Clutching a soft leather draw-string bag in her arms, Lilith entered the penthouse along with Michael Demiurgos and was immediately surprised to see Maze, Linda and Chloe waiting. She knew something had happened to Lucifer and that Chloe was with him, but that was the end of her knowledge. More concerned now than she was before she demanded to know exactly what had happed to the devil. Chloe admitted she had no idea, but speculated that he had overdosed on drugs or something. Lili nodded then turned went over to Linda and Maze.

"Why is she here?" The demoness kept her voice down, but there was no mistaking that accusing look in her eye. The detective's presence made Lucifer vulnerable and undoubtedly it was this very thing that was making the drug so effective. If she left then the problem would solve itself, both Maze and Linda knew that. "Send her on a case or tell her to go to the store for milk, but get her out of here."

"She won't go. We've tried." Maze answered curtly then rolled her eyes in annoyance. Lilith didn't appreciate her daughter's teenage attitude and her nails began to lengthen in response.

"Try harder." She ordered. Dr. Martin saw and felt the tension between mother and child and decided to step in with a better explanation.

"What Maze is trying to say," Linda clarified. "Is that, like the rest of us, Chloe is scared and doesn't want to leave his side. She's afraid something will happen if she does. It's really a very normal human response when someone you care about is sick or hurting."

"Lovely." Lilith responded with a roll of her eyes. "Eech, humans."

The demoness went up the steps to Lucifer's bed with Michael following close behind and looked down at her old friend. His eye lids fluttered but he obviously wasn't seeing them and occasionally his twitched the way people often do when they dream. He made noises, moaned and spoke a random word now and then, but nothing more. Sitting down next to her old friend she carefully set the leather bag on her lap and opened it. From inside she took out a rectangular box fashioned from the same dark metal as her demon daggers and inlaid with moonstone. Chloe came up the steps desperate to know what was going on. She saw the box and guessed it to be around eleven inches but she couldn't imagine what it was for. She was even more surprised when Lili opened it up and she saw that it was full of sand. Just sand. What was sand going to do? It looked like something she could go to the beach and fill a hundred trinket boxes with for free. She was she was going to voice her opinion, but the more she stared at it, the more the detective started to notice just how fine it was and that there was a faint iridescent sparkle to it.

"What is that?" She asked. Curious to see what it was, Linda came up the steps and peered into the box as well.

"It's sand." The demoness answered. "It was given to me by Dream, or 'the Sandman' after a particularly fun night helping him mend one of his many broken hearts."

"There's actually a sandman?" Dr. Martin's mind was constantly trying to wrap itself around the celestial and demonic worlds, not to mention the ethereal creatures in between. Every time she thought she was beginning to get a handle on it, she learned something new.

"Yes."

"And that's his actual name?"

"He has a lot of names." Lilith did not have the time or desire to get into a discussion on Morpheus. Right now there were more pressing matters. Carefully Lilith dipped her finger into the sand and started to reach out to Lucifer's forehead.

"Wait!" Chloe said, stopping her before she could touch his skin. Lilith shot her an annoyed look. This was a ritual that had to be handled in a very precise way. Interruptions were not welcome. "Is this dangerous?"

"Decidedly." There was no point in lying. When she had had been given this box of precious sand she had learned everything about its power from the master of dreams himself. If this ritual was not done correctly then both the devil and demoness would be driven insane. She also knew that once inside of the devil's mind, the only thing she had control over were her own thoughts and movements. The fallen angel would be the one truly in control. There would be no way to gage time and a few minutes within a dream could in actuality take many hours in reality. There was also no way to know just how much of the experience either of them would be able to remember. It always varied. One thing was certain though, it would remain in their subconscious and eventually it would surface. Perhaps it would happen in a day, perhaps in a thousand years, but it would. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Lilith reassured the detective. Chloe didn't want to think about it and quickly left the bedroom leaving the demoness to mumble to herself under her breath. "You want to makes things completely safe then maybe you should leave."

"Swear to me that this will work and you will wake up again?" Michael asked suddenly. Lilith saw the genuine concern in his eyes and nodded.

"You have my word." This answer couldn't technically be a lie since she really didn't know how things would turn out. "Promise me that under no circumstance will you allow anyone to touch this box, not even you. The last person who tried to touch this box is now eternally trapped in a nightmare."

"I won't let anyone near it." He promised.

Once more she dipped her finger in the sand and reached out and marked Lucifer's forehead then did the same to her own. She then managed to open Lucifer's mouth and drop barely a pinch of the sand into it. Again, she did the same to herself. Lilith then slid a stick from a compartment in the lid and placing it in the midst of the sand wrote the name 'Samael'. Carefully she put the stick back in its place then watched as the writing seemed to be sucked into the sand becoming a smooth surface again. She closed the box and was carefully setting it on the floor next to the edge of the bed when she fell over and was quickly caught by Michael. Her eyes fluttered at him sleepily as he carefully laid her down next to Lucifer and she faded into sleep.

Slipping to someone else's subconscious was a maddening experience, at least initially. At first the demoness was bombarded by his thoughts and emotions. Snippets of memories from over centuries passed before her bringing with them the sounds, smells and feelings associated with each one. One in particular caught the demoness' attention as she saw Maze standing before her taunting, relishing her manipulation and performance as the angel of San Bernadino as well as the realization that she was stalling to help Marcus Pierce. She also witnessed looks from Chloe as with each one she turned and moved closer to Pierce. Lilith could only cringe as she continued through his recollections before becoming surrounded by a light filled with psychedelic colors and sounds. She closed her eyes and covered her ears, afraid she would be driven mad. When she was sure she couldn't take anymore, everything went still except for the sound and feel of wind blowing against her.

Opening her eyes, Lilith found herself standing amidst a desolate landscape. Everywhere she looked was nothing but dry barren wilderness that consisted of nothing more than rocky hills and outcrops surrounded by sands. The only vegetation she saw were dead withered trees and bushes. She couldn't imagine what sort of place this was that Lucifer had brought himself to, let alone her. The wind kicked up blowing grit against her skin and into her eyes. Quickly she put her hands over her face as protection until it passed.

At her feet was the remnants of a path. Following it, Lilith arrived a steep craggy cliff side overlooking what had once been the banks of a large river tributary. At the center of the dry, cracked basin standing before the remains of a tall waterfall, was the devil himself. His usual fastidious look was gone. There was no suit jack and his slacks and dress shirt were dusty, unkempt and untucked. His normally handsome features were hidden behind the devilish red, burned and scarred skin. Hellish glowing red eyes stared menacingly up at the cloudy thundering clouding above him as he screamed at the heavens. From the depths of his pain and misery he cried out every wrong he believed his Father had ever committed against him. He spoke of hurt and neglect from his childhood all the way to the manipulation and broken hearts that he and Chloe had endured. With righteous anger he cried out for justice, but only the wind seemed to answer.

Lilith slowly climbed down the rocky path towards the devil, carefully choosing each step so as not to fall. At least once, sand got between her foot and the rock she was stepping on, causing her to slip and slide a few feet before she managed to catch herself. Looking around she began to recognize where she was. This was Eden, but not as she remembered it. This was the same river bank where they used to meet, where they talked and had sex. Why had it become so desolate? Was this what became of it after Adam and Eve were cast out, or did it simply reflect the relationship Lucifer imagined he had with his Father?

The devil never heard her approach. He raised his head, ready to cry out more accusations, more venom towards the sky, only to stop as the sound of a branch breaking caught his attention. He whirled around looking to see who was there. He could make out that there was someone standing on the banks, but he couldn't quite focus his eyes properly, not for very long anyway. He could tell that they had long dark hair cascading over their shoulders and a familiar perfume wafted through the air immediately telling him who it was before him.

"Aḻakāṉa." He managed to say. His appearance changed from the devilish, red, burned fiery form to his normal angelic visage, but it was even more than that. He was his natural self with curls in his hair and the highlights around his eyes gone. He reached out his hand to Lilith and she stepped down into the dry river and walked towards him. She could see that he was having trouble focusing. When she was close enough, he touched her hair then brushed her fingers against her face. From all the distorted images around him, her face seemed to emerge, beautiful but he wasn't certain if I she was real or imagined.

"I'm here 'Old Scratch'." She answered.

"A-are you real?" Lucifer asked, still trying to push away the fog in his mind.

"Of course I'm real." She smiled gently. As genuine as her voice was to him, he still kept touching her hair, her arms, hands . . . anything to re-enforce that she was not an illusion. The more confident he was that it was her, the more the once hazy, barren landscape was beginning to change. Traces of grass and plants were beginning to appear and water began to trickle then flow over the waterfall. Everything was coming to life again.

"You won't disappear on me again?" He asked.

"I'm not going to leave you, I promise." Lilith's word was good and he knew it.

"Aḻakāṉa . . . I could never hurt you, you know that, but . . . but Chloe . . . I couldn't risk you hurting Chloe." He explained. Realizing that the river water had risen nearly to Lilith's waist, he led her back to the shore, still holding tightly to her hand.

"I know and its okay 'Old Scratch'."

"Y-you're the only one . . ." He said, lifting her from the water onto the bank then got out himself and pulled her in close. "You've never abandoned me . . . not really." He wrapped her in his arms, feeling her body against his and reassuring himself that it was her. "Everyone else . . ."

"That's not true. You have a room of people all worried and waiting for you to come back to them. They all love you." She answered holding him in return.

"Who?" The devil asked skeptically.

"Well, Mazikeen is there. She's always been loyal to you." At this he jerked back and his eyes once more turned red.

"Maze betrayed me."

"Did she?" Lilith recalled the memory she had seen as she passed into Lucifer's subconscious.

"I wouldn't return her to Hell so she aligned herself with Cain. Her loyalty is transient and fickle. She would leave me the moment she doesn't not get what she wants."

"You have your Chloe. She loves you."

"She's afraid of me." His voice was mournful as he spoke and he lowered his head to Lili's shoulder and sighed. "She saw my devil face . . . she tries to pretend that everything's okay, but it's not. I don't know if it ever will be."

"It will be, 'Old Scratch'. You just need patience." She explained, her fingers moved through his dark curls holding him close and trying to comfort him. . "Anyway, there's Linda and Michael. They're worried about you too."

"Linda . . . maybe." Yes, he believed Dr. Martin cared about him. She had called him her friend. Even so there were moments of doubt. He always had moments of doubt. It came from so many ages of abandonment by family who were supposed to love him. Hearing someone call him a friend or show that spark of caring often came as a surprise. What he refused to believe was that his twin should be in that list of names at all. To him, the idea that his brother gave a damn was the same as a bottle of snake oil and he wasn't fool enough to buy the sales pitch. "Michael?" At this name, Lucifer moved away, annoyed. "Michael will do whatever Father tells him. He's a machine with no mind of his own."

"He has a mind of his own." She argued.

"No, no he doesn't. He's a bloody little marionette with Father pulling the strings."

"I don't know, he's gone out of his way to see me, just for the sake of seeing me. I can't imagine your Father approving of such a thing and nobody else has ever done that before." Lili observed. Lucifer didn't like the soft look that appeared in her eyes when she spoke of Michael. He could still remember seeing her sitting next to his brother at Lux, talking and laughing. It was the way they used to be and he so desperately wanted to go back to that. Perhaps they still could.

Lilith was reaching for a fig hanging from the branch of a tree when everything began to change around her. The greenery and beauty of Eden faded before the demoness' eyes and instead she was surrounded by the tall stone, basalt walls of Hell. She recognized the blue light that emanated from the shadows and ash that floated through the air. She looked around and recognized the statues on either side of the doorway. They were angels, carved so that their faces were shrouded by their long hoods. A reminder perhaps that he was no longer part of the host and shunned. The wings were broken from their backs by Lucifer himself long ago when he first arrived there in a fit of rage. Tall floor candle holders made from the same demonic metal as her blades added to the room's illumination. Each one bore Sumerian imagery. The oil lamps that sat atop the candelabras gave off the same hellish blue light as the rest of the underworld.

The walls were plain stone with deep burgundy velvet draperies bringing a warmth to the space. The floor beneath her feet was a large mosaic depicting various creatures of the Hell such as Cerberus, dragons, Ifrit and Ammit. Portions were covered by think heavy rugs that led up to the most imposing piece within the room . . . the bed. Carved from dark other worldly wood, it could easily accommodate four men of equal size to the devil with space to spare. Every inch was etched with figures and symbols of lust and virility. Even the marquetry panels showed images of couples engaged in sexual acts. Lilith knew this room well, it was Lucifer's private bedroom in Hell and she had been here many times.

The environment around her was the not the only thing that had changed, her clothing had too. The simple jeans and t-shirt had changed into something quite different. A long silk skirt of purple with gold thread embroidered along the hem and waistband. Her top was a wide band of the same material that crossed over and covered one breast, looped around her neck then came back over the other before fastening in the back. She recalled that this was his preferred outfit on her, but she couldn't imagine why he was doing this. He had abandoned Hell, so why had he brought them back here. What was he looking for in this room?

"What are we doing Lucifer?" She turned back to the entrance and took hold of one of the large door handles and tried to leave only to find the door was locked. She had never known these doors to be locked before. Uncertain as to what was going on, she turned back to find the devil standing a short distance way, watching her. "Why is this door locked? Is this your way keeping me a prisoner in Hell?" She was quickly becoming annoyed and she started to look about the space for a key or another way out.

Lucifer watched her and sighed in disappointment as he sat down in a large decorative high-back armchair. Didn't she understand what he was trying to do? This place . . . this room . . . the last time they had truly been close was here. He wanted to recapture that and bring things back to the way they had been. The doors were locked because he wanted no interruptions no interference. Why didn't things ever work the way he wanted them to? Seeing the devils unhappiness, she became confused.

"What is this all about?"

"I was hoping to recapture something." He explained. "A moment in time when you and I were . . . well, I guess there really is no way to fix this, is there?"

"Fix what?" Lili asked.

"This. You, me . . . whatever this thing is between us."

"Is that why you brought me here?" The demoness gestured at the room around her as it all began to make sense. He nodded and smiled sadly at her. Lilith didn't know what to say. What they felt ran so much deeper than friendship and yet neither knew how to explain it. Perhaps it was because they both struggled with their emotions, or maybe they were all too aware that for now each at least, they needed something more than the other was capable of giving. They were always a part of each other, that much was certain. "Strange isn't?"

"What?" Lucifer asked.

"Neither of us knows how begin to talk about how we feel and yet your bother could tell me he loves me without any hesitation at all." Lilith commented with a half-laugh. The devil's eyes flashed red for a half-second, but Lili was too lost in thought to notice.

"And you said?"

"Not much really." She recounted. "I wasn't going to lie and tell him I felt something I wasn't sure about. It was nice though, hearing someone say that." There was that soft look again. The one that appeared every time she spoke of his brother and he didn't like it.

"I want you to stay away from Michael." He said suddenly. This was a surprise to the demoness. True, both had shown shades of jealousy over the centuries, but neither had ever been so forward about it.

"Excuse me?" Lilith answered with a raise of an eyebrow. She had never taken orders from Lucifer and she didn't not feel like starting now, especially when he would quickly push her aside for Chloe. "Why should I stay away from Michael? If he can offer me what I want or desire, then why shouldn't I take it?"

"Because he can't offer you anything!" Lucifer argued. "He's a great one for words, but like most things with him they are empty and meaningless. With Father controlling his every move, he is very much like his creations, stagnant and lifeless."

"Maybe . . . maybe not. Fortunately I think I can handle myself and make my own decisions. I'm not a child and I never was. I am perfectly capable of choosing my own lovers and if it happens that I have feelings for Michael Demiurgos then that is between us, not you." Lilith really didn't know what she felt for the angel. She knew she liked him and cared for him. He had never been anything, but nice to her, but the truth was she hadn't been around him all that long nor did she know him that well. What she needed was time to get to know him and decide for herself. What she didn't need or want was Lucifer dictating what she should do. She would listen of course if he had justifiable reasons, but she had no patience for arbitrary orders or his general Luciferness. "You have no say-so in any of this."

"Wrong!" Lucifer returned, rising from him chair and approaching her. "The only reason he has any interest in you, my dear, is because you belong to me."

"I . . . belong . . . to you?!" Lilith couldn't believe just how big a set of balls the devil had to actually say something that daft.

"Yes. My mistress . . . mine, not his" The fallen angel slowly began to circle her watching her intently. "Michael is and always has been a taker. I will not have him swooping in with a lot of pretty words and snatch you away like one of our childhood toys . . ."

"Excuse me . . . toy?" She interrupted, clearly not enjoying the comparison between herself and a plaything. Not hearing her, Lucifer kept right on talking.

". . . to be broken into pieces later. He always does this. First he charms you then he consolidates his power and Father's army with the Lilim. Believe me he does nothing without a motive in mind." He wasn't saying it but what he envisioned was his brother standing there with Lili on one side and Velius on the other. His infernal twin smiling and walking away with all the family that was his, the same way he had walked away with all of his other siblings long ago.

"Well, don't worry, I can't be broken and no man will ever tame me, least of all you."

"Good." The devil smirked, feeling certain he had somehow made his point and for once won rather than the two of them ending in a stalemate. "Then you will stay away from that bastard."

"I promise nothing. You are not in command of me, nor will I ever submit to you!"

"Believe me, my dear, if I want your submission I will have it!" He answered confidently. If there was another more stubborn or exhausting female in Hell or on earth, Lucifer hadn't met her. The trouble was, she set fire to more than his temper. She started to turn from him but he caught her and brought her back to face him. "Now stay away from Michael Demiurgos."

Lilith looked up into his brilliant dark eyes that stared like fire into hers. Over the centuries they had played the game of conquest more times than they could count without any winners or losers. Something in his grip and the way he looked at her told her that this time was no game and the thought stirred her blood. She wanted Lucifer to stake his claim on her, not that she would dare tell him so. Man-handling and being forced was not something she allowed, not until now. Right now she craved the devil's fire, the Sovereign of Hell. So long as some corner of Lucifer remained the Prince of Darkness, then she would always have a part of him. A thousand years from now when Chloe Decker was dust, he would still be Lilith's. For that to be a reality, he needed to stake his claim to her right here and now while their minds were joined and of his own free will.

"Go back to Chloe. I'm sure she will have you . . . eventually." With a look of defiance, she pulled free of his grasp and once more stepped away.

Lucifer's ire at her insolence and his desire to bring her to heel was quickly fueling his arousal. In the past when he was still the Lord of Hell he had made his other three mistresses kneel before him, but that was because he knew that beneath their sexy exteriors they were ambitious cut-throats. It was an act of humiliation designed to teach a lesson up front and remind them who ruled the underworld. Such things were never necessary with Lili. He had never doubted for one second that he could trust her or that he had her loyalty. What he could never touch was her soul and despite hearing her say the words, he knew she would rather cut her heart out than give it. He caught her again just as she reached the doors and using his body he pressed her against the hard wood.

"You will not speak to me this way!" He roughly held her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. His dark eyes sparkled with a fierce wildness that thrilled her. It was a look she seldom saw. Brusquely his mouth caught hers, his tongue insistent and penetrating. Shoving him away, Lilith slapped him, hard across the face.

"You forget yourself, 'Old Scratch'. I am not Eve, trying desperately to be someone I am not. I know you couldn't have mistaken me for one of your harem whores that you can order to your bed or a night club groupie throwing themselves at your feet. I most certainly am not your detective, looking at you with longing eyes while playing court to another man."

"Who are you then?" He smirked.

"I am Lilith, Queen of the Lilim! I define who I am, not you. I am ruled by no man, no angel . . . not God . . . and certainly not the devil!" Carefully she reached behind her and clasped the demon dagger held in a sheath snug in the waist band of her skirt.

For a brief moment he started to take hold of her again only to feel the blade slice across the top of his hand causing him to jerk it back. Sweeping her hand upward he stopped the blade just inches in front of his face. To his surprise and pleasure she slowly lowered the dagger slicing through each of the buttons on his shirt. When Lili had reached the last one he squeezed her wrist and hand until she was forced to drop the weapon. A dark grin spread across his face as he removed the shirt and dropped it to the floor.

"There seems to be a few things you have forgotten. I'm not Adam neglecting one wife then playing the cuckold to another. I'll never be Asmodeus, a sick fool, dangerous with jealousy when it comes to you. Your Christian loved the human side of while simply tolerating your demon side. I want you exactly as you are and all that you will ever be. I am certainly not Michael sitting in my Father's shadow unwilling to fight for what he desires."

"Tell me who you are then." She whispered.

"I am Samael . . . Lucifer. I am the venom or God and the Lightbringer, the Morningstar, son of the dawn. I am the Sovereign of Hell and ruler of underworld which means you are subject to me!" Seeing this show of power and authority, thrilled her. It had been so long since he had done so, but, she would still not let him win so easily.

He started to move and she quickly put her hand to his chest. Perhaps it was to keep him at bay, perhaps she simply wanted to touch him. Her fingers moved through the dark hair of his well-defined upper body down to his perfectly muscled stomach. Reaching the waist band of his pants, he caught her up in his arms and carried her to his great bed and dropped her down onto the burgundy satin sheets. Lilith tried to kick him away with her foot, but he only caught it and slid her closer tearing away her skirt as he did. They moved in a frenzy then, giving and taking their pleasures. Their ardor carried them to virtually every corner of his penthouse, every available was not the coupling of humans, but the frenzied joining of two like creatures. The power that they normally held in check because of the surrounding humans was unleashed now. They knew each other, as only two of like mind could know. They were evenly matched in strength and prowess. No square inch of their bodies unexplored. Their passion brought them back to the bed, and as they fell on it, a circle of black flames enveloped them both. This dark fire, a manifestation of the heat inside, burned hot yet consumed nothing.

"Nī eṉṉuṭaiyatu . . . Eppōtum. [You are mine . . . always]" He avowed in a low husky voice as they reached the pinnacle of the their joining

"Nāṉ eṉ itayam kāṭṭiyatu mutal napar nīṅkaḷ yārum atai mīṇṭum pārkka muṭiyātu kāraṇam. [You are the first person I ever showed my heart to and you are the reason no one will ever see it again.]" She whispered.

Spent, Lucifer rolled onto the bed next to Lilith then pulled her into her arms. Neither could remember ever feeling quite this tired after sex, and the pull was too difficult to fight. They smiled at each other then allowed themselves to drift off to sleep and back into reality. Linda was the first to notice their eyes flutter open and pointed it out to Chloe and Michael. The devil and demoness fully opened their eyes and looked around to find themselves lying side by side on Lucifer's bed in the penthouse. The three friends in front of them were all talking at once and asking a dozen different questions. Lucifer was still trying to get his bearings and get out of his mental haze and had little patience for the collective rattle.

"Stop . . . please." He begged trying to sit up. Both of them felt physically and mentally drained from their joined dream and needed a few minutes to fully what was going on around them.

"Lucifer, what happened to you?" Chloe asked, taking the floor.

"I drank some Ayahuasca that Tara gave me." He said this and the detective looked horrified. She knew nothing about the drug and was imagining every possible bad thing that could have happened and proceeded to tell his so. "I'm fine detective. Really, I'm fine."

"You were out for hours!" She continued. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"What was it like?" Linda interrupted. Her curiosity was piqued and she wanted to know everything she could about this strange joining. "What happened . . . what did you see?"

Lilith tried sitting up, her head was spinning and she was starting to feel a bit queasy. She searched her mind to remember something from the dream state, but it was blank. There was nothing there. She looked at Lucifer, but he could only stare blankly at her. Neither could remember a thing. They were sure something significant had happened and yet there was only lost time where those memories should be. Lilith closed her eyes trying to bring something back . . . anything . . . and a vague memory did stir. She could just make out Mazikeen's taunting voice gloating over what she had done. Her face became dark at the memory and she leveled a glare at her daughter across the room.

"You!" She snarled. Fear ran through Maze and she instinctively stepped back running into a bookcase. Dr. Martin had never seen her friend afraid before and started to step in-between to defuse the situation.

"Okay, let's just calm down."

"Stay out of this! She is my child and I will deal with her as I see fit!" Lili punctuated this statement with the low growl of a panther. Hearing this Linda wisely stepped aside. "Right now, I am weak so I suggest that you use this time wisely. The next time I see you my patience will have ended and you . . . will . . . hurt!"

(A far more elaborate and explicit description of Lucifer claiming Lilith is availbale at Archive of Our Own under the story of the same name by Ohzee41. Sorry for the confusion, but I have tried on two separate occasions to change the rating and it only served to kill my views and I need all I can get. Thank you for understanding)