A/N: sorry this chapter is so long lol :3 i'm trying to wrap the story up and it's getting pretty crazy, but i still want to include details and dialogue and relationship progression between Dani and the characters so... yeah. just be ready for a long read...

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Charlie sighs. "I may have underestimated Alastor and his intentions..."

"Yeah, maybe just a little bit," I say sarcastically, cracking my knuckles and leaning on one hip as I frown down at my feet in concentration. "Okay, so let me get this straight. He came to hell, practically out of nowhere, and ended up murdering thousands of demons and toppling all of the overlords everyone thought were super powerful... and now he's trying to take your dad's position?"

Charlie nods.

I want to scream and pull my hair out by the ends.

Alastor and Lucifer are still fighting; I don't know where-probably somewhere within the cities boundaries, though. After Alastor struck Lucifer with multiple glowing, blood-red bolts of lightning, the fallen angel quickly recovered and threw a powerful punch against Alastor's jaw, causing the demon to fly backwards. Lucifer used the moment while he was down to fly away from the mansion like a scared bird fleeing a preditor. Once Alastor regained his composure, he let out a blood curling laugh and darted through the air after his rival.

Lilith, Charlie, Vaggie and I moved from the office to the main living room, where we are now, sitting around on the assortment of old-fashioned stiff couches. Glass had been sprayed all over the office from when the boys went crashing through the window, so we decided to sit in a safer, more comfortable environment with less glass and no broken windows to remind us of what was happening outside.

"Well then... why did he get me involved?" I blurt, hearing the frustration in my own tone. The damned guy got me mixed up in all of this stupid bullshit, and I didn't ask for any of it.

Lilith leans forward, her head tilting to the side quizzically, allowing a lock of hair to brush over one of her sharp cheekbones. "Maybe he has taken a particular interest in you, Danielle," she says in that velvety voice of hers. Charlie must have told her my name, because I never did. "Maybe you are of some value to him."

I stare down at my fingernails, noticing the layer of dirt caked underneath each one. He shouldn't have any reason to value me, because I have no valuable traits. I'm not a fighter, nor a manipulator. Sure, some might say that I'm persistant, and I don't back away from things easily, but that's just about it, not anything that will help him in this kill-all-demons-with-power plan of his.

"What a mother fucking prick," Vaggie mutters beside me. I look over at her, seeing the way her one visible eye is crinkled with fury, her eyebrows drawn so close together that they nearly form a single line. Her lips have been ironed into a vicious sneer that I'm sure won't be leaving her face any time soon. For once in my life, I understand the terrible anger that Vaggie is feeling. She's always seemed hot-headed to me because she will literally blow a fuse about the smallest of things, and yet here I am now, praying to the heavens above that God gives me the opportunity to choke Alastor to fucking death.

"I want to kill him," I say with a shocked lilt. "I really do. I want to rip his liver out of his stomach, shove it down his throat, and make him choke on it."

Lilith laughs smoothly from her seat. "Now that's the spirit," she encourages with a placid smirk.

I sigh, leaning over so that my head can rest on Vaggie's shoulder. She does not push me away, but instead scoots closer to me, making the both of us more comfortable. The gesture almost-not quite, but almost-brings a smile to my face, but at this rate, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to smile again.

I don't know what's happening with Alastor and Lucifer right now, but what I do know is that, right now, I'm on Lucifer's side. Of course, if worse comes to worst, I can always just say I'm with Alastor, considering the fact that he told me that once he wins the chess game, I will become his queen. That is an option, but I'm sure it won't come to that. I'm certain that Lucifer will find a way to kill Alastor, thus allowing everything in hell to go back to normal... that is, if there ever even was a normal. If not, things will definitely be better without the incessant, vengeful demon lurking around everywhere.

The thoughts I had when I was first coming into the mansion, the ones about wanting to save Alastor, too, have vanished like steam in cold air. There is no saving Alastor.

"Are you okay baby?" Lilith whispers curiously to her daughter, who has been silent for a while.

I glance over at Charlie; she looks like a mess. The pale skin under her eyes has formed little bags, and her rosy cheeks look paler than usual. For the first time since I first met her, her soft, luscious blonde hair is dismantled and knotty. A chilling glaze has formed over her pearly yellow eyes, making her look as though she's been traumatized as she stares at her legs. She is sitting, slouched over, on the couch next to her mother, hugging her stomach with both of her slim arms.

She doesn't say anything, just nods in response, which means that she definitely is not okay. I sit up, shooting Vaggie a frightened look. She returns it, equally concerned for her best friend. Although we care for her, we drop the subject. Pushing her to talk about her feelings won't help her, but instead might make her feel even more anxious. So we shut up.

The time passes by agonizingly slowly. We don't make much conversation after our last talk, but do occasionally ask each other what we think is happening with Alastor and Lucifer. Lilith keeps shooting me suspicious glances from the couch across from me, but I pretend that I don't notice, snuggling closer to Vaggie for security. After a while of sitting, Vaggie moves so she can lay down across the couch to be more comfortable. At first, I fear that I'm going to have to sit by myself, away from her warm touch, but she lets me lay over her chest and I cuddle into her like an anxious child.

She starts to softly pet the top of my head.

"I'm sorry," I mutter, my voice muffled from being squished against her.

She lets out a heavy breath. "For what?"

I can hear her heart pounding through her chest, and I try to keep track of the fast, yet steady, rhythm. It's quite relaxing, actually. I feel my eyelids growing more and more reluctant to stay open with each passing minute. "Everything."

"Nothing that is happening right now is your fault."

That's the last sentence I hear before I fall asleep.

I completely forget about Angel Dust and Husk in the car.

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"Just stop! Stop, stop, STOP!"

The frantic sound of the girl's voice jolts me into consciousness. I must not have been sleeping very deeply, because I immediately bolt upright, looking around in search of danger.

It is Charlie who's screaming.

The sleepiness that was numbing my body only moments ago has entirely melted away. Lucifer and Alastor have made their way back into the mansion and are now wrestling in a bloody heap on the dark carpet. Alastor has his legs straddled over Lucifer's chest, keeping him locked against the ground, and has the claws of his fingers digging into Lucifer's throat. The blonde man is making a terrible choking sound, one that reminds me of a living animal being dismantled in a blender. His eyes are wide, white, and glowing like diamonds in the sun, showing how desperate he is to cling to his life. His beautiful white wings are being crushed between his body and the ground, and I can only imagine how much pain he must be in.

"STOP IT!" Charlie screeches. She is trying to jump at Alastor in a hopeless attempt to get him away from her father, but Lilith is holding her back with a strong grip. It's a truly heartbreaking sight; Satan being strangled by the true devil, with his daughter and his wife spectating.

Vaggie is nearby, too, and I can see the musing glint in her eyes. She must want to fight back against Alastor, but doesn't know if it is logically the best decision.

I'm staring at Alastor-thinking about my hate for him building up in my chest like bricks being stacked into a tall tower-when she does it. Fueled by rage and surely adrenaline, Vaggie runs at Alastor, a spear suddenly in her hands. She lunges at him, letting out a cry as she plunges the weapon deep into Alastor's chest.

Charlie gasps dramatically and everyone watches as Alastor's body grotesquely jerks back with the force. He is only half lifted off of Lucifer, though, and although he has a chance to scoot away from Alastor, he must be too weak, because he doesn't move a muscle, just stares up at the ceiling, gasping, blood dripping past his dark lips.

Alastor stares down at the spear in his chest. I watch as he blinks down at the spear's handle, his radio-dial eyes whirling like crazy, then up at Vaggie-who now looks scared out of her wits, regretting her decision to attack-then back down to the spear handle once more. His long, blood soaked fingers curl around the wooden handle, and with one strong yank, another jerk from Alastor's spine, and an audible sucking sound, the spear is pulled from his body.

He carelessly throws it aside. It feebly clangs against the wall, the sound echoing through the spacious room.

"Why-" Alastor asks through his grinning teeth, "-would you do that?"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't m-"

Alastor reaches a hand forward, forcing Vaggie's sentence to be cut short. Her own hands snake around her neck in a deadly grip, choking her. She falls to her knees, convulsing as she struggles to get oxygen. Charlie screams again, but it's muffled now, for she has shoved her face into the crook of Lilith's arm.

I don't scream, but I feel a cold sweat break out over my skin, making it prickle uncomfortably. It feels like the wind has physically been knocked out of me. My chest feels hollow for a quick moment, making me shiver, but it is quickly filled with nothing but pure, unadulterated panic.

What is happening to her? What is he even doing?

"YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T HURT HER," someone screams.

After I notice every head in the room (other than Lucifer's and Vaggie's, for sadly obvious reasons) turn towards me, I realize that it was me who had shouted.

"My love, please don't tell me you took my words seriously."

Something is in my hands. It's my Glock. I don't have time to wonder if it's loaded, but I do click the safety lock off with my thumb, keeping the gun at my side.

"Of course I took your words seriously," I mock, stepping towards him, ignoring the fact that he's a mentally unstable psychopath who's covered in blood from himself and from Lucifer. His grin is corrupt, his eyes are wide with insanity, his soft hair has been tousled to the point of looking ratty. "We had a deal, you dick-sucking, power-seeking flake."

"You didn't hold out on your end of the deal," he continues slyly. "Isn't that right, my love?"

I hold the Glock up, aim with one eye closed, and, with a shaking finger, pull the trigger.

His neck bends backward with a snap that causes Charlie to whimper squeamishly.

I shot him square between the eyes, but I don't stop there. My shoulder bumps back with the recoil, but I quickly recover, using the time he's weak to shoot him in the chest. One time, two times, three times, four, five, six...

I feel a hand on my shoulder and look over to see Charlie's face. Her eyes look wide with fear and apprehension, her lips tilted downward in a way that looks permanent. She blinks, wordlessly advising me to stop shooting.

But my gun doesn't lower. I feel my teeth grind together with anger.

I pull away from her, stomping over to Alastor, and when I get to him I swing the butt of the gun hard into the side of his head.

He stares up at me, still on his knees, still crouched over Lucifer's still body. His smile has faded, but it's still there.

The mother fucker is still smiling.

"I would advise you to stop doing that, my love. I would really hate to hurt you."

I make a sound, sort of like a frustrated growl. "Then don't hurt me. Just let me hate you."

Alastor chuckles, cocking a single eyebrow up higher than the other. "You can hate me all you want, but you can do nothing to stop me."