Standing in the doorway was a woman.

A petite woman with cropped blond hair, sky blue eyes and pink lips

Resisting the urge to slam the door in her face, Constantine raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Emma Chandler," she said in a slightly southern accent, "I believe you knew my cousin, Chas."

"I can't help you," Constantine said pushing the door close. Emma held up something in her right hand. For a minuet Constantine thought it was a police badge and grinned inwardly at the terrible irony of the situation. But then he saw what it really was and he felt slightly sick.

It was a cigarette lighter.

Or, more specifically, it was his cigarette lighter, gold ornamenting and all.

"I think you can," Emma said, "I found this on Chas's tombstone and unless you to go to jail for child prostitution you'll let me in."

Constantine closed the door, undid the chain, and opened it. Emma walked inside, looking around. Constantine realized how this must seem to her: him in his pajamas, a woman half-dressed on a bed and three men standing around.

"You really are sick," she muttered under her breath, "Well Mr. Constantine?"

"You came in here," Constantine pointed out.

"Yeah, I can see I'm interrupting," Emma scoffed, "Mr. Constantine, my favorite aunt is about to have a breakdown because her son was found a block from a psychiatric ward with a broken neck and an insane religious fanatic claiming to be a Fallen Angel."

Angela suddenly felt her breath leave her. She was falling down that impossibly long tunnel again, past colors and shapes. Finally she landed on her feet, in a dusty crater that smelled like roses and sulpher. The basic setting was the same as the last fifty times she was there, only her location was different. The burning, skeletal buildings were further in the background.

In front of her was Satan, his suit immaculately white in a cruel twist of fate. Standing in front of him was a man in his twenties, clutching a spear that sparkled in the light. His curly brown hair was whipped around and pounded by dust, his clothing was torn, but he stood strait and his eyes burned with defiance.

Standing next to him was Emma. She was wearing a torn dress and her blond hair was messy. In her hands she had the Spear of Destiny which sparkled as well. Her blue eyes were as defiant as the other mans.

"Give me the Spears!" Satan hissed.

"No," was the tense reply.

"Well then," Satan shrugged. Fire flew up and filled Angela's vision. She shut her eyes. When she opened them she was still on the bed. Only now all eyes were on her. Swallowing, Angela forced herself to breath normally.

"What did you see?" Michael asked.

"Her," Angela said, "with the Spear of Destiny."

Michael nodded and the door locked, trapping Emma inside. Her blue eyes narrowed, trying to look angry instead of scared. Of course, Emma couldn't see the giant wings spanning from their backs, she could only see two tall men advancing towards her.

"Stop it!" Chas said suddenly.

Michael and Raphael turned to face the youngest Archangel who looked at them with a mix of sadness and anger on his face.

"She works for Lucifer," Michael said.

"She wouldn't do that," Chas protested, "she may not believe in you but she's a good person!"

"There is no such thing as a neutral party," Raphael said, "I tried to teach you that—Uriel tried to teach you that—but you won't listen! Even Azrael and Israfel have sides, although they change frequently."

"So what? If she's not for you then she's against you?"

"Yes!" Raphael yelled, "and it would be in your best interest to accept that."

"No," Chas said, his voice suddenly becoming heated, "no, I won't! I see what you're black and white world does to everyone else—it forces them into a little comforting box! And it's not true," Chas continued taking a deep breath, "now get away from her."

&

Lucifer stood in a room of polished black stone, smooth as silk. Outside flames licked at the damned. Inside it was eerily quiet and calm. Dressed impeccably as always, Lucifer was adorned in black silk pants and no shirt, his dragon-like wings folded neatly on his back.

A few feet away, a man waited. He was dressed in a perfect suit, his hair slicked back artfully. He stood strait, his hands clasped behind him. His eyes were fixed on a point over Lucifer's shoulder.

"What, were you thinking?" Lucifer hissed, "releasing Mammon? Do you have any idea what would have happened if you succeeded?"

"I apologize my lord, I only sought redemption."

"Redemption?" Lucifer threw back his head and laughed, the bitter sound edged with a hint of something more angelic, "you sought redemption with that God?"

"Yes," he said, his eye sparkling with an unshed tear.

" I expected better of you," Lucifer said, "you know the Balance must be kept. If we take over the Third Plane without the Spear of Asel then we are doomed. Did you get what I asked?" the man extended his hand, the cardboard tube inside. Lucifer opened it and pulled out a rolled out manila folder stamped with the words Dodson, Isabel.

"Well well well," Lucifer said, "it seems you're not completely useless."

Drawing back his hand, he threw a ball of black light at the man who collapsed to his knees with a ragged cry as the light hit him. The suit fell away to reveal a well muscled torso that now rippled with something pushing it's way out. He yelled again as his back split to reveal a pair of black leathery wings. Then the silence came again. He pushed himself to his feet and flexed his wings experimentally.

"Come Balthazar, we have work to do."

"Of course my lord."

"My lord!" someone, a low demon, came running up to him, "my lord Mammon has escaped."

"What!" Lucifer roared, making the walls trembling in fear.

"He vanished. Your Guards are all dead. Someone went to inform the Dark One."

"Balthazar," Lucifer rounded on the demon, "find Mammon. You, tell Satan that if he cannot handle his own spawn then I will."

With a powerful kick off the ground, Lucifer took to the skies of Hell and vanished. Balthazar turned to the demon who was still staring at the sky.

"Go to Satan and give him the message before I brand it onto you and give him that instead," Balthazar snarled. The demon took off. Balthazar looked around and let out a roar. After a moment of silence the roar was echoed back to him and two giant shapes came towards him: Gaspar, and Melchior, his two most trusted friends next to Lucifer himself.