Deirdre.

Near noon the next day, when the sun was as high in the sky as it would get, I paused before the Wall of Deirdre, scanning the pictures. I'd memorized them all, so I didn't need to look at them. It gave me comfort to do so, however.

One picture in particular always made me smile. We'd gone on a cruise to celebrate the launch of a game that had nearly been an overnight success. At one of the ports, we went snorkeling and I had caught a picture of her in her mermaid-themed gear while she had been goofing off with some of the other kids. The look of unadulterated joy on her face brought tears to my eyes.

My resolve to complete the mission sprang to life once more.

I shut the door to my home office and retreated to my desk. Determined to have the device work and work well, I sat in the chair and settled. I lit the candle, which seemed to be a never-ending one; I'd had it burning for hours, and it hadn't melted down at all. Straight from Hell, I giggled.

I gazed into the mirror, and my eyes slid into a focus at a point behind it. The surface clouded in a swirl of gray smoke immediately then cleared, showing me George curled up on the bed, sleeping and peaceful. I was more than a little pleased with my progress from yesterday, but I still had much to do.

It was time to learn more about Sarah. I thought of her, and the image swirled again. It took some focused concentration to get it to settle on a picture of her and her Doctor Boyfriend having brunch at a small café. Their day, like mine, was sunny and cheerful, if chilly. It surprised me that they, unlike others at the café, decided to brave the weather.

I watched, and watched, and watched some more. While it was fascinating to know how I was watching, it was boring to do it.

In my boredom, I remembered: Nostradamus. He'd studied the future. Perhaps I could learn to do the same? I let go of the image in the mirror and picked up the little book to read. I flipped through it but found no help; it was a repeat of the lessons Lilith had already shared. I bet she can answer my questions, though.

I fire-snapped to Lucifer's office and discovered her at the desk. "Working on a Sunday?" I asked, teasing.

"It's our busiest day of the week," she said with a knowing smile.

"Really? I was only kidding."

She nodded. "Oh, yes. Most people who care about such things go to church and either confess or beg for forgiveness directly. But some, well, they want to find... other means to work with, or around, their sin."

"Huh." I had many questions I desired to ask, but I focused on the one at hand first. "I wanted to know something about the mirror. You said Nostradamus saw the future. Can I do that too?"

"Oh, I wish you could! It would make things so much easier. But unfortunately, it was part of his specific contract."

I deflated, my shoulders slumping. "And I have nothing else to bargain with."

"Well, I wouldn't say that. I would say, however, there's nothing else than he's willing to risk taking from you."

I was quiet while I considered what she was implying.

She smiled softly. "He's a good angel, you know, Fallen or not. And, he's coming to care for you a lot."

"So, I'm beginning to see. And, truth be told, the feeling is mutual. But..."

"But...?"

"Well, he owns my soul. Don't you think it would be a bad idea if we got involved? Shouldn't we wait?"

She chuckled and gestured around the office. "You do remember where you are, right? We're not big on self-restraint here."

I snickered. "Yeah, I suppose not."

She sighed deeply. "Even so, I agree with you. I think getting into a relationship, or whatever it is you two call it, with something like that over your heads would be a Bad Idea, with capital letters."

I couldn't help but groan and pinch the bridge of my nose. "I understand what we're saying is reasonable and what's best," I offered, "so why does it feel so crappy to choose not to date him?"

"Could it be that you want him?"

I pondered. "Yes. As much as I might prefer to ignore my feelings for him, I can't deny they exist."

"So, what are you going to do?" She leaned back and crossed her legs, playing with her black feather quill. I wondered if it was the one Lucifer had given the witch.

I set my jaw and declared, "The only thing I can do: fulfill my contract."

I fire-snapped back to my office, my determination renewed yet again, and sat in front of the mirror. It took much less time to find Sarah. She and her Doctor were saying goodbye after lunch. He was talking, and she was nodding. I wished I could hear what they said, but scrying didn't seem to work that way.

After a few quick kisses and a few last nods from Sarah, they parted ways. I followed her as she walked, heading where I didn't know; I presumed she was going home. She took public transportation, spending most of her time on her phone, like any other person.

When she got to her apartment, she went straight to her computer. Over her shoulder, I watched her order pizza. Didn't she just have lunch?

It took the pizza delivery forty minutes to arrive. I was getting bored and had just about called it quits when she grabbed the guy and yanked him into her apartment.

He laughed and grabbed her in return, pulling her into his arms, then sliding down to cup her ass. I got the impression it was a fairly common occurrence between them from the way they kissed.

Pizza set aside, as the scene became hot and heavy, I grew more and more uncomfortable. I didn't object to watching them have sex; I had issues with the invasion of privacy.

I'd almost turned from the mirror when something caught my eye. She was playing with one of her many Pandora boxes behind the guy's back while kissing him deeply. Finally, she got the thing open, and, in a slow-building of light, the essence of him gradually ripped away and was sucked into the box. His clothing fell, empty husks probably still warm from his body heat.

She slammed the lid shut, cutting off the light, and clutched it to her chest, smiling. She danced around the room a bit before setting his box down carefully and starting to dig through the clothes the guy had left behind. She donned his jacket and hat, grabbed the pizza carrier, and headed out the door with his keys and phone.

I watched her park the car in a residential neighborhood, leave the pizza on the back seat, and the keys in the ignition. I wondered about fingerprints, but since she didn't seem to care, I could only assume she left none. She walked away, disposing of the hat first, then the jacket, and, eventually, dropped the phone off a little footbridge into the water below.

What I had witnessed finally made an impact.

She's Hope! It overjoyed me for a moment, and I jumped up to dance with a good-natured George, but it was short-lived. I realized, now, I had to kill her and take her harvested soul to Lucifer for him to do Devil-knew-what to her. I stopped moving and let George wriggle out of my grasp. How am I going to do this? How can I do this to another person?

I remembered what Lucifer had said; she destroyed souls. She didn't just capture them. So, at some point, she would do something with the man's soul. The least I could do was to stop her before it happened. But I had no idea how.

The day was getting darker, the days shorter now. Soon, it would be fully night, and I bet Lucifer would visit.

Shit. Lucifer. I couldn't tell him what I'd found, but I also couldn't quit watching Sarah.

The monitor confirmed my guess that it was Lucifer when there came a knock on the door. Sarah was still on public transport again, cruising her phone. I risked taking a break.

I answered the door but barred his way.

He seemed surprised. "I cannot come in?"

I was jittery, "It's not that I don't want you to come in, but that you can't."

"I do not understand."

"I am... working."

"Oh! Then I will make you dinner while you work!" He moved to enter the apartment. I put a hand on his chest.

"You're not getting it, Lucifer. I want to see you, I do. But I'm working. On the contract. You can't come in right now."

"Oh. Yes. I see your point," he said, eyes flashing. "Well, I will go then," he stated, turning away.

"Lucifer?"

He stopped but didn't turn. But by the way he held his head, I could tell he was listening to me.

"I care about you too."

He spun around, smirking at me. "That is good."

"You know I have to do this."

"Yes. Yes, I do." He held his hand up. "I look forward to the next time I see you." I could see the greed in his eyes.

It was chilling.

He fire-snapped a portal and, without a word, stepped through into his office.

I slammed the door and ran back to the mirror. Sarah had made it home and was petting the man's box and dancing with it again, much like I had danced with George only moments before.

She opened it and poured the light out until it pooled, then reformed into a man, glowing an ethereal blue. She talked to him, and I watched his eyes enlarge and mouth gape slowly, horror playing across his face.

Faster than I could follow, she reached out for him and hugged him to her, capturing him with her stare. This time, he was not eager for the contact. He begged, then screamed, all the while staring into her gaze.

I shuddered as she showed him a knowing smile, with hooded, hungry eyes. In her heart lived a genuinely evil person. How the personification of hope could be in such a creature was unfathomable.

He fought her fiercely, but his struggles made no difference to her. She squeezed him until, without warning, he shattered like crystal. Shards of light turned to snowflakes and floated down on her as she danced under them.

As she moved, I imagined her humming to herself, drunk off the energy. My stomach soured. To witness a soul destroyed? It affected me in a way I didn't expect. I understood then she deserved Hell.

I was ready to collect her.