I have been away for some time, but I didn't forget about the story. I started it, I'll finish it. Just got a bit derailed by "Sherlock". :o)

Have fun.

Ainin Grey


Chapter Seven

Tom dipped the cotton bud into the lotion and spread the antiseptic on her with cuts strewn hands. »'e doesn't know whereya are. Try to relax.«

She wiggled her fingers. Apparently no sinews were hurt. »There is no safe place for me anymore«, she silently stated. »He will find me. Wherever I might run to. He will find me.«

»That's what we are hoping for«, Spencer said and handed her a glass of whisky. »Because that is the plan.«

»Plan?« Ainin drank and coughed. She'd never liked alcohol anyway.

Nate knelt down in front of her. »We will protect you. Never doubt that.«

She smiled weakly. »Just the thought of Lucifer – and we know that it was mostly him – destroying you…« She peered around him. »You and Alex. I couldn't stand it.«

»Though you are afraid of yourself now, hm?«

Ainin scoffed. »I burst out into fire. Into bloody fire. A human torch, Jesus. How could that not scare me?«

»There's nothin' wrong withya!« Tom stated. »You're jus' special.«

»But how can that be?« She looked up at him. »All you smell is human. And for all I know this is what I am. So how can I call fire and light myself up?«

»I suppose, Lucifer is the one who knows the why«, Geoffrey replied. »Sorry for that. But at least it explains his interest. He wants to control you so he can use you.«

»Great. A living weapon.« Ainin leaned back in the armchair and sipped on the whisky. The liquid burned in her throat. »I have never been the one for the easy way, but that turns out to be a little too derailed.« She exhaled. »So what exactly is the plan?« Warmth spread in her belly.

»We will take you and the coffin to Holy Falls«, Simon explained. »Everything is ready.«

»We will await him there«, Spencer said. »And then we'll get him.«

»The cloister is not a public place. He can't simply enter it.« Geoffrey went on. »We will know when he arrives. As everything has changed he might not have such a big problem to walk into a house of God.«

Ainin smiled. »The vampire is too old to be held back by churchly buildings or symbols. It's the belief. Prayers. I used them to temporarily keep him at bay. Keep them both at bay.« She handed the glass back to Spencer. »How did you find me by the way? Nate? Alex?«

Tom grinned. »Nope. We foundya using one of his kind. Ironic, hm? Lucifer betrayed 'is father 'cause of 'is ego. And now one of 'is devoted follwers does the same. Loris did it.«

»He started to realise that he had brought real evil upon this world. And simply wants to be rid of it.«

»Speaking of Loris«, Spencer commented. »Don't you think we should…« He moved his finger along his throat.

»No!« Ainin objected. »He will be punished for what he did. But that won't be served by us. We won't be death's henchmen. Let him go.«

»Arya sure?« Tom asked.

Ainin got up. »Yes, I am sure. As sure as I am that I need a shower now.«


Hal sat in the dark room and licked his wounds. The pain was long gone now. But the anger was still present. Her prayers had been like a knife in his mind. Not exactly the words she spoke but her joy that she could harm him with it. It didn't even ease the hurt to know Lucifer had gotten his deserts out of it, too.

»You will answer me now!« Hal said breaking the silence. »You are fucking with my mind because you so easily get access to my primal needs. And I am not denying myself anymore. But you will bloody answer me. What do you want from her? Who is she? I almost lost myself just breathing her. And she almost burned me down to ashes. Is this what you want? Mind games? Getting me killed, so you can pick and choose again? A weaker host perhaps? One that willingly plays along? Or one whos tormented mind you just blow away?«

Silence.

Hal laughed. »Honestly? You think that works? There is this weird emotion that makes me think you even love her as much as you despise her. Well, I want her, too. But I need to know what I am dealing with, don't I? I am not stumbling blindly along anymore. What is it? What is it with that woman that draws you so and throws me at the brick of spiralling downwards?«

You want to know? Lucifer asked. Well, let me show you…

»You will leave me«, a man with blonde hair, who has turned his back on an unknown dark haired woman, says. He stands at a high cliff wall and stares down at the sea.

Lucifer and Ainin? But what the…

»I cannot stay.« She answers silently. »But I don't expect you to understand it.«

»I understand more than you concede me to.«

»But you will try to change my mind.«

He turns around and marches closer to her. »Just walk away with me. Leave everything behind. I thought that was what you wanted.«

She sighs. »If that could just be the truth. I know you, dear. Your hate is stronger than your love. And I cannot save you, however much I try.«

He takes her in his arms. »We crossed the border. We woke up from the deception. We are more than we ever thought we would be. We are not just hollow shapes carrying out our maker's will.«

»Then prove it to me!« she demanded.

He kisses her. »I'd rip myself into pieces for you.«

»Then fall down with me, love.«

Lucifer's emotions washed over him as he was reminiscing. Tears streamed down Hal's face. He should not know. He should not see. But still he felt… He had loved, dear god, Lucifer had truly loved.

Smouldering ruins. Dead bodies scattered around. Blood soaking the sand.

A blonde man kneels on the ground holding a dark haired woman in his arms. He weeps and cries.

Her eyes stare into the nowhere. She is dead.

A dark clothed man approaches. »It's time to leave«, he says.

Lucifer lifts his head. »Where to?«

»Heaven waits. She waits.«

He shakes his head. »No.« And blinks his tears away. »That was what she wanted. Now see, brother, what they did. Our father's beautiful creation. Full of creed, anger and lust for blood. I am not kneeling down anymore. There will be war.« Lucifer lifted a finger and pointed at the other angel. »Tell our father that it wasn't me who brought it on. They started it. And now they will suffer. Heaven will suffer.«

Hal blinked perplexed after the vision had vanished. He rubbed the tears away from his cheeks. »So you didn't hate humanity right from the start?«

A snicker. Guess again. A sigh. But I was willing to walk the path. For her. It always was for her. But when humanity took her life… I went to war.

»But that must have happened a few thousand years ago. How can Ainin be her?« Hal was confused.

Usually you are not that slow in the brains, my friend. Lucifer teased him. Add 2 and 2.

»Ainin...« Hal gaped shortly. »She is an angel, too? Of course she is. So she didn't really die?«

Her human host did. The angel went to heaven.

»So you could have just followed her«, Hal stated and smiled. »But you didn't. Her "death" gave you the perfect excuse to use it for what you really wanted. Ambitions in power. Takes one to know one, my... friend.«

Indeed.

»But you loved her. That wasn't a mind game. It was real. I know it.« Hal leaned his head against the wall. »But she was right, wasn't she? Your hate was stronger than your love. So you sacrificed her for the sake of power.«

Nothing you are unfamiliar with.

»Indeed.«

A few moments passed in silence.

»How can you be sure, Ainin is her?«

It is her. She is still there. The fire is the angel seeping through.

»It doesn't really makes sense, you know? She went to heaven thousands of years ago. Ainin is apparently 32 now.«

Of course it's never the same human, you twat. Lucifer scoffed. She had plenty of lives since then. But it is always her. Her ingenium is placed into a human child right after birth and she lingers on until death. That the angel is dormant is Azrael's doing. She wanted humanity, so she got lots of humanity and a heavy memory loss at the end of every cycle.

»But what do you truly want? The way you seem to fear her… Why would you want to wake her up?« Hal sighed. »There is more. Way more, you're not telling me.«

There always is more, my friend. But for now we need to get to her. And for the record. I don't want you proper dead. Why would I throw the strength of a vampire away for the weakness of a human? I just didn't think she'd be that strong already.

»Is that an apologize?«

You want her to be yours as I want her to be mine again. Lucifer did not respond to the question. And that is nothing I can force upon you. I can make you do a lot of things but I can't force you to love. That is you. A humming melody in your mind, brother. You can't hear it but I can. Loud and clear. Don't tell me that a single word out of her mouth does not arouse you?

»But I won't let you tear her apart!« Hal objected.

I don't intent to. Though I expect you not to believe me.

»Damn right. Plus I could just decide to let her walk away.«

Snickering again. You are already burning. Because you think that she can save you. She can change you. All of you. Turn your head and your fate. And least of all rid you of me.

»And you are doubting that«, Hal scoffed. »So apparently I'm not the only one with ego issues.« He exhaled. »So how do we find her?«

Lean back and let me drive for a while.


Ainin took the blood stained gown off and carelessly threw it to the ground. She turned on the tap in the shower cabin and looked into the mirror over the sink. A pale bugaboo stared back. Her hair messed, rings underneath her eyes. Her hands hurt but the antiseptic already waved its magic and stuck like glue to her skin. It felt strange when she touched it. She smiled. Well, she had spilled blood, yeah, but not in the way he had wanted her to.

When the water temperature was perfect she stepped into the cabin and exhaled as the water started to caress her skin. She lowered her head and enjoyed how the warmth relaxed her muscles.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, then a second travelling down her spine. A body was pressed against hers. Lips kissed her shoulder blade. She yelped and freed herself. When she turned around HE looked at her.

He placed a finger on her mouth. »Just let go. I will hold you.« He pulled her to him and embraced her.

Ainin tensed but forced herself to look at him. There was a strange flicker in his eyes. Not red, not black; more a mixture of it. He smiled and kissed her, while his hands left a burning trail on her skin.

She couldn't help but moan. Although her sanity told her not to give in, she leaned against him. He laughed and pushed her against the tiles. She clung to him, digging her nails into his flesh. He kissed her again and again until her lips burned and the ground underneath her feet started to swirl.

Something cold hit her. Ainin jumped and shook her head. She realized that she sat on the ground of the shower cabin. The water had already turned cold and pattered down on her frostily. No sign of HIM.

»Oh, god«, she mumbled, closed the tap and got out of the cabin.

Ainin didn't take her time to dry herself. She jumped into her clothes. Her wet hair drenched her shirt when she ran down the stairs to the basement. The team was gathered in the library.

»It has begun«, she gasped. »We need to leave. Immediately.« She started to tremble.

Tom walked to her. »Nin, what's it?«

She held him off. »He was in my head. In my thoughts. He… he knows where I am.« She sank to the ground and lifted her head up to the ceiling. »Why?« she whispered. »Why are you bloody doing this to me? Why, God, why?«


Hal knew now where she was. Richmond. She had told him and Lucifer while taking a walk through her head. He could see the house in front of his inner eye. The street. He would find it. But first it meant getting to Richmond.

He used Sybilla's smart phone to look for a map of London. He'd been here before but that had been more than a 100 years ago. And a pulsing city like Britain's capital always was in a changing mood.

With his finger he traced the streets on the screen until he found what he looked for. Hal smiled. The way she had reacted to him – she could probably lie to herself but not get away from him. Lucifer agreed. Nere could he get away from her. Lucifer agreed gruffly, too.


Ainin stood beside the fireplace and massaged her temples. The pulsing was almost unbearable. She knew that pills wouldn't help. Maybe prayers did. But when she tried it didn't bring the nice result she had expected. The drummer boy stayed beautifully at work and was about to call a brother in to aid him.

The team was busy packing. Ainin wanted to help, but was certain, that she would only stand in everyone's way. She could barely concentrate. Her heart raced frantically. She was afraid, because slowly but surely she lost control of herself.

A hand on her arm. Alex. The ghost smiled. »Why don't we take a walk? They won't let us help anyhow.«

She safely guarded Ainin outside. Both women sat down on the stone stairs leading into the garden.

Ainin rubbed her face. »Tell me about him.«

»About Hal?« Alex looked up into the sky. »I only know bits and pieces. Less than Tom does.«

»But still enough, I suppose.«

»It's hard to understand what goes on inside a vampire when you are none. You cling to the rules of life you've been taught, but unfortunately they don't apply to them.«

»The blood.«

»The blood means some sorta insanity. I was there when Hal detoxed. That was really a weird time. In the meaning of multiple personality disorder.« She laughed shortly.

»That earned him your respect but also your suspicion.«

Alex looked at her. »Yeah. Like a time bomb you try to disarm, knowing it probably explodes right into your face.«

»You could have also killed him and ended everything.«

Alex snorted. »The easy exit? No. Hal wanted to be different. And I wanted to help him along.«

»You loved him«, Ainin said.

»I dunno. I thought I did. At least he meant and still means a lot to me. Funny, but being so totally unbalanced he helped me to balance myself. I went to inner places of me I had no idea that they existed. I called into the void and the answer didn't throw me down.«

»You stayed with him for 25 years.«

»Yeah.« Alex eyed her. »I didn't know that I wouldn't be able to leave when I went with him.«

»Do you think that would have changed your decision?«

»No.«

»Does he have any idea of what kind of friend he has in you?«

Alex laughed. »Men are idiots. Not always but most of the time. But you know what; it don't matter because I'm not letting him down.«

»Nere am I.«

»Why?«

»I am scared of myself when I am around him. But that is not because of his flatmate.« Ainin snorted. »Honestly, Lucifer doesn't half-way dread me how your Hal does. The devil should be so horrifying but he is not. I grew up with stories about him. The temptation of evil. Never got to me. But the vampire. The man. He frighteningly completes me and I have no bloody idea why.«

Alex cleared her throat. »Um, well, have you ever been... with a man... physically?«

Ainin smiled. »I wasn't born a nun, if that answers your question.«

»So when push comes to shove you're not sure you can turn him down, hm?«

Ainin didn't answer.

»Well, 25 years ago it would have made two of us.«

»But not today? Ah, Nate… He is a good one. And honestly. Half a year ago it would have made two of us, too.«

Alex eyes widened. »You and Nate?«

»Not really. A kiss nothing more. You managed to completely pull him in. He is very fond of you.«

»Yeah, and we both are dead.«

»You might not be alive but you are not lifeless. Make something out of it. Who says that it's impossible?«