A/N: Written for bamonvamppancakes's prompt "Vera's next encounter with Lucifer after 1x03" on the fyeahverifer tumblr. If you want you can leave prompts in the askbox there (you don't need a tumblr account, you can leave them as anon) or you can leave them here. :)
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money with this piece. I just do it for fun.

When she steps into her hotel room, Vera has a déjà vu, except this time there's no laptop waiting for her - only him. Her first thought is to demand answers to all the questions burning on her tongue but something holds her back, a tight feeling in her chest that tells her to take second look and see. She follows that instinct, studies him standing in front of the window and watching the first rays of sunlight appearing in the morning sky, and for a fleeting moment, it appears as if he's surrounded by flames.

Vera blinks, and the vision is gone, but the feeling remains, and even though she's still doubting Rose's claim that he is the Devil, she can't deny that there's something inhuman about him. He looks immaculate in his black slacks and shirt, with the sleeves rolled up and his hands in his pockets, no sign of having been in the warehouse as it'd blown up unlike Raul, who looked like he'd been to hell and barely made it back.

"Where were you today, Vera?" He turns to face her and a strange sort of heat flickers behind his eyes. "You were neither with Raul nor with the others."

Never taking her eyes off him, Vera closes the door behind her and leans back against it. "That's none of your business," she says, her own tone flat, impersonal, even though her heart is beating fast.

"Oh, but it is." The glint in his eyes turns wicked and his lips curl in cruel smirk as he walks towards her. "Everything you do is my business. Unless you don't want to see Michael again?" The words send chills down her spine, fear coiling low in her stomach, but Vera pushes it down, focuses on the anger churning in her chest instead, the same anger that's been bubbling just below the surface since their first meeting, and narrows her eyes at him.

"Of course I do," she snaps, her voice sharp, hard-edged, and straightens up, her hands curling into fists at her sides, nails digging into the soft skin of her palms but she welcomes the pain.

"Then tell me what I want to know." His tone is just as hard as hers, just as cutting, and the smirk slips from his lips as he stops in front of her. "You know how this works, Vera. Quid pro quo."

He reaches out to brush a strand of her hair over her shoulder, his fingers lingering for a moment before sliding away again, and she shivers involuntarily, her skin burning where he's touched her even after his fingers are gone.

It's the only slip-up she allows herself, forces herself to keep her breathing even and face expressionless as her mind whirls with countless thoughts. It's an internal battle, the longing to get another clue about the whereabouts of her son warring with the instinct warning her that under no circumstances she should give in to his demands and reveal her gift to him - the longer he's kept in the dark the better.

Either she tells him everything or she tells him nothing - there's no in-between.

The second the thought crosses her mind, Vera realizes there is an in-between, the chance to get information about Michael without betraying Rose and the others, without betraying herself. She takes a deep breath and steels herself as she simultaneously relaxes her stance, and barely manages not to flinch as the corner of his mouth turns upwards, an air of triumph about him that's just as dark as the ruthlessness he exudes. He might think he's won but she has not yet made her move.

"I was trying to find out more about the meteorite from the crash site," she tells him, her voice quiet and tinged with just the right amount of resignation and capitulation. "But it was taken before I had the chance to run any tests."

He watches her silently for a few heartbeats, head tilted to the side and the weight of his piercing gaze settling heavy across her collarbone, and it takes all of her willpower to meet his eyes and not look away.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

Her breath catches in her throat as he leans in, and the warmth of his body is a strange contrast to his cruel expression, reminding her of the moment in the hospital when his harsh words had belied his gentle embrace too. "You wouldn't keep things from me, would you?"

She doesn't move an inch, stands her ground even though all she wants to do is run, and ignores the feel of her pulse racing in her throat. "What good would it do me?"

He chuckles but there's nothing kind about the low and husky sound. "You have changed, Vera," he whispers, reaching up again, and when he touches her this time, running the back of his fingers over her cheek, it feels like he's branding her soul. "There's something different about you and I don't think it has got anything to do with that small rock of yours."

He stares at her for what feels like an eternity, eyes intense and knowing and filled with something she's too afraid to try to decipher. It's a battle of wills between them, he's trying to wear her down and with every passing second it becomes more difficult to breathe, and just when she thinks she can't take it anymore, her head dizzy and her heart thundering in her ears, he finally relents and steps back.

"You can keep your little secret for now, Vera." His dismissive tone is completely ruined by the glint of red in his eyes and predatory grin he flashes her. "Sooner or later, I'll find it out anyway. I have my ways."

It's a warning, a dark promise, and Vera draws in a careful breath as he turns his back to her and makes his way back to the window, returning to his previous position. There's a beat and then two before he speaks again. "I suppose...since you did give me something, I should offer up something in return."

Glancing over his shoulder at her, he meets her gaze and holds it. "Michael is closer than you think, Vera."

The moment his words sink in, it feels like the world's rushing in on her and Vera tries to remember how to breathe. She closes her eyes for second, just a heartbeat, but when she opens them again, he's gone. With a gasp, she sinks back against the door, her legs too weak to support her weight any longer, and swallows down the wave of emotions clawing their way upwards.

Shadows are creeping in from the edge of her mind, a hundred thoughts spilling across it, but one thought stands clear above all the others. Whoever he is, the Devil or just a man, he won't stop until he's found out everything, every single step they're planning, won't hesitate to exploit their weaknesses to get the information, even if it destroys or costs lives, and that knowledge stabs into her heart like scorching hot shards.

- END -

I want to thank doodleklp, TornPages03, DawnInk, Emma, Hahukum Konn and StrawberryPeaches for their really encouraging comments on "Devil's Angel" as well as all those who fave'd the story like crazy. You are the best! ❤