The drive to Lawrence, Kansas was long. Lux only stopped once to catch a couple hours of sleep before driving on, only one goal in mind. Of course, they were going to need a bit of a story to get what they needed. The house came into view and they parked in front of it, taking a breath before getting out of the car. After a knock, Lux took a step back from the door, waiting.

"Hello," the woman who opened the door greeted. A baby sat on her hip. "May I help you?"

"I'm sorry to intrude, ma'am," Lux said with a polite smile. "My name is Robin Oak. I used to live in this neighborhood, right over there," they said, pointing out a house two doors down. "My family and I, we're doing this small road trip, visiting places we used to live in. We left when I was young – my dad was military – but, there was a family here. The Winchesters. They had two boys. I was friends with the oldest one. Before they moved away, anyway. A fire burned the place down and I never saw him again and I was just, I was wondering..."

The blonde's eyes widened the more Lux spoke before a knowing smile appeared on her lips. "You're wondering about Dean," she said with a nod. "I met him and his brother Sam recently. This was, well, two or three months ago," she admitted. "And they didn't leave a way to contact them. I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do, something to give you, but..."

Lux looked down at the ground to hide their frustration. "I understand," they said and lifted their gaze up when a polite smile was back on their lips. "I truly appreciate you even talking to me. Have a good day." They turned and trotted down the steps.

"Wait!" At the woman's calling, Lux turned around and found her coming down the steps towards them. It was hard to keep from being overly eager now, but they remained silent. "It might not be much, really, but they had a friend with them, when they visited the house. Her name is Missouri. She's a local, a psychic. Maybe she knows a way to get in touch with Dean."

Hope grew and they smiled genuinely at the woman. "Thank you. Really, thank you so much," they said.

"No need for thanks," the woman replied with a smile of their own. "If you manage to talk to them, though, can you give them a message? Our first visit was a little… hectic, and it slipped my mind."

"Yes, of course," Lux nodded after a second of surprise.

"Tell them this is still their home, even now. If they ever want to drop in for a hot meal," she said. "The door is always open."

It was strange, having to pass on this seemingly personal message on to people whose first names they hadn't even known until now. Still, it was one of their goals to meet them eventually. "I'll make sure to pass it on, ma'am. Have a good day," Lux said, giving the house one last look before turning away and heading to their car.

A look in the local phone book was all Lux needed before they stood at the front of the psychic's door. They stepped in, looking around, when they heard voices in a back room. Figuring she must be with a client, Lux took a seat in the little waiting area. A door inside the house opened not even five minutes later. "You've got a bright future ahead of you, darling," a woman's voice rang as a black woman walked to the front door with a young man. Missouri and college kid, Lux guessed. "Keep working hard and you'll reach your goal."

The kid left with an easy smile and the weight of the world off his shoulders. Isn't it always this way? Only getting what they want to hear?, Lux thought absentmindedly.

"You're not wrong, hun," the woman said and turned towards them. "It's not good for business to give bad news all the time, after all." Missouri waved at them now. "Come on now, Lux Bravo." Their real name from her lips caused Lux to jump. "I've got what you want, though you probably aren't going to like what you find."

"You're good," Lux said when they got their bearings, following the older woman into the back of the house. "The Winchesters. You know them and you know they went through the same thing I did. Mother pinned to the ceiling, consumed by fire?" they asked quietly as Missouri motioned for them to sit in a cozy living room couch. Lux remained standing, though, watching the woman. "Was it when Dean was a baby or Sam? Do you know what it is? Do you know how I can find it?"

The sound of someone trying to remain unheard caught Lux's ears and they whirled around, hand on their lower back. "Child, you better get that hand away from that gun," Missouri warned even as Lux's eyes landed on the older, scraggly-faced man coming down from the stairs. "He's got the answers you want."

At this, Lux's eyes widened even as they watched the man walk past them, dropping into the couch. "You remind me of someone," the man said with a tired smile.

"Oh, yeah?" Lux asked, their hand still on the gun and their attention on the man. They knew who the man was, even if the newspaper picture had been extra grainy, but preferred confirmation. "Who?"

"My son, Dean," he replied. "Very shoot first, ask questions later type of kid." Lux relaxed at this and finally dropped the hand from the butt of the gun. "You two would hit it off."

With a roll of their eyes, they dropped onto the spot on the couch opposite of the Winchester patriarch. "Yes, well, they do say that nothing bonds people better than trauma. Bonus points if it's childhood trauma," Lux replied in a deadpan tone before looking over at the man. "Where are your kids? You would think, after what you all have been through, you wouldn't let them out of your sight."

Missouri looked between the two then rolled her eyes. "I know it's a waste of time, doing introductions, but I was raised right unlike you two," she said. "John, this is Lux. Lux, this is John. You should at least know the name of the person you were about to shoot, don't you think, hun?"

"So, who was it? Whose nursery was the thing in?" Lux asked quietly, ignoring Missouri, their eyes dead-set on John now. Despite how stoic he remained, they noticed the little changes – the eyes slightly widening, the clenching of the jaw, the stiff spine. "What, you think you're the only one that's good at spotting patterns? Cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms," Lux listed out on their fingers. "All of these happen before the fire happens, the mother usually being the casualty. Unless the family is unlucky. The authorities investigate. They blame an electrical shortage in the nursery. Always the nursery."

"Maybe Sammy is more your type," John said, displaying amusement now. "He's the smart one. Don't tell Dean I said that, though." Lux gave him a sardonic smile, still waiting for him to answer their question. "Listen, miss – "

"Not 'miss', John," Missouri interrupted and Lux glanced over at the woman with a raised eyebrow. "Better if I explain it," she said with a shrug then turned to John again. "It's not 'mister' either. No 'she' or 'he'. Use 'they' or 'them'. Or just Lux is fine. Now before you say how complicated it is, it really isn't. Mind your manners now or you can see yourself out the door. This is important to them."

Lux chuckled now. "You really are good, Missouri," they repeated.

John only stared at Lux, seemed to almost x-ray them. "Lux, then. You were one of the unlucky families, I assume," he spoke in a low voice. "Who else did it take?"

It was Lux's turn to tense and their eyes filled with anger even as John's remained clear now. Part of them wanted to avoid saying it aloud, come up with some witty remark instead if possible. "Everyone," they answered darkly after a long minute. There was no point in lying to someone who believed. "It took everyone I loved."

What happened next wasn't something Lux expected. John's features completely softened and he lost the stiff posture, leaning his elbows on his thighs. "It's a demon. Not just any demon, though. Its name is Azazel. A prince of hell," he said. "The way it operates, it feeds its blood to babies – six month old babies, to be exact. At first, we thought he was creating some sort of army. What he's really doing, though, is preparing a vessel."

"A vessel?" Lux repeated, eyes intent on John. "What do you mean a vessel? A vessel implies a counterpart, something to fill it." Understanding suddenly dawned on them. "A possession. A certain type of possession?" they muttered to themselves after then looked up at John again. "To what end?"

"Definitely a good match for Sammy," John said with a chuckle of his own now. "You're sharp, kid. A possession is exactly right. For the end is spot on too."

"The end," they said, brow furrowed. "The end of what?"

"Work the puzzle, Sherlock," John replied, grinning. "I'll give you a minute."

Lux's perplexed expression changed to a cool look aimed at John. "This isn't a game. Tell me what you're talking about," they demanded quietly.

It was difficult – but not impossible – to hide their surprise when John's face lit up suddenly, a charming smile that could fool anyone. "Now I feel Dean's the better match. You're quite the conundrum, Lux. Man, I wish there were two of you."

"Cut the crap, Winchester," they growled. "I'm not here for a matchmaking session. I'm here for information. What end are you talking about? What kind of vessel would a demon need – " Lux stopped short. Their eyes flickered over John's head as if reading his thoughts and the blood drained from their features. "A demon and an end. You can't mean – I mean, why would it even – Unless," Lux's brown eyes went back to John. "You're talking about the Apocalypse, aren't you?"

The man leaned back onto the couch, his hazel eyes showing a spark of glee despite the topic. "Bingo, kid," he said with a slight nod. "The end of all ends. You religious or something? You got it pretty quick."

"Do you have a plan? A way to kill it?" Lux asked, ignoring his question while watching him closely. There was a twitch at the corner of his mouth, a slight pulse at his temple. "You know something. You've gathered all this information on it; you know what its end goal is. If you have all this, then you must know of a way to destroy it as well. You wouldn't be chasing it otherwise."

John studied them carefully in return and then flashed another smile. "You should meet Dean and Sam. Those boys could use someone like you," he said.

"I think not. I have better things to do than babysit your spawn," Lux replied and they leaned forward, staring down John who only continued to smile. "Tell me how to kill it."

"Go home, Lux," John replied. The smile slipped from his lips, and he leaned forward as well now, his eyes never blinking away from Lux's. "Pretend none of this is real. Keep on with your life – school or work or whatever it is you do. Bury this, all of this, in the darkest recess of your mind and never touch it again. Let it fade. And maybe, just maybe, you'll make it out alright."

The staring contest went on for a long, silent minute before Lux smiled. It was all teeth and no genuine emotion behind it. "No." John blinked now and Lux picked up the signs of shock easily enough. "I'm not ever going to stop chasing this thing. And if you could find a way to kill it, so can I." With that said, they pushed off the couch and turned to Missouri. "Thank you for everything, Missouri. I appreciate you helping me despite me being a stranger."

"They sure are something, aren't they, Missouri?" John interrupted, looking up at the dark-haired figure. When they glanced over at John again, he was holding out a piece of paper. "I like you, kid. It's my number, in case you ever find yourself in a corner you can't glower or sass yourself out of."

Lux stared at it before plucking it from between his fingers. "That's what the gun is for, but an extra backup doesn't hurt."

"I'm sure," he chuckled with a nod. Lux waited, watching him, the tell-tale signs of a man wanting to say more keeping them in place. "I'd suggest looking into protection from demons, before anything else. And then learning about lore or myths," he added. "The things you think are only fairytales, well, they're not."

"Duly noted," Lux stated and walked away, waving a hand as they left. "See you around, Winchester."