A train station, probably." The poor attempt at humor did little for the grim atmosphere, and Alex glanced back at the wall before she reluctantly trailed after Lucifer. The stairs were sharp and narrow, descending deep into the earth around them. Alex pressed close to Lucifer, one hand tightly gripping his in hope of gaining some of the confidence with which the archangel moved. Her grace was locked away within her body, twisting in confusion and turmoil; she knew Lucifer could feel it, even if his grace within her was immobile. It sat silently, wrapped around the small ball that was Castiel's grace.

"Hey." Lucifer broke the growing silence, and Alex's grace immediately stilled. She glanced up into his face, surprised by the casual tone of the new conversation. "So, what does Asahiel like to do?"

"It's Ashiel, and he likes to play. He's a four year old — it's not like he has hobbies." Alex kicked at a pebble, watching how it skittered down the steps and disappeared into the darkness. "Why do you ask?" She looked up into his eyes with a sudden, hesitant grin. "You like him, don't you? I thought — I thought you hated fledglings."

"I never said that," Lucifer retorted with a flick of his wing. "I got to say, I can see why Pops wanted to be a dad. There's something about that innocence ... that trust in a child."

The stairs curved, and Alex's wings flittered as her feathers brushed against the stone. "You never struck me as the kind of guy who'd be into fatherhood," she joked. "Definitely seemed more of a ... lone wolf type." The staircase opened up to a stone floor, and Alex adjusted the baseball cap on her head as she looked around. The air had lost its damp coolness, replaced with a thick, viscous heat that seeped into her sweatshirt and weighed it down. "Where are we?"

"Far below the surface." Lucifer sauntered forward, and Alex hurried after him, her wings drawn in tight despite the warmth that clung to her feathers. "We should find the stone before anyone shows up."

"How ... how are we going to get out?" Alex peered down a tunnel that branched off from the path they were on, and her head tipped at the sight of an orangish glow at the end. "And why's it so hot down here? Is it ... are we near a volcano?"

She was met with a scoff. "We're not that deep," Lucifer promised. "But he is the god of metalworking, so I imagine that heat's coming from a forge somewhere. And we'll find a way out. There's always a way out."

The path ahead of them split, but the archangel didn't hesitate, turning to the left without a second thought; unsure what else to do, Alex followed. The tunnel wound downwards, smaller hallways darting off here and there, but Lucifer didn't waver from his set path until they reached a small iron door set into the side of the rough stone walls. "This is it?" Alex glanced up and down the hall, her face darkening in confusion. "How did you know where to go?"

"I've been here before. Sure, two thousand years from now, but the layout hasn't changed." He must have sensed Alex's confusion, as he glanced down at her with a small grin. "I was busy when I was first topside." The door creaked open beneath Lucifer's touch, revealing a bright, polished room lined with stone shelves. The shelves themselves were packed tightly with items, some a gleaming metal, others covered in a dull, rusted grime. The door swung closed behind Alex, and the angel trailed after Lucifer, her eyes turning across the array of trinkets and artifacts. Lucifer stopped at the end of the room, his teeth teasing at his bottom lip as he thought. "That's it."

He pointed towards a small chunk of stone, no larger than Alex's fist, and the angel tipped her head. "Great. Let's take it and go." She reached out grab it, but Lucifer caught her wrist just as her fingers closed around the stone.

It felt hot in her hand, and the angel hesitated to release her grip. "Careful," Lucifer warned, and his cold fingers pried the Hand of God away from her. "This could hurt someone in the wrong hands."

Alex relinquished her grasp, and Lucifer tucked the stone into his pocket with a satisfied hum. "Okay, so now we just need to find a way out." She flicked a wing, shifting uncomfortably at how her grace was pinned tight within her. "It's definitely time to leave."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy." Lucifer's words were lost beneath the sound of the door creaking open, and Alex spun around.

"Well, well." A dark-skinned man sauntered inwards, and the candles flickered as the door slammed shut behind him. "What have we got here?"

Alex felt Lucifer's shoulders roll back, and he lifted his chin. "So, you're Hephaestus, huh?"

"And you're a couple of angels." The god's eyes flashed displeasingly, and his golden robes shimmered in the candlelight. "I thought you were all called back to the Higher Spheres."

"We're just out to get a little air." Lucifer's wings rose in the slightest hint of a threat, but his voice remained light and airy. "So if you'd like to just point us towards the exit ..."

He stepped forward, motioning towards the closed door, but Hephaestus was faster. He grabbed Lucifer by the throat and flung him backwards. Alex jumped out of the way as Lucifer crashed into the stone shelves behind her — they cracked under his weight and sent the archangel to the ground. "Hey!" Alex leapt forward, her angel blade in her hands as she placed herself between the two. "Careful, alright? We don't want to hurt you — we just want out."

"Then give it back." Hephaestus' cold eyes stared through Alex, and the angel lifted her broken wings. "Do you really think you can just walk in here and take what's mine?"

"Yours?" Lucifer pushed himself to his feet, scowling as he rubbed at his sore head. "Yeah, I don't think I'm following. You stole this." He shook the rock to emphasize his point before he shoved it back into his pocket. "We're just taking it back."

He pushed Alex aside to stand in front of her, and Castiel's angel blade dropped down into his hands. Hephaestus scoffed at the sight. "You're not the first angels to come here. I learned from my mistakes. Batiltu!"

The air grew heavy, pushing down sharply on Alex's grace, and the angel's legs buckled under the pressure. She hit the ground with a muffled grunt of surprise, her palms slapping against the hot stone as her angel blade clattered across the floor. She saw Lucifer stumble beside her, but he managed to remain upright. "It's going to take a lot more than that to stop me."

Alex pushed herself to her knees, hissing at the pain that pressed down upon her shoulders. She felt Lucifer's feathers brush against her back moments before he attacked, and she flinched as his angel blade swung through the air. His blow was weakened by the spell, and Hephaestus easily sidestepped. His fist caught Lucifer in the jaw, sending the archangel stumbling. The god pulled a broken rusted sword off of the shelf next to him, and metal clanged as the two weapons met mid-air. Alex pushed herself to her feet with a grunt, her eyes lifting just in time to see Lucifer hit the wall behind her. He shook his head, dazed by the impact, and Hephaestus kicked Alex's angel blade across the floor and out of reach as he stepped past her to approach the archangel.

Alex threw herself forward, using his momentary distraction to grapple at the sword from behind, stripping the god of his weapon and twisting to position herself in front of Lucifer.

Hephaestus jerked back, hissing in pain and surprise; with a snap of his fingers, the metal hilt of the sword began to burn, glowing a painful molten orange, and Alex dropped it with a shout. A fist came from her left, and Alex ducked, both hands lifted in front of her face. She retaliated with two quick jabs to the stomach before she straightened up, rocking onto the balls of her feet to dodge the next hit.

A second fist came from her right, following in quick succession by a hit from the left, and Alex grunted in pain. She ducked beneath his arm, jamming an elbow into his ribs as she darted past, and Hephaestus spun around with a snarl.

His eyes went wide, his mistake realized too late, and Alex stepped back as he collapsed to the ground, revealing Lucifer, his blood-stained blade in his hands. The air lightened as the spell was broken, and Alex let out a sharp breath of relief as her grace could rise up within her once again. "Are you okay?" She stepped over the body to stand in front of Lucifer, reaching up to run her fingers along his forehead where blood trickled out of a small cut. The archangel nodded, and her eyes dropped down onto the body. "Shit. I — what if we changed the future by killing him?"

"It'll be okay. He'll be back before long." Lucifer pulled her hand away, holding it by the wrist a moment longer before he let go. Alex's eyes narrowed, confused by his confidence, and his teeth flashed in a grin. "Don't tell me you don't know. These pagan deities live off of their worshipper's belief. As long as enough people still worship them, they'll keep popping back up. He'll be up and about in time for me to kill him all over again in a couple of centuries."

Alex let him lead her past the body, her face darkened as she thought. "I didn't know that," she finally admitted. "So, they're kind of like tulpas?"

She turned her eyes up onto Lucifer when he chuckled. "Barely, but it that helps you." He paused, and Alex felt his cold hand come up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I have to say, you've grown a lot since I first saw you." The hand shifted to gingerly touch the small laceration on his temple. "Good work."

Alex's wings flittered at his praise. "I told you I can take care of myself," she retorted. "I don't see why everyone thinks that I can't."

She stepped aside to let Lucifer past, frowning at how the archangel chuckled. "All I meant was that you can fight better than you could five years ago. I think your track records still shows you need someone watching your back." Crimson wings ushered her closer, and Alex held back her scowl as she was pulled up against his side. "That's why we're such a great team, you know? I'm the Reese to your tiny little Finch." Alex frowned, and he squeezed her around the waist before he let her go. "Alright. Let's head home."