Chapter 30

Dean

"Oh man, was your timing good," I muttered as Santiago approached. I blew another breath out slowly and ran a hand through my hair as I watched my kids wander away, whispering to each other animatedly.

Santi stared at me, looking confused. "Why?" he asked.

"I'm gonna have to have the birds and the bees conversation without Grace, looks like," I answered, popping open another beer. "Lib's off with a boy."

Santiago narrowed his eyes. "She is eighteen," he countered. "Shouldn't you have had that conversation already?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Dude," I almost sounded whiny. "We've been out here by ourselves, basically, for the last ten years. We haven't had to." Ryan and Santiago exchanged a judgmental look and I sighed and shook my head. "Fine," I clicked my tongue. "I'll call them back in here and you two can have that conversation with my sixteen-year-olds and thirteen-year-old." The guys were both holding up their hands and shaking their heads before I was done with the sentence. "Alright then. What's up? Been awhile since you've checked in."

Ryan finished drinking from the bottle of water he carried and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Herds are thinning," he began. "Seems like there's just not as many creatures out there as there were a few weeks ago. Something's different."

I nodded, "Lib closed Earth's Gate. We're hoping that helps."

Smiling, Ryan nodded, "That's pretty genius," he added, his eyes being drawn to the damage in the roof of our warehouse. "What happened there?"

I sighed, "Herd came through the warding and sigils somehow. We're fine. Took care of it."

He lifted his eyebrows before continuing his report. "Angelique, Donna, and Jody are out near Billings, following a coven of vamps. We took care of a pack of werewolves a few hundred miles from here, and the angels took out the hellhounds and demons that were pillaging up north. Things are definitely calming down for the moment."

"Sounds good," I agreed. "Grace and Cas are in Jordan, following up on a pretty big lead with Lucifer. It's working out well, 'cause it looks like we might be coming up on the end of all this." I shrugged at Ryan's surprised face. "We'll see."

"No," Ryan shook his head and opened the refrigerator. "I'm surprised you weren't the one to go with her."

I nodded slowly, silently agreeing with the Warrior. "It's better this way," I convinced myself as much as Ryan. "That way, there's still a parent here and it's not like I've got supernatural abilities." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "It's just recon."

"Sounds like you're convincing yourself more than anyone," Ryan commented. "You don't have any food?"

"We're runnin' low," I answered. "There's a few skunky beers left, if you're interested."

"I'll take what I can get," Ryan held out his hand and I tossed him one of the remaining bottles. "Thanks."

Santiago went back to the door, holding it open enough to pull the giant canvas duffle through the open space. "I managed to pick up some canned food," he explained, dragging the bag over to the kitchen area. "And some people up the road had corn, tomatoes, and cucumber."

"Thanks, Santi," I smiled. "Every little bit helps."

…

Serra

My second venture out of my cage didn't exactly go as planned, but at the same time, I found out a lot more information than I had before. The syringe was still safely stashed in my jacket pocket and I was working on a way to get Lucifer loose enough for him to fall asleep or let Sam regain control of his body. The science half of my brain wondered though, if somehow Sammy's blood would have changed in some way, being controlled by Lucifer. It was something that I wanted to just ignore, considering I had no other alternative plans, so for now, I put those worries on the back burner and decided to deal with it if I had to.

I jogged back towards the bedroom in the bowels of the caverns and shook my head. Chuck was here. I couldn't believe it. Finally, we had a reason Lucifer was in the dry, unbearably hot Middle Eastern desert; he was planning to take the remainder of Chuck's powers and use them for himself.

That was absolutely the most terrifying thing I had ever heard in my life. Lucifer with God's abilities.

"We're dead," I muttered, turning the corner.

I could hear voices at the end of the hall and the pounding of footsteps as I approached the bedroom. I jumped out of the corridor and pushed my way into the back room where my cage was kept. Opting to ignore the broken padlock on the ground, I continued to the bathroom, out of immediate sight and stashed the syringe in a set of towels on the top shelf that, in my entire time being here with Lucifer, I had never seen moved.

"Where is she?" I heard Lucifer shout using Sammy's scary angry voice. "Why is this fucking cage open again?"

"I don't know, sir," came a terrified demon's voice. "She, she was here when I left."

"I'm right here, asshat," I replied, stepping out of the bathroom with only a shirt on. "I was planning on taking a shower for the first time in a week. One of your chronies let me out." I rolled my eyes for good measure. "Jesus. Learn how to communicate."

Lucifer's eyes narrowed as he considered my story. "Who? Who let you out?"

"I don't know. I don't bother learning their names. You kill them too often."

Again, Lucifer watched me suspiciously, but I stared right back, lifting my eyebrows challengingly. "If you wanna keep staring, just take a fucking picture. I stink. I'm taking a shower. Kill me or whatever." I tossed my hair behind my shoulders and sauntered back into the bathroom, my heart pounding right out of my chest.

Closing the door behind me, I could hear Lucifer turn to the demon and grit his teeth. "She doesn't leave this room, you hear me? If she does, I won't kill you. I'll make you and the asshole down the hall torture each other for the next eighty years."

Taking a deep breath, I realized that I had somehow pulled off my lie and gotten a chance to get ahead of the game. I reached out for my sister once more, but I still wasn't able to make contact. I started the shower and stepped into the spray, preparing myself for the next item on my checklist.

…

Serra

I stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed in the second set of clothes that Lucifer had given me. I don't know where they had a washer and dryer, but somehow, I would take off one set and someone would take my dirty clothes, wash and dry them, and return them to me the next time I showered. It was weird and off-putting, considering I was a prisoner, but at the same time I wasn't going to complain.

Sitting on the bed to re-lace my boots, I watched my guard demon in my peripheral vision. He was nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other over and over again.

Taking a deep breath and deciding to throw caution into the wind, I stood up and stretched, turning to stare at my guard. "So," I sighed, letting my arms fall to my sides again. "We both know I'm not going back into that cage, and since it seems like a waste of time for me to just sit here, how about we just take a walk out to where Luci is hanging out."

"You've gotta be out of your fucking mind," the demon replied, shaking his head. "You're getting back in the cage, and you're shutting up about it."

I made a face. "Nah," I shook my head. "No thanks."

The demon stared at me, moving to lift the gun he held. I was already in motion, kicking the gun out of his hands and watching it skitter across the floor. I kicked him twice before he had a chance to attack, but I ducked out of his reach and hit him as hard as I could. I could feel the bones in my hand crack and momentarily, I wondered why I was so impulsive. Swearing loudly, I tucked away from the demon and we both dove for his gun.

I was smaller and quicker, getting to the grip before he had a chance. He smiled at me, chuckling wickedly. "Bullets ain't gonna do shit to me," he mocked.

I tilted my head, smiling ironically, and stomped the toe of my boot on the floor and suddenly, a Weapons Stone blade popped out the toe of my boot and I kicked it hard as I could into the demon's neck. The result was immediate. Blood spurted out of the wound on the demon's neck, and he fried from the inside, glowing orange, and dying with a surprised look on his face.

"I didn't use bullets, dumbass," I whispered. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, not entirely sure what I was going to do next. It's not like I could just walk out the door. I spun slowly in the bedroom and opted for the only other thing I was really good at.

A con.

There were more footsteps in the hall and Lucifer suddenly rounded the corner, staring at me through Sammy's eyes. I took a deep breath and committed fully to what I was about to do. There were no other alternatives, especially considering I couldn't get in touch with Grace and I was stranded by myself.

"Hey, honey," I smiled. "Miss me?"

"What the fuck did you think you were gonna do next?" Lucifer stared down at the dead demon on the floor.

I lifted my eyebrows and tilted my head, considering the possibility. "I dunno," I began. "He was really irritating and pulled a gun on me. Decided to even the playing field, especially considering I'd rather be with you instead of that fucking cage."

Lucifer stared at me incredulously. "You are a prisoner, Serendipity. What makes you think that you get to choose what you want to do?"

I dipped my head flirtatiously, smiling gently. "I'm your wife. I belong with you," I replied. "You'll make a great second husband."

"You are out of your goddamn mind if you think you're gonna follow me around like a little lovesick teenager," Lucifer spat, grabbing me by the arm and pushing me towards the cage. "It's all an act. Your dedication to your family is something that is unwavering and irritating. You don't fool me."

"Putting me back in that cage is only going to piss you off, because there is no way it'll contain me for much longer. You keep putting me in, I keep breaking out." Lucifer turned to stare at me, still gripping my upper arm with more force than necessary. I stared hard at him, narrowing my eyes and dropping my voice, "Keeping me with you at least eliminates the unknown. You can keep an eye on what I'm doing, I won't kill any more of your henchmen, and I'm not a flight risk because I'm not leaving without Sam." I took a deep breath and blew my hair out of my face. "It sounds like a win-win to me."

Lucifer stared at me as he worked out all the possibilities. He knew I was telling the truth about not wanting to escape, and he also knew the cage wouldn't contain me. I did everything in my power not to say anything else; worried that I might ruin any chance I had of winning this particular fight. Finally, he took a deep breath and threw me to the bed.

"I'm only going to say this once," Lucifer whispered, sounding absolutely pissed. "The first time you step a toe out of line, I will kill you, Serra."