January 20th, 2016
Fall Rivers, Massachusetts

The cold winter air seeped in through the stone walls, chilling the asylum's rooms. Alex shifted on the cold iron throne, her broken wings pulled tightly around her as she fought back a shiver. Her hands were pulled up into her jacket, her knees drawn up as her grace thrummed through her limbs. It didn't help that Lucifer's grace sat inside her chest, sucking the heat from her blood.

She let her grace stretch out, feeling through the halls in search of the archangel, stifling a frown when he was nowhere to be found. "Great." Alex slumped down in the uncomfortable seat, her eyes turning off to the side. "Where the hell is he at?"

A grunt came from the right, hidden in the shadows, and Alex turned her attention there with a frown. The sound came again, sharp with desperation, and Alex pushed herself to her feet. "Crowley?" Her wings curled forward as she approached, her good eye narrowed as she dropped down in front of the metal bars. Crowley sat inside, crouched in a small, cramped hole. His face was dirty, smudged with grime. With a twitch of her wings, Alex pulled open the metal gate, and the platform upon which the demon crouched automatically rolled out to bring him into the light. "I'm sorry, is that a ball gag?"

She yanked the gag out from his mouth, and Crowley worked his sore jaw with a grunt of pain. "Thank you." The demon's voice rasped, as if he hadn't spoken for days, and Alex tugged curiously at the thick iron collar around his neck, the sides decorated with sharp, rusted spikes. "What are you doing here?"

"Take a guess." Alex's hands fell back into her lap as she rocked back onto her heels. "The Winchesters were getting worried because you haven't been returning their calls. I told them I'd check up on you."

"Well, tell them to get me the hell out of —" Crowley fell silent, his eyes falling back onto the ground, and Alex immediately knew why. She could feel Lucifer behind her, powerful and cold, and she rose to her feet to face the archangel.

Crimson wings folded forward, and Alex returned the greeting, keeping her own wings low as she brushed her broken feathers against his. "What's going on here?" Lucifer crossed the throne room in three steps, and Alex's wings arched warily — they quickly fell back down with a single look from Lucifer. "It looks like someone let the puppy out of his cage."

Crowley crouched against the floor, his eyes fixed upon the ground, and with a snap of Lucifer's fingers, the gag was back in place. "We were just talking." Alex put a hand on Crowley's head, her lips pursing at the feel of his thin, greasy hair. "Sam and Dean sent me — they haven't heard from him in a while and were concerned."

Cold hands found her hips, pulling her close. "Well, you get to tell them that he's alive, safe and sound." Lucifer's grace flicked out, and Crowley disappeared back behind the metal bars. "Now. How was this hunt of yours?"

"Kind of boring, kind of fun." Alex crossed back over to the throne and plopped down with a shrug. "It was a qareen — the damn thing didn't die when I stabbed it with this." She drew her angel blade with a flourishing gesture, twirling it in her hands.

The tip ended up pointing directly at Lucifer's chest, and the archangel gently pushed it aside. "I'm not surprised," he agreed. "A qareen is little more than a heart; everything else you see is just a manifestation. This won't do much." His wings curled down around her, and Alex shivered as his grace pressed into hers. "What?"

"You're cold." She wasn't sure what Lucifer did, but his grace twisted, and the air grew warm. Alex reached out to grab his coat, keeping him close, and the archangel planted his hands on the back of the throne to prop himself up as he leaned over her. A smirk pulled at his lips, and Alex frowned, reaching up to touch his cheek. "It's too bad you couldn't keep your old vessel," she murmured. "It's ... weird ... seeing you in Cas."

Amusement danced across his face, and Lucifer's lips parted in a breathy chuckle. "And here you had me thinking that you preferred this look," he teased, his voice a whisper in the quiet \ room. "This is the one you chose, after all."

"I chose the angel inside." Alex reached up to tap Lucifer on the forehead, right between the eyes. "This one, it just doesn't fit you." Her eyes slid past the devil towards the set of double doors, frowning to find several heads peeking in. "Looks like we have company."

Demons? Lucifer mouthed the word, and when Alex nodded, his face hardened. His wings drew back, the feathers rustling as they puffed out in frustration. "Ah. That's right. They wanted to speak with me." He spoke loud enough for the demons in the doorway to hear. "You're welcome to stick around," he added in a softer voice, "or you can come back later. This shouldn't take long."

"I've got nowhere else to go." Alex slid out of the chair at Lucifer's unspoken prodding, circling around to stand behind the throne as the archangel dropped down into it, his crimson wings stretching lazily over the armrests.

He motioned the demons in with a dismissive flick of his hand, and Alex's wings lifted as five demons entered, all dressed in black suits. Feathers brushed across her stomach, and Alex looked over in time to see the archangel's fingers crook. "Come here." He waved Alex near; his hands grabbed at her jacket as Alex stepped forward, and she bent down so he could whisper in her ear. "I don't have anything to say," he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. "I just wanted to make them wait." The hands in her jacket moved upwards, creeping up to her collar to keep her near as he kissed her, and Alex felt her wings immediately fall down, spread out slightly to expose the soft undersides.

"You're an idiot," she murmured as she pulled away, and the archangel tsked. He tapped the metal armrest, and Alex rolled her eyes as she followed his instruction, dropping down to the ground to sit with a muttered, "You've got to be kidding me."

Lucifer's hand moved onto her hair, and his fingers tugged her head up as he leaned forward. "I think you look good on your knees."

"Uh ... sir?" One of the demons spoke up, and Alex ripped her head out of Lucifer's grasp, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. "Would you like to hear the latest soul numbers?"

"No." Lucifer leaned back in his seat with a dismissive flick of his wings. "Because I don't care." His hand returned to Alex's head, his cold fingers stroking her blonde hair as he thought. "Come on up," he instructed, patting his leg, and Alex watched as the demons exchanged looks among themselves.

One demon elbowed her way to the front, and Alex paused, halfway through pushing herself upwards. "How about an update on Amara?" she demanded. Alex felt Lucifer pause, and the demon's chin lifted defiantly, accepting his silence as permission to continue. "Well, the update is ... well, that there is no update. We still haven't found —"

"Sir, if I may." The first demon spoke, interjecting himself back into the conversation. "Since you've claimed the throne, we could use some direction." He shifted forward, and Alex glanced upwards in time to see Lucifer dramatically roll his eyes. "Any direction," the demon insisted. "We could deploy a force. Real boots on the ground, shake the trees to find her! With you leading the charge, of course," he hastily added. "We have had a coward, and a fool, at the helm too long. Perhaps it's time to —"

A low, quiet moan filled the air, and Lucifer lifted a finger to his lips to signal the demon to be silent. "Doggy wants to speak."

A wave of his hand had the metal bars sliding open to reveal Crowley. The gag fell away, and Crowley gasped for air, drawing in two quick breaths before he spoke. "How dare you?" Crowley hissed, his dull brown eyes locking upon the congregation of demons. "The impotence. The lack of humility. It's no way to talk to your master." His eyes turned onto the archangel. "Lucifer."

Lucifer's lips twitched in a faint smirk, his eyes glimmering in pleased amusement. "That's a good doggy," he praised. "Now." He turned back to the demons, and his fingers drummed upon Alex's head, his wings rising in the hint of a threat. "You want to do something? How about this?" He leaned forward in his seat, and his voice dropped. "Go to my crypt and bring me every weapon that's in there."

The demons scattered, casting looks back at Crowley as they left, and Alex pushed herself to her feet as the door closed behind them. "What's in your crypt?" she asked, moving to sit on Lucifer's lap. "I think ... I think I've been to one, actually." She screwed up her eyes as she thought, and her feathers rustled as she shifted her wings. "It's where we found the angel tablet."

She looked over at Crowley for confirmation, but the demon gave no indication that he was even listening. Cold fingers came to rest on her cheek, turning her head back so she was looking at Lucifer. "They wanted something to do, so I gave them that."

Alex frowned, turning her attention down onto Lucifer's coat as she thought. "What about Amara?" she finally asked. "The Darkness is a serious threat, and you can't just ignore her, not — not when you're the only one who can stop her." She lifted her eyes onto Lucifer's face, adding, "You can stop her, right? Tell me the truth, Luce."

"The truth?" The hand on her cheek moved to cup the back of her neck. "You know that I always tell you the truth." Lucifer's voice dropped low, too quiet for Crowley to hear. "I have faced Amara in the past, and Capital G and I slammed her into that pit."

"But that was with God."

"Yes, Dad was still on the team back then," Lucifer agreed; his hand tightened ever so slightly, a silent signal for her to watch her tone. "If you put me up against Amara right this second, I can't promise that I would come out on top." He tapped Alex on the nose, and the angel couldn't help but roll her eyes at the childish act. "Yes, I may be a bit under-equipped, and yes, maybe defeating Amara was a bit more of a team effort than I lead certain individuals to believe. But I'm not giving up yet." He nudged Alex off of his lap, and his eyes turned onto Crowley, still crouched in the corner. His grace snuck out to undo the chains, and he let out a high-pitched whistle. "Come here, doggy."

He pointed to the ground on the right side of the throne, and Alex watched as Crowley obeyed, crawling across the cement on his hands and knees with a muttered, "Yes, sir." His chains dragged behind him, a loud, grating sound, and the young angel stepped out of the way to let the demon past.

Lucifer watched him move, his blue eyes narrowed in thought as the demon settled himself beside the throne. His index finger dragged across his bottom lip, pausing momentarily as if to speak, but it was Alex who broke the silence, her grace twitching displeasingly as she saw the double doors swing open to reveal two demons."That didn't take them long."

"Not long at all." Lucifer shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat as he strolled forward. A wooden rack was wheeled in from the hall, filled with an assortment of weapons; most appeared to be spears, although something like a battle axe stuck out from the side, half-hidden by a gleaming metal helmet that shone with the brightness of an angel blade. "That's all of it?" The archangel's disappointment was palpable as he stopped beside the rack of weapons.

"Yes, sir." One of the demons removed a long spear and held it out, and Lucifer accepted it with a thin frown. "The requested weaponry from your crypt. Does it ... please you?" The demon's voice faltered as Lucifer rolled his eyes and turned away, and Alex let her eyes return to the showcase of weapons.

"Spare me." Lucifer turned away, running his fingers along the smooth, carved shaft of the spear. The demons disappeared, moving swiftly to get away from the archangel, and once the door closed behind them, Alex hefted the large double-headed axe from its stand. "Careful." Lucifer spoke with his back to her, and Alex paused, her fingers inches away from running along the blade. "Many of these weapons come from heaven itself. They aren't something to be trifled with."

"Yeah, I know," Alex lied, withdrawing her fingers and returning them to grasp the wooden handle. "Who the fuck used a battle axe, huh? Feels very Lord of the Rings." She swung the weapon around curiously, and her grace prickled against the material.

"How are your wounds, doggy?" Lucifer crossed back over to Crowley, balancing the gilded spear in his hands, and Alex's wings flittered at his words. She carefully set the axe back down, flinching as the handle slipped. It hit the floor with a thud, and Alex jumped forward to grab the axe before it clattered to the ground.

A quick look back at Lucifer showed that he hadn't seemed to notice, and Alex quickly righted the axe before she turned. Crowley pressed himself against the concrete, his head bowed and shoulders tight as he cowered, and for the first time, Alex noticed the dried, blackened bloodstains that decorated his clothes. "They are ... no less than I deserved," he intoned, and Alex crossed the stone floor to stand in front of him.

"What did you do to him?" She crouched down, her head tipped to one side as she looked up at Lucifer. "And why?" she added, her good eye falling back down onto Crowley. "What did he do?"

Crowley's eyes flickered upwards before returning to the ground, and Lucifer reached out to nudge his side with the butt of the spear. "Why don't you tell her, doggy?" he suggested, and Crowley winced at the impact of the shaft against his ribs. "Tell her what you've done."

"I ..." Crowley shifted on the ground, and his chains clanked against the cement. "I didn't return you before dusk, and I didn't stop you from joining in on that hunt." The response came quickly with a practiced ease, and Alex frowned.

"He hurt you for that?" Alex reached out, her hand coming to rest on Crowley's shoulder, but Lucifer knocked it away with the butt of his spear. "Stop that," she chastised, batting away the weapon. "He tried to do all of that, but I wouldn't let him." She pushed herself to her feet, her broken wings rising in the hint of a threat as she turned to the archangel. "It wasn't his fault."

Lucifer clicked his tongue. "He had a job, and he didn't do it." A crimson wing caught Crowley over the top of the head. "Keep going."

"I — I imprisoned you, tortured you, I-I ..." Crowley hesitated, and his eyes flickered over to Lucifer before dropping back onto the ground. "I owned you."

"Good puppy." Lucifer's hand went out to rest upon Crowley's head, and the demon visibly flinched. "Aww," he cooed, and Alex frowned to find that his attention had fallen away from her. "You're scared of your master. That's a good doggy." His grip tightened, and he grabbed Crowley's ear, tilting his head upwards as he pulled the demon up onto his knees. "But it's an act." Lucifer's tone darkened. "I broke you, but um ..." He bent over, his nostrils flaring as he drew in a dramatic breath through his nose. "Yep, I can still smell it. You've got that delectable little whiff of defiance."

"Luce —"

He ignored her. "You're just playing, aren't you? Waiting for your moment to retake the throne? Am I right?"

Crowley hesitated for only a moment before he answered. "Yes, sir."

Lucifer let go of Crowley's hair, and the demon slumped back down. "Well, then." He stepped away, leaning the spear up against one of the stone pillars as he circled around to stand behind Alex. His fingers brushed down her arm, his attention momentarily drifting from the demon before he spoke again. "Tell me, once and future king of Hell, you've been watching my role — what treasonous thoughts do you have brewing in that little head of yours, huh?" One arm wrapped around Alex's waist as he waited for an answer, and when Crowley didn't respond, a wing went out to flick the demon on the head. "What are you really thinking, hmm?"

"The truth, sir?" Crowley lifted his head to watch Lucifer nod, and brown eyes flickered over onto Alex before he spoke. "You're not strong enough. You had your weapons delivered, and you realize they won't be enough. If you thought you could beat Amara, you'd be taking the fight to her right now!" His voice rose, and he snapped his jaw shut with an audible click.

Alex felt Lucifer pause, and after a moment his fingers drummed upon her hip. "You're a clever doggy," he admitted, and Alex could hear the smile in his voice as his lips brushed against her ear. "But I think your attitude needs work. I'm still your master — did I let you out of that kennel too soon?"

Crowley's face paled. His whispered, "No," was lost beneath the ringing of Castiel's phone, and Alex stepped away from Lucifer to watch the archangel answer the call.

"No barking," Lucifer warned as he looked down at the screen. "It's showtime. Hello, Dean." His voice dropped an octave as he answered, and Alex knelt back down in front of Crowley, her grace sneaking out to feel for the deep wounds that decorated the demon's body. A foot tapped her hip, and Alex looked up to see Lucifer shaking his head, his wings ushering her back to her feet and away from Crowley.

She moved back to sit on the throne, reclining against the cold metal seat as she watched Lucifer speak with Dean. Her own phone vibrated, and she looked down to see a text from Sam. Found something that might give us a shot at Amara.

"What's that?" A push of Lucifer's wings had him standing behind her, and Alex tilted her head back to watch him stow his phone back into his pocket.

"Sam texted me." She tapped on the reply box as she spoke, her thumbs dancing above the screen as she thought of a reply. "Probably about the same thing that Dean just called you about."

"No. What's that?" Lucifer's finger poked at her phone, and Alex scrolled up to the image that she had sent several hours earlier.

"Oh, that's a dog." Alex clicked on the picture to show it off. "Sam and I sometimes send each other pictures of cute dogs that we see." She locked her phone and tucked it back into her pocket as she stood up, shaking out her wings with a shrug. "What did Dean want? Did he say what they found?"

"Yes." Lucifer's cold fingers danced along her jawline before he pulled away, his blue eyes momentarily darkening as he looked over at Crowley. "I promised Dean we'd be there as early as tomorrow morning." He stepped away and return to the rack of weapons, his crimson wings pulled in tight as he frowned at the poor selection of blades. "If you want to leave, you can. I don't think anything exciting is going to happen tonight." His eyes turned back onto Alex, running across her small figure, and one wing extended back, inviting her closer.

"I think I'll stay." Alex ignored the gesture, choosing instead to pick up the discarded spear. She twisted it, swinging the blade through the air as she tucked the shaft under her elbow. The blade pointed downwards as she bent her knees, leaning back on one heel to assume the crouched position. "It's been a long time since I've handled a spear." She shifted forward, twisting the oversized weapon so the blade was pointed at the far wall.

"Stop that," Lucifer chastised, and Alex spared him a quick look to find that the archangel now held the shining helmet in his hands. "That thing's more powerful than you realize. It's not a toy." Alex twisted the blade again, the tip scoring against the stone as she fumbled the footwork, and Lucifer's grace flicked against hers. "Stop."

"Make me," Alex shot back. Lucifer's eyes glinted, and she reluctantly returned the spear to its place against the wall. "I know my way around a weapon, Luce. I'm not twelve."

"You sure about that?" His grace tugged her closer, and Alex let her feet carry her to his side. "Because sometimes I think you're still a child." Alex scoffed, and the archangel let out a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Oh yeah? Let's talk about how many times you've been impaled since I was last topside."

"Okay, if we're talking literal impalement, it's only been like once and that was a long time ago," Alex defended, and her arms folded sullenly across her chest when Lucifer's cold smile didn't fade. "I mean, sure, I've been shot a-and stabbed a lot — a lot — but I'm an angel, Luce. It doesn't actually hurt me."

She reached out to grab the lapels of his jacket, tugging slightly to try and break the coldness from his face, and she smiled as his eyes softened at the touch. "Are you sure about that?" His cold fingers traced the pale scar across her eye, and Alex's gaze fell down onto the floor. "You're not invincible," he murmured, and his fingers moved down to rest beneath her chin. "You need me to protect you." His hands fell away when Crowley shifted, his chains painfully loud, and the archangel stepped away. "I'm going to put your pet back in his cage, and then you and I will find something to do."

Lebanon, Kansas

The frozen Kansas road crunched beneath Alex's feet as she landed outside the bunker, and the young angel turned her gaze around the frost-whitened landscape as she suppressed a shiver. Beside her, Lucifer drew in his crimson wings, oblivious to the cold. "Yuck." Alex drew her own wings in tighter as she hurried towards the door, her hands drawn up inside her jacket sleeves as she jumped down the metal stairs. "I think it's going to snow again."

Her grace prickled as she spoke, and she turned her good eye up to the cloudy grey skies. "I think you're right," Lucifer agreed as he followed her down; somehow, his cold grace was a comfort despite the sub-zero air. "A storm is headed this way."

Alex scowled out her displeasure as she yanked the bunker door open, and she rushed inside, eager to get out of the cold. Lucifer followed slowly, moving at a slow, casual amble, and Alex's grace snapped against his to hurry up as he pulled the door shut behind him. "Hello?" Alex started down the stairs, lifting her voice so it would echo through the room. "Sam, Dean?"

"Right here." Sam was seated at the war room table, his computer in front of him. Dean stood a few feet away, half-obscured by a wooden board that had been placed in the center of the room. There were three of them, actually, and Alex could see the corners of papers sticking out from the edges.

"You two came together," Dean noted, moving so he could watch them descend the stairs. "Should have guessed it."

"We met up along the way," Alex lied, glancing back at Lucifer. "I checked in with Crowley, by the way. He's alive and well, if not a little temperamental. I think the whole Lucifer thing rattled him pretty good." Her eyes turned onto the cork boards as she approached Sam; they were full of papers, pinned there with clear tacks.

"Unsurprisingly," Lucifer added, his voice a low rattle in his chest. "What is it you found?"

"Take a seat." Sam motioned to the chairs across from him, and Alex plopped down in the middle one, leaving Lucifer to sit on her right. "So," he began, "I don't know if you guys knew this, but the Nazis had a special branch devoted to archeology. It's called the Ahnenerbe. There were sites all over the world."

"That's ... interesting, I guess," Alex agreed, "but what does that have to do with Amara?" She leaned back in her seat, drawing her legs up to tuck them underneath her, and Lucifer's hand went out under the table, his fingers splayed and resting against her knee.

"Because I found something." If either brother noticed the gesture, neither showed any signs. "A weapon strong enough to give us a shot at Amara." Sam closed his laptop and reached for one of the books that lay open on the table. "They refer to it as the 'Hand of God' — I mean, that was sort of a catch-all term for several objects He touched on earth in Biblical times. But they're believed to contain traces of His power ..." Sam trailed off slightly as Lucifer straightened up in his seat. "What?"

"There were several God-touched objects, but it never occurred to me that any of them survived the flood, let alone the twentieth century." Barely disguised excitement glinted in Lucifer's eyes; despite the forced stoicism on his face, Alex could feel his grace tremor. He rose to his feet and approached the boards, his eyes turning across the diagrams and maps that hung there. He paused beside the middle one, one hand finger coming up to brush curiously across a printed picture of Moses and the ten commandments.

"Do you think we could use it against Amara?" Sam asked, and he pushed the book towards them so Alex could lean forward and skim through the pages.

"It's perfect," Lucifer promised. For a moment, his excitement took hold, and his voice rose higher than it should have; in the next second, he dropped it back down as he turned to face the brothers. "Where is it?"

"That's the thing." Sam pulled his laptop near and opened it up. "En route to Berlin, it was stolen. The Nazis searched high and low for the thief, but they never found their prime suspect, uh, a Delphine Seydoux. French mistress to a high-ranking Nazi. Thought to be a French traitor, until she killed her German love and made off with the weapon."

Alex glanced over at Lucifer, and the archangel's wings brushed against hers, curling around the back of her chair. "So she was, what, some sort of spy, then?" she asked, turning back to Sam.

"That's what the Nazis thought, but their investigation led them to a different conclusion. That she was an 'un femme de lettre.' "

"Woman of Letters," Dean added, a hint of pride in his voice as he translated the obvious, and Alex fixed him with a blank, tight-lipped stare.

"They got her out on a submarine," Sam continued. "A, uh, USS Bluefin. It sunk somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ocean."

"Great." Lucifer circled back around to stand behind Alex's chair. "I can get you back there."

"Without wings?" Sam's confused question had Alex internally wincing. "Cas, you can't even fly."

Alex's own broken wings twitched, and Lucifer's gaze turned onto her, taking a silent moment to gather his lie as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair back behind Alex's ear. "Time travel," he began, "is a — it's a whole different system." He ignored Dean's exclamation of, "Told ya!" as he crossed over to the left board to study the black and white nautical chart. "So, uh, these the last coordinates?"

"That's the Bluefin's last transmission to shore, yeah," Dean agreed, and he dropped down into the chair beside his brother, one hand slung back over the back.

Lucifer hummed, interest lifting his tone, and Alex pushed herself to her feet. "Wait a second, Cas." Sam's chair squeaked as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Aren't there still risks with time travel? I-I mean, aren't there consequences?"

Lucifer hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he processed the question, but Dean jumped to answer. "Sam, this is the ideal scenario," he insisted, turning in his seat to fully face his brother. "That sub is a tin can floating in the middle of the ocean doomed to go down. You can't really mess with history at 20,000 leagues. So we get in, get the weapon, get out. It's a milk run."

"Milk run," Alex repeated with an enthusiastic nod. Lucifer hummed out his agreement, and Alex pushed down her concern; maybe working a job with him and the Winchesters together wasn't a good idea. Lucifer's grace pressed against hers, a quiet reminder that she was standing there, mouth half-open, and she hurried to add, "It's a couple of people on a sub. How dangerous can that be?"

The darkening of Sam's eyes answered her question, but he let out a reluctant sigh. "Okay," he agreed. "It's not a good plan, but I'm in."

"No." Dean stood, and Sam did the same, his angular face scrunched in confusion. "You're not going."

"I beg your pardon? You — you want me to stay here?" Hazel eyes flickered over to Alex, and the young angel shrugged, unsure which brother she should side with.

"Just in case things go sideways, somebody needs to be left standing to take care of the Darkness. We can't risk both of us," he added, his voice rising when Sam's brow furrowed. "And at the moment, I'm the least valuable player! You all know that I can't kill Amara, so the least I can do is get the thing that we need so that you can!"

"So you expect me to sit here and ride the pine while you and Cas go play Jules Verne?"

"Yes!" Dean snapped, immediately followed by a, "No! I — who?"

"I'm coming, too." Alex added, breaking into their bickering, and both brothers fell silent with scowl. She felt Lucifer's wings twitch, stirring the papers on the board, and she turned to see the small frown upon his face. "Come on, Cas. I never get invited to play Back to the Future, and how often do I get a chance to go back onto a submarine, huh?"

She expected Lucifer to argue — in true Castiel fashion — but the archangel merely nodded. "Okay." He turned his eyes onto Sam, whose scowl had deepened tenfold. "I won't let them out of my sight," he promised.

"Okay." Sam heaved a resigned sigh as he turned to Dean. "Be safe."

"When am I not?" Dean pounded the table with a closed fist, a signal of his victory, and he pushed in his chair. "Let's do this, Cas." He crossed over to stand in front of Lucifer, and Alex circled around to stand on his other side, one hand going down to entwine with Lucifer's. "Bon voyage," he joked back at Sam, and Lucifer put a hand on Dean's shoulder as his wings rose.

Alex wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but she wasn't prepared for the rush of grace that surrounded them, cold and disorientating, and she tightened her grip on Lucifer's hand as her wings pulled in tight. The ground heaved beneath them, and her eyes stretched wide as she tried to catch sight of the air changing around them, but everything had faded to black — a black so deep, Alex wasn't sure if her eyes were open or not. The darkness lasted barely a second, and then Alex's wings flared out as the ground dropped away from her feet.

The darkness was fading, replaced with a watery-blue, and Alex let out a shout as she collided head-first with a large, metallic ... wall? Her hands went out to feel it, to push it away, but the object in front of her immediately vanished from her thoughts as her senses finally caught up to her. Her scream was drowned by water, cold and salty. Bile rose in her throat, forcing the water back, and her arms instinctively started moving, trying to push her out from under the waves.

Her blood pounded in her ears as she struggled upwards, straining toward the distant light, but something wrapped around her arm, pulling her away from the surface and back into the blackened depths. And then the whole world was gone.

She was standing outside in the cold, her shoes buried in snow. They were wet — everything was wet. Her clothes were soaked, clinging to her skin, and Alex barely had a moment to register that fact before she doubled over, heaving up a stomachful of seawater. Arms wrapped around her, holding her close, and despite the coldness of his grace, warmth spread through Alex's limbs. "Let's get out of the cold."

The world shifted, and the front door to the bunker was in front of them. Alex staggered slightly, unready for the transition, but Lucifer kept her upright, supporting her with one hand as he led the way through the door and out of the cold. "Cas?" Alex heard Sam jump to his feet, and she shook off Lucifer's help as she moved down the stairs. "Why are you —" He cut off, and Alex heard desperation creep into his voice. "Wait a second, where's Dean?"

Lucifer stepped past her, and Alex watched the water droplets roll off of his soaked hair. "We made the leap," he informed Sam, his voice flat. "He got on, we didn't." He looked down at his waterlogged coat as Sam's face went blank, and he explained, "We couldn't make it past the hull."

He stripped off his coat and tossed it over the back of a chair with a snarl, and Alex clenched her teeth as a shiver passed through her. "Someone must have warded the sub," she explained. Her canvas jacket was heavy on her shoulders, and she shrugged it off, shaking out her wings — somehow, even the ethereal feathers felt heavy and waterlogged.

Lucifer grunted his agreement and stalked off towards the library; Sam hurried after him. "Delphine?" he guessed. "It has to be — I mean, she's protecting the weapon, right?" Lucifer grunted again, tugging on his tie to loosen it, and Sam circled around to stand in front of him. "Cas, just go back to their last port, before she boarded! Leave a message so Dean knows!"

"Where?" Lucifer retorted; his voice rumbled angrily deep within his chest. "Where would Dean see it that the crew wouldn't? He's as likely to find the warding as he is any message I'd leave."

Sam's desperation faltered, and his eyes flickered past Lucifer to land on Alex, who was slowly making her way to join them. "Then send me," he decided. "You got Dean past the hull."

Lucifer scoffed. "Right. We'll double down on what screwed us the first time." His grace twisted in exasperation, and his imitation of Castiel momentarily faltered as he moved past Sam to lean against a chair on the other side of the table. "You're really bringing your A ideas today. I can't believe I lost it." Sam blinked, and Lucifer sighed. "Him," he corrected, and he lifted his head to look Sam in the eyes as his voice dropped low once again. "I can't believe I lost Dean." He sighed again, his fingers drumming against the back of the chair. "Well, it's up to him now to find and clear the warding."

"No. We can help." Sam hurried over to the bookcase behind him. "There's got to be something in magic o-or angel lore!" He pulled a thick leather-bound book off of the shelf. "Some way to clear the sigils from the outside."

"Perhaps." Lucifer sounded less than convinced, and his eyes turned onto Alex. They flickered downwards towards her feet, and Alex followed his gaze to the puddle she now stood in. "Come on." He straightened up and extended a hand towards her, motioning her towards him. "It isn't good for you to stay wet like that. We'll be back soon," he promised Sam, and Alex trailed after him, her shoes squelching with each step.

"Time travel sucks," she muttered, kicking them off as they entered the hallway; her socks soon followed, and she padded barefoot after the archangel.

Arms wrapped around her shoulder, and Alex shivered as the wet sleeve of his suit pressed against the back of her neck. "I'll take you someplace drier next time." Lucifer guided her into her room, and Alex locked the door behind them with her grace.

"There's some towels in the bottom drawer," she instructed, flicking a wing off towards the dresser. "May as well dry yourself off, too." She pulled off her belt and tossed it onto the bed with a frown, and she waited for Lucifer to pull two towels out and toss one her way. "Are you sure Dean made it on okay?"

"Yes." Lucifer rubbed the towel across his head, trying to dry his dark hair. "I made sure of that." He paused, a small grin upon his face. "I may not like him, but I'm a team player." He watched as Alex rolled her eyes, and his crimson wings motioned in her direction. "You should change. You don't want to catch hypothermia."

Alex's wings curled around her, and she slipped past him to dig through her dresser. "I should," she agreed, and she tossed a pair of sweatpants and a shirt onto the bed behind her before she turned to look up at the archangel. "You're going to have to wait outside, though."

Lucifer dragged the towel down across his shoulder; at her words he paused, and his grin grew. "I thought I was supposed to be your mate," he rumbled, pulling her close, and his towel fell to the ground. "What is Sam going to think?"

"I think Sam will understand." Alex planted her hands against his wet chest, pressing her grace inwards to rest against his. "I'm sure he'll appreciate the help with removing those sigils." Lucifer hesitated, and one of her hands slipped around to the back of his neck. "I'm going to go take a shower anyways," she added. "I smell like fish."

"You do," Lucifer agreed, and his voice dropped into a low murmur. "Fine. I'll go ... assist Sam for the time being." He kissed her, and Alex hummed before she pulled away. "Don't be long." He slung his towel over his shoulder as he stepped out of the room, and Alex gathered up her dry clothes before she crossed the hall towards the showers.

The warmth of the shower chased away the cold, and Alex lingered beneath the spray until the water began to lose its heat. Only then did she reluctantly step out onto the cold tiles, wrapping the thick towel tightly around her body. The air outside the shower was warm and humid, the mirrors foggy, and Alex quickly toweled off before she pulled on her clothes, ignoring how the fabric clung to her still-damp skin.

She stretched out her grace to find Lucifer. He was in the library, close to Sam; at the brush of her grace, he reacted, threads twining around hers. Alex threw her hair up into a messy braid before she skipped out of the bathroom, tossing her towel into her room before she made her way down the hall.

Sam was sitting in the library, his head buried in his book. Lucifer sat at the next table down, reclined in a chair as he stared blankly at the manuscript in front of him. His head turned as she entered, and one large wing stretched out towards her. "Welcome back," he purred, and Alex reached out to brush wingtips as she joined him at the table. "You look better."

"I feel better." Alex ran her hand across his damp hair, and she let her grace flow in in an attempt to dry the archangel's clothes; he stopped her with a quiet click of his tongue. "Find anything?"

The roll of Lucifer's eyes was enough to answer her question, and he slid his chair out, patting his thigh. Alex glanced over at Sam before she chose to sit on the table next to him. "Nothing." Lucifer grabbed her leg and dragged her closer until she was seated in front of him, her bare feet resting on the chair seat in between his spread legs. "There's a reason warding isn't easy to remove from the outside."

Alex curled her wings forward, turning her attention to study the new growth as she hummed out her understanding, and Lucifer's cold fingers moved to rest on her thigh, rubbing small, mindless circles as he watched her.

"Wait a second." Sam suddenly spoke up, and Alex glanced over her shoulder towards the Winchester. "I think I have something," he announced, and Lucifer's grip momentarily tightened on her knee. " 'The spell of gathering,' " he read. "It's an incantation used to focus the power of celestial beings — angels — against all drawn forms of evasion. The spell is designed to clear all mystical or occult blockages." He looked over at the two angels, hesitant excitement painted on his face. "I mean, this is highly theoretical magic — it's never been used before — but it sounds like it could work."

Lucifer hummed, and he leaned to the side so he could look Sam in the eyes. "And the ingredients?" he asked.

"Uh ..." Sam dropped his eyes back down onto the book, his finger dragging down the page, and Alex watched as his shoulders suddenly fell. "We have all but one," he announced, dropping back down into his chair. "That's why it's never been used before. It requires the power of an archangel."

He shut the book with a heavy thud, and Alex resisted from exchanging a quick glance with Lucifer. "Well, Sam, we may as well try," she heard him say, and she turned back to him, unable to stop herself from reaching out and dragging her hand through his hair to finish drying it.

Sam's anger flashed through the air. "Hey, come on, guys! Focus," he snapped. "We don't have time for long shots. Cas, even at full power, you're not strong enough." He planted his hands against the table as he pushed himself to his feet, and he stalked away.

"Is he ... is he okay?" Alex pulled her hands back into her lap as she watched him go. "It's been a long, long time since he's snapped like that."

She kicked Lucifer in the thigh, bringing her heel down onto the soft flesh, and the archangel's smirk darkened into a scowl. "It's not important," he promised, pushing himself to his feet. "I'm sure he's just worried or something." He crossed over to where Sam had been sitting and picked up the book, flipping through the pages to find the spell that the Winchester had closed.

"You think ... you think that'll work?" Alex asked as he returned to his seat, and he pulled her down into his lap as set his book down on the table. "What about ..." She dropped her voice low, casting a look around to make sure that Sam hadn't returned. "This thing needs archangel grace, and you — you're not supposed to be an archangel."

"True," Lucifer agreed, mimicking her quiet tone. "But I'm sure what the spell never considered was the grace of two mated angels." His grace within hers rose up, twisting against her own, and Alex grabbed at it and held it close. "Two angels in one, even if yours is ... so much less." His grace rose again, unhindered, and Alex shivered at the sheer power behind it, colder and stronger than she had ever shown before. Lucifer chuckled, and he pulled away. "At least, that's all we need Sam to believe."

He nudged her off of his lap, and she moved over to sit in the chair beside him. "Sam said we had all of the ingredients right here," she said, leaning against the table to look at the book in front of them. "What do we need?"

"It's all right here." Lucifer pointed to the list, and Alex whipped her phone out of her pocket to take a picture of the inked writing.

"Yeah, I think that's all downstairs." Alex jumped up to her feet, ready to hurry off, but Sam's reappearance had her pausing, her wings drawing in tight. "You're back. Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." Sam's eyes flickered across her before dropping onto the book in front of Lucifer. "What — is that the spell? Are you guys nuts?" He stormed up into the library, and Alex shifted back to stand behind Lucifer; one of his wings stretched out to put himself between her and the Winchester. "You're not strong enough, Cas! You could get hurt!"

"You know a better option?" the archangel challenged.

"Well, no," Sam relented, taken aback by Lucifer's retort, "but ... without a serious boost to your angel power, that spell won't even work!"

"My strength may surprise you." Lucifer reached out to put his hand on Alex's shoulder, adding, "And I'm not alone. Sometimes love can conquer all."

The line was delivered with a flawless, deadpanned expression, and Alex couldn't help the snort that exploded from her throat. She tried to cover it up with a cough, and she managed a, "He could be right," in Sam's direction before she hurried off down the hall. "I'll go get these things."

Like she had suspected, the ingredients that the spell required were all located downstairs in the storage room. Alex gathered all of the jars up under her arms as she stepped out into the hall, her grace flicking the lights off behind her, and she scurried off towards the stairs. She could hear a conversation in the library up ahead as she reached the second level landing, voices raised, and Alex's wings flicked nervously. That didn't sound good.

She lengthened her stride as she rushed down the hall, but when she felt Castiel's grace stir within her, she slid to a stop, her feet frozen to the ground. It stirred again before lunging upwards, and the glass jars clattered in Alex's arms as a shiver passed up her spine. "Cas?" The shout escaped her lips before she could stop herself, and she dumped the jars onto the floor before she bolted towards the library. Castiel's grace exploded within her, struggling against Lucifer's, and Alex slid to a stop inside the war room, her eyes stretched wide as she stared up into the library.

She didn't know what she had expected to see, but what she saw certainly was worse. Sam was on the floor, stirring groggily as if he had just regained consciousness, and beside him crouched Lucifer — Castiel. Broken blue wings lay at his side, pulled in tightly with fear, and blue eyes lifted at Alex's arrival. They turned back down onto Sam when the Winchester jumped, his mouth opening and closing as he fought for words, and Castiel reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "Sam, it's me," he soothed, and Alex's jaw dropped open as she felt his grace tremble under the strain.

"C-Cas?" Sam struggled to sit up, his eyes wide as he looked up at the seraph. "You — you let Lucifer in? Why?"

Castiel held him steady, rising smoothly as Sam scrambled up. "I wanted to be of service to the fight," he murmured.

"And only Lucifer can beat her?" Scorn dragged Sam's voice down; with his back turned, he still hadn't noticed Alex's reappearance, and the young angel took the moment to draw in a shaky breath, her own wings trembling.

"I can't!" Castiel snapped, and his voice cracked as Lucifer's grace twisted violently within. "It's taking all my strength to keep him from killing you."

Alex's legs quivered at his owrds, and she stumbled forward. "What's going on?" Her wings curled forward and then immediately drew back as she climbed the stairs to the library, and she lingered in the doorway as Castiel looked up. "Cas — what's happening?"

"I'm sorry." Castiel's body trembled in an uncontrollable shutter, and he grabbed onto a nearby chair for support, his nails digging into the wood. "This is something that I had to do."

"No, Cas, you didn't!" Sam moved back, his eyes wide as he placed himself between the two angels. One arm went out, the sleeve of his shirt brushing against Alex's chest as if to keep her back; not that she had any intention to move closer. "You — you have to fight, Cas! Eject him now. We ... we'll find another way to stop Amara."

Castiel shook his head, and his wings fell. "We need him to save Dean."

Alex felt Sam tremble slightly, but to his credit, his voice didn't waver. "You can't time travel."

"Only Lucifer can."

"L-Lucifer?" Alex stammered out the word, and her grace rose up, pressing against Castiel's — who would have thought that the seraph's grace would be so warm yet so thin in comparison to the archangel's tidal wave of power? She felt him react, a reluctant response, and she pushed deeper in search of Lucifer. She found it, wrapped in an intricate knot deep within the seraph. It struggled, writing violently, but the moment it brushed against Alex's, it paused. It fell still, as if stunned, and then it exploded. "Cas!"

The lights flickered, and Castiel's thin broken wings burst into color. "Cas? Cas is gone." Crimson wings stretched high, the feathers unfolding from thin air, and Lucifer rolled his head from side to side, a frown upon his face. "He won't be coming out for a long time."

"Lucifer." Sam spit out the name, and he shifted back, his arm still stretched out to keep Alex safe behind him.

The action had Lucifer's gaze flickering back onto him, and he chuckled. "Oh, hey there, Sammy. Sorry about that." He rolled his shoulders, his wings twitching, and his eyes returned to Alex. "Well? Did you find the ingredients?"

"Y-Yeah." Why was her voice shaking? Alex cleared her throat to try and steady it, doing her best to ignore how Lucifer chuckled. "It's in the hall. What —" She turned her eyes up onto Sam, frowning at the blood staining his cheek. "What happened?" She reached up to touch the wound, her grace sliding in to heal the small cut.

"He tried to kill me," Sam hissed.

"And I'm still tempted to do so," Lucifer joked; the humor didn't quite reach his cold eyes. Alex ducked under Sam's arm to put herself in front of him, and this time, the archangel's eyes flashed in amusement. "Don't look at me that way. He wasn't going to let me complete the spell — which is the only way to get Dean back," he reminded Sam.

Alex heard the Winchester's teeth grind as he squared his jaw. "Why do you want Dean?" he challenged.

"I don't. I want the Hand of God." With a flick of Lucifer's grace, the ingredients that Alex had retrieved lay on the table in front of him. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bring both of them back." A snap of his fingers had the ingredients in the bowl, and his hand glowed as it hovered over the spell.

The air exploded around them, knocking the ground out from Alex's feet, and she stumbled, grabbing onto the table to steady herself. Sam wasn't so lucky, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Lucifer was gone, leaving nothing but a faint trace of his grace, and Alex stared at the empty air for only a second before she turned to look down at Sam. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"What the fuck?" Sam pushed himself up into a sitting position, rubbing at his head. "Did you —" He cut off as wings fluttered, and Alex spun around to find Lucifer standing on the other side of the table, Dean at his side. "Dean!" Sam struggled to his feet. "That's not Cas!"

Dean paused, confusion darkening his eyes as he looked over at his brother, and his face paled as he turned towards Lucifer. The archangel wore a grin on his face, somehow almost sheepish in nature. "Cat's out!"

He grabbed Dean by the shoulder and tossed him across the table, and Alex jumped out of the way as the Winchester hit the ground and rolled towards the wall. "Hey!" Alex's wings flared out as she spun around to face Lucifer. "Don't hurt them!"

Her wings fell down when Lucifer's eyes turned onto her, and she felt Lucifer's grace wrap smoothly around her. "I won't," he promised. "I know what they mean to you, little one."

"You —" Dean gasped for air as he struggled to his feet. "Did you know about this? Alex —"

"Sh." Lucifer brought a finger up to his lips. "She didn't know anything about this. Did you?" Alex's mouth fell open, unsure how to respond to the lie, and the archangel grinned. "Yes, yes, it's actually me. You know, I feel a burden lifted. This whole 'deep cover' thing, it just wasn't — it wasn't terribly well thought out." He tapped the table with a roll of his eyes. "Donning this — this Cas mask? This grim face of angelic constipation? It's just ... ugh." His wings shuddered.

Dean pushed himself to his feet, but Lucifer's grace spiraled past Alex to shove him up against the wall. "Why the faces, boys? You should be cheering." He bent down to pick up a cloth-wrapped item with a click of his tongue. "We have a common enemy. With this—" He held up the package, "— she will be no problem — don't." Grace rushed past her to yank Sam to his feet, and the Winchester cried out in alarm, a knife falling to the ground. "Blast me out of here, and she goes, too."

Alex spun around to see an angel sigil painted on the wall in blood, and her face paled as she looked over at Sam. The Winchester grunted in pain, suspended in the air, and Alex reached out to take his hand and guide him back down to the ground. "He's not going to hurt you, is he?" She hissed the last words over towards Lucifer, and the archangel's grace pulled back to let go of Sam.

"Oh come on, guys." He released Dean, and his wings fell down to his side as he started to unwrap the cloth. "If I wanted you dead ... you'd be dead." From within the bundle he pulled out a shard of wood, the edges worn with age. "But, let's see how this works, hm?"

"No!" Dean threw himself forward, his face blank with horror, but Lucifer easily fended off the attack, sidestepping the blow and shoving Dean away; the gentle push sent the Winchester across the room.

Lucifer's fingers curled around the piece of wood, and Alex felt his grace flow inwards. She flinched away, expecting to feel the influx of power rush through her like a hurricane, but there was nothing. Lucifer's eyes snapped open, and the wood cracked as he squeezed it. "It's kicked!"

"Well." Dean struggled to his feet, and Lucifer's eyes snapped down onto him, his wings flaring up. "Who'd've thought that the Hand of God would turn out to be a one-hitter?"

The archangel scowled as he tossed the wood onto the table, and Alex moved forward to put herself between him and Dean, one hand on Lucifer's chest. "Don't hurt him," she begged. "Please, don't hurt them."

"I won't." Lucifer's wings fell down, and his hands came up to cup her cheeks, holding her face as his voice into a low murmur. "And you know that I'll never lie to you." Lucifer's hands fell away and he disappeared, his wings carrying him up and out of the bunker.

Silence fell upon the room, and Alex closed her eyes as she waited for Sam or Dean to speak. "Are you okay?" Sam stepped towards her, and Alex spun around, her eyes stretching wide as she searched for any sign of anger upon his face.

"Are you serious?" Dean immediately added, his glare moving between Alex and Sam. "Lucifer? Lucifer is walking around riding shotgun in Cas' skull, and you didn't say anything?!"

"Dean, she didn't know." Sam jumped to defend her, and Alex's wings pulled in close. "Lucifer said that, remember? Why would he lie about that?"

"I don't know, maybe because he's the fucking devil," Dean spat. "How do you not know that your goddamn boyfriend is possessed by Lucifer?" He picked up the Hand of God with a dark scowl. "When did this happen, huh? Last month when we went down into hell? Cause that would make a hell of a lot of sense." He tossed the chunk of wood at Alex, and the angel fumbled the catch. "A few months ago, you and Cas couldn't stand to look at one another, and now you're all over each other — doesn't sound like a coincidence to me."

Alex's jaw trembled, searching for a response; part of her wanted to run, run as far away from the bunker as she possibly could, but she held her ground as Lucifer's grace shifted within her. "I — I don't know," she said again, letting her insistence crack her voice. "He just ... he just changed, and I thought it had something to do with Crowley, or with Lucifer, but I didn't think ..."

Sam's arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close as he scowled over at his brother. "She didn't know, Dean. Okay? Listen, I know you're mad, but don't take it out on her."

"Oh, come on, Sam. Lucifer, the guy whose been in her head for — for how many years? — he just shows up and she hangs out with him without somehow realizing it?" Dean scoffed, and Alex's jaw clenched. "Did she tell you what the qareen showed her, Sam? Her darkest, deepest desire?"

"Dean, stop it." Alex felt Sam's muscles tense as he squared off with Dean, and Alex's wings drew in tight. "She just saved our lives." He straightened as Dean's mouth snapped shut, and Dean snatched the Hand of God out of Alex's hands as he stalked out of the library. Alex watched him go, only turning to look up at Sam when his shoulders slumped.

"Sam ..."

"Don't." Sam slumped up against the table, his chin dropping to his chest. "Look, I ... let's just move on, okay? You're here, Lucifer's ... he's gone, for now."

"I'm sorry this happened, Sam." Alex leaned up against the back of a chair, thankful for the support. "I mean, n-not just Lucifer, but the Hand of God ... all that work for nothing."

"Yeah." Sam heaved a heavy sigh, and the air around him prickled. "You ... you trust him, don't you? Lucifer," he explained when Alex's brow scrunched in confusion. "I-I mean, you seemed surprised to see him, but that was it."

I was surprised to see Castiel. Alex kept the revelation to herself, choosing instead to nod in agreement. "I wasn't scared," she admitted. "He could have killed you two, but he didn't because of me. Read into it how you want, but there's something comforting in that."

"Maybe." Sam didn't sound as confident as she did, and he shifted against the table. "Look, I'm sorry about Cas —"

"Don't be." Alex flicked her wing angrily. "There's nothing to be sorry about. He chose to let Lucifer in knowing the consequences. I — I mean, even for him, that's a dumb move, right? Especially knowing how ... complicated things were with me and Lucifer. And with Amara being loose," she quickly added when Sam's eyes flickered onto her. "Like you said ... she's trouble enough on her own."

"Cas must really think that he can stop Amara." With a sigh, Sam pushed himself off of the table. "I'm going to check on Dean, see if he needs anything. You ... should probably give him some space."

"Yeah. You read my mind." Alex watched him go, and she finally let her wings droop in exhaustion and disappointment. Fuck. That hadn't gone anything like she was hoping — of course, she had been hoping that this never would have happened. Her grace instinctively went down to probe at Lucifer's, searching for comfort, and she pulled away with a sharp scowl. No, not today. Not right now.

"Well, that was awkward." Lucifer appeared at her side, propped up on the table, and Alex spun around, eyes wide. "They're not around," he promised at the sight of her open mouth, and crimson wings ushered her closer in. "You don't have to worry."

"Well, I am." Alex kept her voice at a low hiss. "Dean already suspects me, and I don't know why Sam doesn't." Her shoulders slumped and she leaned into his arms, pressing her face into his shoulder. "They're going to hate me."

"Sh." Lips pressed up against her temple, cold and soothing. "Sam's blind when it comes to you. He'll protect little ol' you for mean, suspicious Dean." His wings wrapped tightly around her, a soft, heavy blanket, and Alex couldn't help the soft noise that escaped from her throat at the feeling.

Lucifer's words repeated in her mind, and she hesitated, confused by the claim. "I think ..." she finally began, "I think we should probably keep our distance for a while. If they catch us ..."

She suppressed a shiver at the thought, and Lucifer's breath stirred her hair. "Tell you what. If it makes you feel better, I'll be a little bit more careful about when I come and go. How hard can it be to avoid Dumb and Dumber?" Footsteps echoed through the hall, and Lucifer's nose dragged down her cheek as he pulled back, his wings falling away. "I'll see you tomorrow, little lamb."

...

I think it's time that I take a short hiatus. Between working full time and my new kitten (just got him yesterday yay), I'm falling behind in a lot of things - I still haven't finished the final chapter in this season, and it's been in progress for a month haha. Hopefully this short break will give me the time to finally piece it together.

I will be back Monday the 26th!