"So..." Gwen said to Steve. "Have you thought about how you're going to fix things between Lucifer and Ellie? Part of the whole reason why they broke up is because you messed with her life and deprieved her of the chance to grow up typical: go to school, have hobbies, and friends her own age..."

"Don't worry, I fixed that," Steve smiled.

"You did?" Gwen asked in surprise. "Like, right this minute you fixed it?"

"Yes," Steve nodded. "And don't worry about their little boy. Nothing is going to harm him as a result of it."

"Well, I don't know..." Gwen winced. "Just how did you change it?"

"Simple," Steve shrugged. "I just gave Eleanor more time before she meets her destiny. This time, she'll be eighteen when everything goes into place." He smiled. "See? Isn't that better?"

"No, not really," Gwen shrugged. "It's a start, but doesn't really fix things. She's still being brought into a relationship without her consent really. Wouldn't it be better to actually give her a say?"

Steve froze. "Theoretically, I could see how you would think that, but I know what she'd be like without my son's influence! Self-righteous, proud, judgmental...even a little shrewish. There's no way they'd be together if she was just allowed come into the relationship on her own. She'd be too mean to him."

"Wanna bet?" Gwen asked. "I bet I could prove to you that you're wrong. And that left to her own devices, regardless of what that means for her personality, Ellie and your son would still find their way to each other. Cause you're absolutely right that they're perfect for one another. You just have to let them discover it on their own."

"Fine," Steve sighed. "I think I'll win this bet, but...do whatever you have to do to try and prove me wrong."

"Fine, I will," Gwen retorted with a roll of her eyes. "And I can't believe that you won't let Ellie have her own life because it means she'll be mean to your son. You condemned him to Hell!"

"Well, he's my son, so that's different," Steve replied.

Gwen sighed. "It's a good thing I'm here to fix this," she muttered and waved her hand so that when Ellie next woke up in the other world, she'd be able to meet Lucifer on her own terms...

"Shit!" Ellie yelled as her head hit the floor. She'd literally rolled out of bed and not for the first time. Then, as she got to her feet and rubbed the bump that had formed, she caught sight of her alarm clock and swore again: "Fuck, fuck, fuck! Damn thing! Why don't you ever work?" She was late...again. She quickly threw on the distressed jeans she'd worn yesterday along with a pair of birkenstocks and a red blouse. Then she brushed her teeth and grabbed her books. If she ran like hell, she would have just enough time to grab coffee before class started.

"There you are, rushing again," said her room mate who was still lying in bed. "Always rushing. Why can't you ever take time to relax?"

"Because I'm late, Eliza," she huffed. "That's why."

"There's a reason why I didn't schedule any of my classes until afternoon," Eliza replied, sitting up, her long blonde hair a mess. "That way, I can stay in bed. Rest a bit."

Ellie scoffed. "Yeah, and stare at all those magazine covers you have taped up everywhere. Who's the guy on them anyway?"

"Lucifer Morningstar," Eliza told her. "He runs that club, Lux. And rumor has it that he's the devil. Isn't that hot?"

"No," Ellie shook her head. "He's probably just some dumb warlock who can only get by on his looks so he has to plaster his stupid face around the city to promote his club! I can't believe you're falling for it! And he's way too old for you."

"And I can't believe you're being so judgmental!" Eliza shot back. "Haven't you ever seen a man who just makes you wanna...rip off your pants and go for it?"

"No," Ellie shook her head in the direction of the magazine cover. "And if I did, it sure as hell would not be someone like that. He's too tall! And his nose...I don't like his nose. It's too long. He's not handsome at all!" She rolled her eys again and left her roommate alone with her thoughts, disappointed that of all the stupid men her friend could have gone after, she didn't at least choose someone typical for that, like a musician.

Running like the wind, she got to the coffee shop just in time to yell out her coffee order, a double espresso with two lumps of sugar, and grab it before she took off again toward her classroom. Her professor wasn't too strict about them being exactly on time, but she hated disappointing people. She was so focused on getting to class on time, that she didn't notice where she was walking and ran into what felt like a solid wall and fell, sending her coffee flying and splattering on the nearby ground. She sat up and blinked, what, or rather who she'd run into coming into sharp focus. It was that Lucifer Morningstar guy her friends all had crushes on. But of course she wasn't impressed. And he wasn't happy either.

"Hey!" She yelled. "Watch where you're going! I have a class to get to, and now I'm probably gonna be late, so thanks a lot!" She then looked at the mess her coffee had made on the ground and winced.

Finally, Lucifer spoke. "You want me to watch where I'm going? You have some nerves, don't you, darling? You're not the only one who has places to go and people to see."

"Well, then, at the very least, you ruined my only cup of coffee for the day!" Ellie hissed. "Thanks a lot!"

Lucifer gestured at the other overturned cup on the pavement. "Your clumsiness ruined my cup too, so I could say the same to you, for Dad's sake."

Ellie narrowed her eyes and got closer. "Oh, my...it's you. I promised I would never set eyes on you and here you are in person. And don't call me darling. Never call me darling!"

"Have we met?" Lucifer asked as he surveyed her ugly sandals and dirty jeans. "That's what you seem to be implying. But I think I would remember such an unpleasant, horribly dressed person."

"Oh, never mind," Ellie huffed. "You know what? I don't want to be around you anymore. But I demand restitution. Give me money so I can get another coffee and I'll get on my way." She held out her hand and tapped her foot impatiently.

A growl escaping his throat, Lucifer got right up in her face. "Or what will you do if I don't?"

"You might want to," Ellie said. "If you don't, I can do very unpleasant things to you, because I'm a-"

"Witch, yes," Lucifer finished, wrinkling his nose. "And a novice one at that, probably still studying at the university. I can smell it all over you." His tone was full of disdain.

Ellie bared her teeth. "Watch your mouth, buddy. What do you have against witches, anyway?"

"Well, not exactly, but there are other reasons and it's a very long list." Lucifer grinned perniciously. "Would you like to hear it?"

Ellie scoffed and shook her head. "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

Lucifer smirked. "Funny you should ask it that way, because Hell has a lot to do with it. I'm the Devil, of course."

Ellie heard this and burst out laughing. "Oh, that's right. You're the crazy man all my friends like. How could I forget. At least it's good for marketing, right? You may be nuts but if you've got a good con going, then why ruin it by telling the truth?"

"I don't see why this is so funny," Lucifer spat, very angry now. "And besides, I never lie!"

"Damn," Ellie was laughing so hard now that she had to hold her belly. "You're...you're really funny." She stopped laughing and gave him a look. "And of course you lie. Everyone lies. You're so full of yourself!"

"Am I really?" Lucifer grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to him so their chests and stomachs were touching. He narrowed his eyes while she swallowed. "What is it that you most desire, darling?"

Ellie swallowed and blinked several times, trying to look away, but unable to do licked her lips and opened her mouth as Lucifer eagerly waited for the answer he figured was coming: that she wanted him. But instead, much to his shock, she pushed him at a distance and then kneed him in the groin.

He keeled over, swearing out loud.

Ellie narrowed her eyes. "Stay away from me, you pervert! I don't care if you're a Las Vegas superstar. I don't even care if you're the devil! You owe me a new coffee and you owe it to me now, damn it!" She stamped her foot.

While still doubled over and wincing, Lucifer managed to grab a ten dollar bill from his pocket and held it out to her. "There you go! Now take it and get out of my sight, witch!"

"Gladly!" Ellie replied, and then sarcastically, "have a good day, Mr. Morningstar."

"I will be now that you're leaving!" He yelled as she strode off and he tried to do his best to stand up and forget the whole encounter.

A few days later, Ellie was on time for class, coffee in hand. As everyone took their seats, chatter filled the room until the bell rang and the teacher, who let his students call him Malachai, strode in. "All right, everyone, calm down. I have a new assignment for you, and it comes with a bit of a surprise."

"A good surprise or a bad one?" Ellie wanted to know.

"A good one, I think," Malachai smiled. "I want you all to learn how to run a business. You know, tell me about promotion, budgeting, that sort of thing."

"So we make one up and tell you how we run it?" Ellie asked.

"Not entirely," Malachai said. "You just take one aspect, like the budget, and write a paper. And to give you an example, we've been invited to be special guests at a club called Lux for the day."

The rest of the class cheered at the idea of a field trip, but Ellie groaned just as loudly.

"Problem, Miss Mikaelson?" Malachai asked with a raised eyebrow. "Frankly, I didn't expect anyone to object."

"Well, I didn't expect to be dragged to a den of iniquity against my will," Ellie replied. "Do I have to actually go in order to do the paper?"

"Yes," Malachai sighed.

"How dare you!" Ellie cried. "You hold my good grades hostage and force me to go be in a presence of a delusional man who thinks he's the devil in order to do this paper? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Well if it's Mr. Morningstar you have a problem with, it's highly unlikely we'll be doing a lot with him," Malachai tried to reassure her. "I was told that it would be his assistant Dexter who will be with us. He's a very pleasant fellow."

Ellie scoffed. "Poor man. I hope he's paid well."

"Anyway," Malachai continued, "When we get to the club, I want each one of you, as I said, to take one aspect, such as administration, accounting, or marketing, and write a paper about how that particular subject contributes to running a successful business. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes," Ellie nodded. "He seems to know a lot about marketing, that Lucifer everyone that he's the Devil is an excellent marketing strategy even if the man himself is a total idiot."

Malachai narrowed his eyes at her. "It's not just a marketing strategy. It's what he is. He's truly the Devil."

Ellie burst out laughing. "Oh, my gosh, Malachai, you believe it too? How funny! How does he do it? Has the whole world gone bananas?"

But no one else in the room was laughing. Malachai took a deep breath. "Miss Mikaelson, I have no reason to lie to you, especially about something like this."

"Well, all right, but...I don't understand!" Ellie cried. "Why would the Devil be on Earth?"

"I don't know," Malachai shrugged. "Maybe you can ask him yourself when we go to Lux. Until then, can we proceed with the class, please?"

"Yeah," Ellie sighed. "Whatever."

"Thank you," Malachai told her. And then began the day's lessons.

As promised, when they arrived at Lux, they were met by Dexter, a demon in a perfectly tailored suit. He smiled pleasantly and spoke calmly. "Welcome to Lux, ladies. I am at your disposal for whatever you might need in researching your papers, so if there's anything I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask."

"Will we be seeing Mr. Morningstar today?" Ellie asked.

"No, I'm afraid he's been unavoidably detained," Dexter informed her.

"All right," Ellie nodded and made her way to an empty bar stool, asking for a glass of water as she spread out her things and began writing notes for her paper, and wincing all the while because the loud dance music made it hard for her to concentrate. Then, eventually, she felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. She looked up and saw him descending the stairs from the upper floor. Lucifer Morningstar, looking the very picture of the rich and powerful man.

His eyes widened with horror as he reached the bottom of the staircase. He'd forgotten that this was the day the tour from the witch university was coming. He was about to turn and run when Dexter caught him and grabbed him. "What are you doing here?" He whispered. "I warned you that they were coming!"

"I know!" Lucifer whispered back as the witches saw him and advanced. "I forgot!"

"Well, it's too late for you to go now that they've seen you," Dexter said. "Just say 'Hello'. That's the polite thing to do."

"Well, hello, ladies," Lucifer gave a smile and a nervous laugh. "Lovely to see you all, and good luck on your future endeavors!" Dexter let him go, but before he could sprint away, they were swarming. Getting away would not be easy, even as he begged them to write their questions down on a piece of paper and Dexter would deal with them.

"Just go with it," Dexter yelled. "If you fight it, things will just be harder!"

Finally, a panting Lucifer threw himself out of the gaggle of chattering young women and ran for the safety of the bar, pouring himself a big drink.

"What's wrong with you?" Dexter asked. "I thought you would like a horde of pretty young women in your club!"

"Yes, but Dexter, they're here for work!" Lucifer pointed out. "They want me to have a responsibility toward them! So loud and needy! If only there was one new person around here who didn't feel that way about me!" He took a drink and his eyes traveled to the bar where one bar stool was occupied by a young woman with a notebook on her lap while she scribbled in it, a glass of water by her side. Then she looked up and then looked away when she realized he was holding her gaze. But they met eyes long enough for Lucifer to realize who it was.

"You see?" Lucifer whispered. "You see that woman over there? She's the one I was telling you about!" His eyes traveled down her her body, which ended in lovely long legs and dainty feet. She wore practical, ugly shoes, of course, and her outfit...atrocious! He wondered how she would look without anything on...

"No!" He turned away as he felt his body beg for release.

"Lucifer? Are you all right? Who are you looking at?"

"She's the one I told you about earlier!" Lucifer cried. "After all she did to me, she has the nerve to come here and sit on one of my bar stools!" He growled as he said the last three words.

"Who?" Dexter asked. "You mean that woman over there? She's with the school group." He turned, his eyes widening. "What's wrong with you, Lucifer? Your eyes are red!"

Lucifer shut his eyes tight and rubbed his temples. "That's because she's a...she's a..."

Dexter chuckled and put a hand on his back. "You don't have to finish that sentence. It's obvious that she's done something to you."

"Yes!" Lucifer huffed. "She made me spill my coffee and she didn't even apologize! And then she blackmailed me into giving her money!"

"Oh, how rude!" Dexter said, not believing a word of it. "But seriously, what did she do to get you all worked up?"

"Just what I said!" Lucifer snapped. "I don't want to talk about it anymore!" Then he froze as Ellie's eyes lifted up from her paper, she noticed him looking at her, and made a face. "You see what she did there?" Lucifer cried. "So rude and so childish!"

"You know, she's not bad looking," Dexter remarked. "I would even say she's beautiful. Wouldn't you?"

"Oh, that's appalling," Lucifer winced. "Don't ever say that again! She's not even my type!"

"Yes, uh-huh," Dexter nodded, unbelieving. "Sure, whatever you say."

But before Lucifer could do something stupid like confront Ellie, Malachai called for his students to reconvene. "All right," he said when they'd returned. "Everyone have ideas for their papers? I want to hear them so I can be sure there are no repeats."

He was pleased with everyone's choices, and then he came to Ellie. "And...dare I ask what you're going to do your paper on, Miss Mikaelson?" He inquired.

"Yes," Ellie said with a broad grin. "I think I'll do my paper on Lucifer Morningstar. If that's all right with you, Malachai."

"Interesting choice," Malachai remarked and then wrote it down on the list. "And I can't wait to see how this turns out!"

Ellie was still trying to figure out how exactly she was gonna accomplish what she wanted to do for her paper when, as she left the bathroom, she felt someone grab her arm and start pulling her roughly away. Surprised, she started to struggle, then, when she saw who it was, she smiled. "Waiting for your prey outside the bathroom, Mr. Morningstar?" She asked him. "If you're trying to prove to me that you aren't a pervert, this isn't the way to do it!"

"Oh, hush, would you?" Lucifer snapped as he grabbed her wrist instead. "There's no need for you to speak!"

"I think there is if I want to know what you're up to," Ellie pointed out as she tried to keep up with his stride as he pulled her after him. "And I do! Also, this whole caveman thing? Not really sexy. If this is the way you romance people, I don't know why you're so popular. Not doing a thing for me."

Swearing under his breath, he pulled her along for a little while longer until they reached a large closet and he shoved her inside, closing the door behind them.

Ellie looked around. It was a large space, dimly lit and full of shelves of wine. "All right," she said, her arms crossed. "What are you up to? What's the point of this and what do you want from me?"

"I want to know what's going on in that devious little head of yours, darling," Lucifer snapped. "Why on Earth would you do your assignment on me?"

"Why not?" Ellie shrugged. "My teacher approved it. Thought it was a very good idea. Are you scared, Mr. Morningstar?"

"I'm not scared of anything," Lucifer told her and pulled her close as his hands ran down her body. "You don't scare me. But I have to ask," he took her hand and kissed the fingers. "Was your teacher aware of your animosity toward me before he approved the topic of your paper? I just know you have a hidden agenda and I'm going to find out what it is-" He pulled her close against him-"one way or another."

Ellie, though slightly thrown off by his hands on her body, quickly pulled her hand out of his grasp before he could kiss it again and put it on her heart. "I'm so touched that you finally noticed, Luci! Good for you! You have brains in your head after all!" She then punched his chest and he grabbed her closed fist, squeezing it so hard that she winced and hated herself for it.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me, young lady," he warned.

"Fine," Ellie pushed him at a distance. "And you're right. I do have a hidden agenda. I want everyone to know what a weird, troubled person you are, as well as being a liar."

"Oh?" Lucifer asked, picking her up and sitting her on a large, empty box while looking at her chest. "Please enlighten me about how you plan to do that. I need a good laugh."

Ellie shrugged. "I just...I don't think you're the Devil. You're too much of a player to be him. A giant cliche. And you would think that if the Devil were out and about wreaking havoc, he'd do a better job of keeping it a secret. That's how you go about doing nefarious business. Only an idiot would blab the truth everywhere." She paused. "I mean, if it IS the truth."

"I see," Lucifer nodded. "So your scheme is to get to know me better so you can tell the world my 'true identity'."

"Exactly," Ellie nodded. "Well, except for the 'getting to know you better' part. I don't want that." She moved back on the box as he got closer to her. "What are you doing? Why are you getting closer to me?" He was close enough now that the scent of his cologne was beginning to envelop her, making it hard for her to breathe. He then began to undo the buttons of his black silk shirt.

"I think you're wrong about that," he said. "I think you want to get to know me very well."

As his shirt hung open and revealed a very sculpted torso, Ellie let out a squeak. Then she shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "If you keep me in here, I'll scream so loud that the walls of this club will shake!"

He grinned widely. "Is that a promise? It's funny that for once, we're thinking the same thing..."

"Oh, go ahead!" She cried savagely. "I don't care if you-"

He pulled her close and kissed her soundly, and, much to her shock, it wasn't long before she was kissing back. Because he seemed like a very good kisser. She didn't even mind that, as they kissed, his hands seemed to wander under her skirt. Or maybe she did.

As Ellie pulled herself away after giving him a good, hard slap, she winced and wiped her mouth, glaring at Lucifer who was panting just as hard as she was, a hand going up to touch his reddening cheek. "Are you done with all this nonsense now?" He asked. He was sweating now, and somehow, it made him more attractive to her.

"No," Ellie hissed and shook her head. "No one tells me when I'm done, especially not a man like you!"

He made a noise in his throat as she grabbed him by his tie so that their faces were close together before she took his face in her hands and kissed him again. Then, she moaned as she felt his lips on her neck. Then he picked her up and her legs wrapped around his waist.

"What's your name, darling?" He murmured while nibbling on her earlobe.

"I'm surprised you're asking," Ellie panted. "But if you want to bother to remember it, it's Eleanor."

"What a beautiful name," he whispered and began kissing down her collarbone and undoing the buttons on her blouse. "Like a goddess."

Ellie chuckled and shook her hair out, then, when his hands were on her breasts, she leaned forward, nibbled on his earlobe, and whispered, "That line may work on other girls but it won't work on me!"

"What?" Lucifer asked, so surprised that he actually put her down and stepped back. "I don't know what you're talking about. Why can't you just take a compliment?"

"I can, but not when I know it isn't sincere!" Ellie cried. "When it's a line you've fed to who knows how many others? And besides...I'm way too young for you! Won't it be just delicious for me to put in my paper that Lucifer Morningstar, owner of Lux, is a dirty old man?"

"What?" Lucifer asked, open mouthed. This was going to be harder than he thought. "You're not going to-"

"Oh, yes, I am," Ellie turned on her heel after buttoning her blouse. "Have a good day, Mr. Morningstar."

Then, she strode out of the room, and when she was far enough away, she took a deep breath. Her cheeks were red and her heart was racing. He might be a pervert, but there was no doubt he knew what he was doing and, she realized to her shock, that it had an effect on her. This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all.