❝YOU DON'T OWN ME, DON'T
TRY TO CHANGE ME IN ANY
WAY, YOU DON'T OWN ME,
DON'T TIE ME DOWN
'CAUSE I'D NEVER STAY.❞

     GENEVIEVE WAS CONFUSED by the events of last night — that much was clear to Linda, to whom Ginny had run as soon as possible in the desperate need of a long, enlightening discussion. Instead of helping her get rid of those feelings she so despised within herself, the sessions with Dr. Martin were only causing new ones to rise to the surface, and right now, Genevieve didn't care about turning her back on the emotions she was unfamiliar with. She just wanted to understand them. That was what she told Linda, reassuring the woman that she had no intentions to annihilate her, that she simply needed someone to confide in.

     And that was Linda's job, after all, so even if only the thought of having the Shedevil sit on her couch was absolutely strange and scary, Dr. Martin reluctantly let her in.

     "I was worried", Genevieve instantly blurted out, shuffling uncomfortably on her seat as she eyed Linda with a hint of shame in her expression, which confused the therapist — however, granted, Linda was still a little overwhelmed by Ginny's identity, and it took her a while to even realize she had said something. "For a... human", Genevieve then added with a quiet whisper, as if it was some big secret she wanted to keep buried and hidden to avoid anyone figuring it out.

     Nodding, Linda was still staring at the queen with wide eyes. "Right. Well, uh, who is this human you were worried about? A friend? A stranger?", she wondered, and her suggestions made Genevieve snort in amusement. But when she fell into silence and thought, she realized that she didn't have anything better to offer, no good answers, just uncertainty and doubt.

     "Something in between. I may or may not have used my supernatural charms in order to earn his loyalty and share his home", Gen broke into a sheepish smile, causing Linda's already confused eyes to widen only more. Sighing, Genevieve leaned back on the couch and offered a simple shrug as she continued, "I haven't given him the opportunity to become my friend, but if I was so worried about his safety and well-being, I suppose that makes us more than strangers. I'd never be worried for a stranger, obviously", and laughter escaped her lips as she thought about the unbelievable idea — caring for people she didn't know.

     But what did that make Daniel? More than a piece in her game? More than means to an end?

     "Obviously", Linda replied with a hint of sarcasm, which Genevieve failed to hear in her voice. "Well, why is it such a bad thing? Becoming more human, as you've put it... it might be good, too. Feelings don't necessarily hurt, Genevieve", the blonde tried to make the queen things in a different light, but instead of opening her eyes, Linda only made Ginny chuckle.

     "That's precisely what they do, Dr. Martin. Feelings cause agony far worse than imaginable. Physical pain does not compare to heartbreak or fear or worry or longing. Wounds heal and bruises fade, torture can be ended and sometimes, pain is just fleeting. But when your heart is falling apart and those nasty, disgusting emotions stir, there's nothing you can do but suffer. You can't stop it or help it. It's a damn trap, and one that I refuse to fall into", Genevieve explained, her eyes intense and her voice dripping with passion and anger as she stared at Linda and let the therapist hear it.

     And yet, Linda offered a sympathetic smile. "Again", she responded quietly once Genevieve had inhaled as a sign of finishing her rant, and it made her lift a confused eyebrow.

     "Excuse me?", Ginny didn't understand the meaning of what Linda said — or so she insisted. Perhaps she just refused to let it sink in and tried to keep her head up. But Linda was beyond willing to elaborate, much to Genevieve's disappointment.

     "You refuse to fall into that trap again. Because you've been down that road before — hell, I think you're still trying to climb up from there. Lucifer created you to be his wife, his loyal queen, but along with those good qualities came some bad. You developed on your own, and the wicked but fair ruler he expected to get, turned into a dark, evil being he wanted to push away. That's when you got a first taste of feelings — he turned his back on you, abandoned you, and it hurt. Your heart broke", Linda explained, "I can't imagine what it felt like, but I suppose, bad enough to drive you towards vengeance", her kind eyes meeting Genevieve's. But instead of being equally soft, Ginny's brown eyes were flaring with frustration — however, it wasn't because Linda was wrong. In fact, Genevieve was mad at how accurate it was.

     Chuckling darkly and without amusement to lace her tone, Genevieve leaned towards Linda. "So you've come to the conclusion I came to Earth for revenge. I appreciate you trying, but I'm quite sure even Lucifer knows this", the queen was unimpressed, or at least trying to pass as such, but she was assuming wrong. That wasn't Linda's conclusion at all.

     "No", the therapist smiled softly, surprising Genevieve. "I think, you're only using your anger and this idea of revenge as a mask. Maybe you haven't even realized it yourself, but the way I see it, you came to Earth and went after Lucifer because you still care about him. I understand that you are mad and hurt, but deep down, you're still clinging to the hope of a happy ending. He still matters to you — he's still your husband, and you missed him. Without him, you felt empty and lonely", Linda continued, and just as she was about to add how it was okay to care, that Genevieve didn't have to be so cold and careless all the time, the queen interjected with a glare in her eyes.

     "You are wrong. I don't need anyone, especially not Lucifer. You asked me why feelings are such a bad thing, and the answer is, they make people weak. They make me weak. I've accomplished so much without them, but the second I start to care about something or someone, my success comes crashing down and I can't take risks or play by my own rules", Ginny ranted as she stood up angrily, and then, she realized something. The wrath in her eyes faded away, and her lips parted slightly as she thought about it — of course.

     As she broke into a smile, Genevieve clapped her hands together and shot a grateful look to Linda. "Thank you, doctor! I see it now — I simply need to go back to my old ways and do what I do best, wreak havoc. I need to forget about rules entirely and just do whatever I please. Maybe that way, I won't have to run from my feelings, but they will run from me", the queen grinned proudly, feeling quite wise.

     Before Linda could say or do anything, Ginny had already fled her office, leaving her alone with her attempts to assure Genevieve that was not what she meant. Well, now Linda saw the resemblance between the queen and her husband, at the very least.

     Genevieve didn't get very far, when her body thumped against another and she stumbled backwards. Luckily, before she could lose her balance entirely and make an embarrassing fall, a pair of steady hands grabbed her and made sure the woman would remain on two feet. Frankly, Ginny didn't realize how familiar this situation was, not until she looked up only to find herself staring into Lucifer's deep, beautiful eyes with her own. Her expression hardened instantly, whereas Lucifer was taken aback by the unexpected bump in the hallway, but that didn't stop him from eventually breaking into his usual smirk.

     "Correct me if I'm wrong, but we've been in this situation before, haven't we?", he grinned smugly, his hands still resting on Genevieve's arms as he held her close to himself. It felt somewhat natural, but as soon as the queen realized that it was exactly what she was trying to avoid, she stepped back and gave her husband a harsh glare. It was then that Lucifer's smirk faded away, and his eyes turned to Linda's office with a hint of worry shining in them, which earned a snort from Genevieve.

     "Relax, Luci. I wouldn't hurt her, not when she is doing a fantastic job at helping me", the demon assured, but her words merely replaced the worry in Lucifer with confusion. He had so many questions regarding her comment, but he asked none — instead, he changed the subject into something that was still bothering him.

     "We need to talk, Gen", he attempted, but Ginny had already heard enough.

     "Unless that's code for gutting you, I think not", she shot him a sarcastic smile, right before walking past him with a rude shove to push him out of her way. However, before Genevieve could disappear from the hallway and find herself free from Lucifer's intoxicating presence, the man grabbed her arm and stopped the queen from leaving with his tight hold. This didn't satisfy Ginny in the least, though, and all it took was one fiery, cold stare from her to make Lucifer drop his hand from her arm, leaving the pressure of his grip still there.

     "I owe you an apology, love. What I said— I wish I could have seen your true intentions. But I didn't, and... I hurt your feelings. I've realized that I do that a lot — hurt others, I mean. Especially those close to me. You were right. And I'm truly sorry for doing that to you, Genevieve", Lucifer stammered and stumbled on his words, losing his signature confidence for a moment as he nervously looked at his wife, very aware that he had messed up.

     For a second, Genevieve felt touched by his words and smiled. But once she realized what he was saying — that he hurt her feelings, and how his words were awakening them again, she ended up rather unhappy and frustrated by the inconvenient emotions within her.

     Nodding, she stepped closer to Lucifer, who parted his lips only for silence to linger in the air and lowered his gaze to Genevieve. "I'm sorry, too", she whispered quietly, causing the Devil to lift his eyebrows in confusion, but he had no time to ask what she meant, when the queen had already pulled out a knife and shoved it towards his stomach. However, before the sharp tip could be plunged into his flesh, Lucifer grabbed the blade in his hand and as Genevieve continued to push it deeper, blood began to draw from his hands.

      It surprised Genevieve, seeing the red liquid drip from his skin, but it was a positive surprise in its nature — this confirmed that killing him would be no challenge.

     "Surprise, love. I'm done with feelings", Ginny spat, and with that, she pulled the knife away but was quick to make another attack, one that Lucifer managed to dodge as well. A loud thud echoed throughout the hallway as Lucifer's body hit the wall after the queen had aggressively shoved him off, and as the paintings came crashing down, Lucifer's eyes turned red with fury and he took a threatening step towards Genevieve.

     "And here I was, bloody apologizing, thinking you had actually changed. You are one hell of an actress, my queen", he smirked sarcastically, meeting Genevieve in the middle, their chests bumping into one another and their eyes equally red and devilish as they glared at one another. "I was hoping you had", he added with a husky whisper, but instead of being moved, Genevieve simply raised the knife again, proving that she truly didn't care.

     "I'm not your queen, Lucifer. That ended when you left me", she growled back at him, and with that, Lucifer stepped back with his eyes returning to their normal shade. Clearly, she had hit a nerve with the bittersweet memory, and whereas Genevieve claimed that she had grown numb to its touch, Lucifer wasn't used to being reminded of it. The memory was mostly a good one, as he had left behind a life he had grown to hate, and started a new one, but whenever the part where he abandoned his wife was brought up, he faltered.

     "Yeah", Genevieve whispered, "I thought so", the fury in her eyes deepening, but before she could drive the knife through Lucifer's flesh, the man grabbed it from her hand and made sure she would stand down.

     And he didn't really give her another choice. Without another word, but vengeance on her mind, Genevieve shot Lucifer one last glare before strutting away with confidence and sass in her quick steps. She would get what she desired eventually — and when she would finally try her hardest and give it all she got, there wouldn't be much left of Lucifer but his name and the memories Genevieve tried not to look back at.

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things aren't looking too good for,, genifer? ginnyfer? lucivieve? any ideas?

but don't worry, something different and new will happen soon enough! 😁