"I'm so glad to see you!" Ellie told her aunt Selina when they ran into each other in the break room of the office. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Selina questioned. She mostly helped Dorian with his work, even when Lucifer wanted her to do a little more because of their previous history. "Troubles at home? Insight into your boss? I'm a lot like him, you know. I could help."

"No, you are not a lot like him!" Ellie said. "He does stuff you would never do! Like kidnap an innocent woman and force her to tutor your deaf son in sign language on pain of death, for instance."

"He did that?" Selina asked in surprise. "Wow. I'm impressed. I thought he would have stopped that because he wants you to have a good opinion of him. That's what I did for years when Elijah and I were married."

"Well, that's what I thought he was doing too, but out of nowhere...kidnapping," Ellie scoffed. "And I...I'm struggling with how to deal with it. Impulse says yell and scream, but another part says...be patient. Be understanding. Figure out what motivated this, or I'm gonna be just as bad as the people in the past who've totally tossed him aside for misbehaving. I want him to trust me. I don't want him to think that I don't love him. It might be crazy, but I do."

"You can disapprove of his behavior and still love him," Selina pointed out. "I mean, think about how much your parents hate the fact that you and Lucifer are married and that you had kids with him. Yet they still came to your wedding."

"You know, you're right," Ellie nodded.

"Yep. And I've done all sorts of crap that my dad wouldn't approve of and he still puts up with me anyway," Selina continued, then paused and put her red coffee cup on the counter before saying, "Although that might be because he still harbors a lot of guilt about how if he'd actually been there for me, I wouldn't have done any of the behavior he hates in the first place so it's karma that he has to put up with it." She shrugged. "Who knows?" She leaned forward. "What does Lucifer have you doing here?" She asked. "It's an actual job, right?"

"Yeah," Ellie nodded. "I'm doing all the stuff in hell that he's too busy to do. I have to go get the census taken after I'm done with my coffee."

"Well, make sure to wear sunscreen so you don't get burned," Selina remarked. "Or at least take some burn ointment along."

"I'll remember that," Ellie told her, then poured her coffee, drank it, told her aunt goodbye, and went on her way.


Lucifer had no doubt that Ellie could handle Hell, but when she didn't get back in a timely manner after getting the census taken, he started to get worried. He was just about to go down after her when she strode through his office door, a smile on her face and a pile of paper in her arms.

"I'm very pleased to see you're back in one piece," he told her. "I was getting worried and about to come after you. No one gave you trouble, did they?"

"Oh, no," Ellie shook her head. "Of course not. After I got what I came for, they wanted me to stay. It took the longest time to convince them to let me leave."

"I'm happy for you," he huffed. They'd never been that appreciative of him. "So...how are the numbers? Anything I need to work on tempting people with more than other things?"

"No," Ellie sighed. "All the percentages are high for each one." She shook her head. "I really want to work with the slothful and the gluttonous, you know. Cause there's a way to fix that, if you just take the time. Or improve quality of life, anyway."

"They don't have quality of life!" Lucifer reminded her. "If they're in hell, they're already dead! Already past caring. There's nothing you can do for them once you see them down there."

"I know it. I get it..." Ellie assured him. "But seriously, it's a real damn shame. All that potential wasted."

"Well, yes, but it keeps us in business, so it's not all terrible," Lucifer reminded her, his dark eyes glinting as he grinned widely. "Can't have to good without the bad, can you?"

"No," Ellie rolled her eyes, put the papers down on the desk and began pacing. "What do you want me to do now?"

"I would like you to come and eat something with me," he told her. "You haven't yet, have you? Aren't you hungry?"

Ellie stopped pacing as her stomach growled loudly. "You know, I didn't even think of that," she said. "I was so caught up in work that I forgot about eating!"

"It's a good thing I'm here," he told her. "I don't want you to starve! Did you have blood this morning?"

"Yes, I did," Ellie said. "And I forgot to tell you that before the big kaboom happened, I took Vincent on his first hunting trip and I have to say, he's got a real aptitude for it. I was impressed."

"Wonderful," Lucifer grinned as they made their way out to his car and she sat in the back while he took the driver's seat. "I'm glad to hear that."

"And I ran into my great-grandma on our little hunting trip," Ellie added. "When were you gonna tell me that she was one of the people you picked?"

"I didn't think I would need to tell you," Lucifer informed her. "I thought it would be obvious. I thought you would enjoy taking a bite out of the bad apple on the family tree. Although I have to thank her, because I think some of that wickedness has passed on to you in a much less destructive way."

"Maybe," Ellie shrugged. "I don't know."

They drove in silence for a bit, heading toward home, and then Lucifer remarked, "I am very pleased about the mood you're in today. I thought all I would hear is scolding about our new house guest. It's nice you've forgiven me and are able to see my point of view."

"Well, I haven't entirely forgiven you," Ellie told him. "I still think that what you did was wrong, and I'm gonna be watching Lauren very carefully to make sure nothing bad happens to her. I might even let her go so we can, like I said before, go about the Vincent issue the right way. But I see no point in scolding you about it since apparently, you're incapable of feeling shame. Yelling at you would do no good and it would just make us both miserable."

"Yes it would," Lucifer agreed, drumming his hands on the steering wheel. "So perceptive of you to pick up on that. So what are you going to do instead?"

"It's Friday, right?" Ellie said, leaning forward, her arms around the back of his chair as she whispered to him with her lips against his ear. "How about, after work, we find a nice hotel somewhere and we just stay the weekend?"

"Oh, I like this!" Lucifer grinned. "You're just gonna run off and leave everyone at home to their own devices? What about protecting Lauren, since that's so important to you?"

"You know Dexter's a lot more sensitive and full of morals than you are," Ellie pointed out. "I have complete faith in him to do right by her for a couple of days."

"Yes, indeed," Lucifer agreed. "If you need someone trustworthy to get a job done, Dexter's your demon. I know he would never keep a secret from me."

"No," Ellie shook her head and began coughing. "Of course not." Obviously, Lucifer hadn't figured out about Dexter and Valerie and Dexter hadn't told him so thank her father-in-law. She needed a little time to prepare before that happened.

"Are you okay?" Lucifer asked. "Are you choking? Do I need to pull over and come back there?"

"No, no," Ellie assured him when she could talk again. "Something just went down the wrong pipe. I'm good now, but thanks for caring."

"Of course," Lucifer nodded and turned his attention back to the road. "Why wouldn't I care?"

"Of course you would, but it's nice to see you so open about it," Ellie told him with a smile. "I know that's hard for you sometimes."

"Not when it comes to you, it isn't," Lucifer assured her.


When they got home, the first thing they encountered was what seemed to be Dexter, Vincent, and Lauren having a tussle in the entryway.

"Dexter, what happened here?" Ellie asked him.

"She managed to get herself free and he-" he tilted his head at Vincent, who had a bloody nose that was dripping onto his white shirt and scowled. "He just won't let her go, so I'm trying to make sure she doesn't get hurt too badly."

"Stop worrying about her!" Vincent cried as his parents looked on in surprise. He could still talk, but his voice sounded a bit different now. "Look at how she's hurting me!"

"That's your own fault!" Ellie chided him. "Everyone separate and stop beating each other up!"

"And Vincent, have you been able to talk this whole time and just took pleasure in making us write everything down?" Lucifer wanted to know.

"No," Vincent shook his head. "I didn't know I could until I tried."

"Well, that's good," Lucifer told him and patted him on the shoulder. "Good for you." Then, he looked at Ellie. "Let's eat now that we have this all sorted out."

"Just a minute," Ellie told him. "I have to do something really quick first. Go to the kitchen and I'll join you." She looked at Vincent. "And can I trust you to amuse yourself in a responsible way?" She asked. "Or does someone need to watch you every minute?"

"I'll be good," he sighed and stomped away with Dexter following after him. Then, she looked at Lauren, pulled out the pad, and wrote, I'm surprised you're still here.

I've been trying to get away, she wrote back. As you can see. But you seem nicer than everyone else. Will you help me?

Ellie sighed. I don't know how long it will take. But I'll do my best. You should have never ended up here anyway.

Lauren read her message, smiled, and gave her a hug.

I still don't like a lot of people here, she finished. And I won't make it easy on them. But you're nice. Thank you for helping me.

You're welcome, Ellie finished and then led Lauren to her much more comfortable second bedroom.

This is where I go when my husband and I are fighting and I want peace and quiet, she wrote, making a note to go to the bookstore and get some books on sign language because communicating like this was getting ridiculous. You might be more comfortable here. And you'll see me a lot. I'll look after you if you need it.

Lauren smiled. I'm doing better than I was, she said. But it'll still be nice to have a friendly face around.

Ellie then left her to look around and finally went to join Lucifer in the dining room.

"There you are!" He proclaimed, getting to his feet as she entered. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming!"

"Well, I had to show Lauren to her new, more comfortable room," Ellie told him. "But now I'm here, so don't you pick a fight with me."

"You're right," Lucifer nodded and sat back down again. "I'm sorry." He pushed a plate toward her. "While you were gone, I made up some sandwiches!"

"You can cook?" Ellie asked. "Or make food?" She took a bite of a sandwich, her eyes widened, and she grinned. "How long have you been keeping this talent a secret from me?"

"I am a man of many talents, Eleanor," he grinned. "And if you were absolutely serious about getting a hotel room for the weekend, I know I'll be showing off quite a few of them. Just a question, though: you're still doing all that yoga, right? You're good and limber? Cause with what I have in mind, that's a necessity."

"Well, duh!" Ellie nodded. "Of course!"

And with that, they rushed through eating their sandwiches and after telling Dexter what they were doing and yelling at Vincent to behave himself (even though it would do no good), they headed out in search of a nice hotel in which to spend the weekend after calling the office and letting everyone know they could go home a little early, which of course made everyone happy. They were gonna have a very productive office Monday morning.


"So glad it didn't take long for us to find a room," Ellie panted as Lucifer carried her though the hotel room door, placed her on the floor, and she immediately began kissing him and pulling at his clothes. "I was getting impatient!"

Lucifer cupped her bottom and pulled her tight against him, whispering, "Now that we're no longer working, can I tell you how much I appreciate what your ass looks like in the pants you wear to the office? They're always so snug!"

"Oh, I know!" Ellie nodded, gasping as he nibbled on her earlobe. "I figure I could give you a little bit of a visual treat, right? And speaking of a visual treat-" She deftly undid the buttons on his shirt and pushed it onto the floor. "Lookie what I get to see!" She giggled and ran her red-painted fingers down his torso, shaking her hair under his nose as she did so. The scent of her hair alone would have done the job of arousing him, but in combination with everything else...he definitely was.

They began kissing each other furiously until Ellie paused. "Gotta go put the 'Do not disturb' sign on the door," she panted. "Cause we definitely do not want to be disturbed."

It was while she did that that Lucifer undressed so when she turned around, she found him grinning and completely naked. "Well," she said, after staring with a dropped jaw for a bit. "Suddenly, I feel overdressed." She sidled up to him. "Wanna help me with that?"

"Yes," Lucifer nodded and got her to the bed, where he undressed her and they got under the covers. It didn't take him long to begin pleasuring her with his tongue and then bury himself inside her. "Always."


"I was just wondering," Dexter told Valerie when he found her in the bowling alley playing a game by herself, "if you had any plans tonight?"

"Why are you asking?" Valerie questioned. "I thought we were done having plans together. I thought you said it was too dangerous."

"Well, there's more of a risk than I'd like when your father is around, but he and your mother have decided to go to a hotel for the weekend," Dexter explained. "So if you'd like, this would be a good chance for us to..."

"Yes!" She cried, not letting him finish as she took a running leap and kissed him soundly when he caught her. "Yes, I'll spend the night having sex with you! Why the hell not?"

"Nice to know you don't play hard to get," Dexter chuckled, reveling in her body warmth.

"Oh, I do," Valerie corrected. "You wouldn't believe how hard some people have to work to at least think they have a chance. But then again, that would only be when I'm working for Dad and I would never mess with you like that. You mean too much to me."

"I do?" Dexter asked. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Valerie nodded. "Now, I only have a few frames left in my game and then we can go to my room." She paused. "Or would you rather we used yours?"

"Let's not use either!" Dexter suggested after giving it a lot of thought. "You know your father likes to burst into both of our rooms without announcing himself. If we have a room where he won't go, that could at least delay him finding out about us."

"I'm surprised you're so willing to keep this from him," Valerie said. "I would have thought you'd want to tell him."

"I do," Dexter nodded. "I know by now that nothing good comes from keeping things from him, but I also know that by telling him, it might mean we'll be separated. I'm just trying to hold on to something good for as long as I can." He grinned.

Valerie grinned back. "I get it. I got no problem with that."

They finished the game and then headed upstairs, picking an empty bedroom and making a note of it so they could come back to it in the future.

"What do we do now?" Dexter questioned. "I know I was more on the ball last time, but...now I don't know."

"I want you to dance for me," Valerie told him after stripping down to her panties and bra and climbing onto the bed. "That's what I want. Will you do it? Please?"

Dexter sighed. She looked so eager and so beautiful, but if he did what she asked, she was just going to be disappointed. "I don't know," he said, blushing. "If I do it, you might hate it. You know in my demon form, I'm not exactly-"

"I don't care what form you do it in," she told him. "If doing it in human form would make you more comfortable, that's fine."

"Oh...okay," Dexter nodded. "But even so, you might still be disappointed."

"I don't think so," Valerie shook her head, her eyes sparkling. "Just give yourself a shot." She zapped in a radio, and as loud music blared, Dexter began to dance. First, he was self-conscious, but the fact that she didn't look horrified or disgusted gave him confidence, and he got the courage to strip down so he was in his underwear by the end of the song.

"See anything you like?" He asked, climbing into bed with her and taking her in his arms.

"I see some things I like," she grinned. "But you're gonna have to take your boxers off so I can see the rest."

"Valerie!" He blushed. "How can you say that?"

"How can I not!" Valerie grinned and ruffled his hair. "Come on, get 'em off!"

"Oh, all right," he said and tossed them by the bed, looking up in awe as she straddled him and leaned forward to kiss his neck while he went inside her. This beautiful woman wanted him bad. He still was a little confused about why, but he wouldn't object. That would be stupid. He would just kiss her instead. He had no problem with that.