Chapter 18

The missing piece

"That will be all, Crowley," Lucifer stated, he kept his eyes on Mia. Her breathing had quickened and she was backing away, he could practically hear her heart pounding. How fragile her human body looked, but it was nonetheless magnificent, just like he had imagined. A perfect match for his true vessel. Merging with her would no doubt be a unique experience. To have his grace back… It had been taken from him when he had been cast out of Heaven. To a normal angel, losing their grace would also mean losing their powers, but since Lucifer had been an archangel, his grace hadn't been the only source of his powers.

It had still been an important part of him, his soul so to speak, and losing it so brutally had been a very agonizing experience. Fortunately Michael hadn't managed to capture his grace; Lucifer had found it before his downfall. The bad news had been that Lucifer hadn't been able to make his grace a part of him again, not when he had been cut off from Heaven. His only chance had been to hide his grace before he had been captured. Spending centuries in the cage had given him time to find a solution to his problem. To give his grace a human body… It had been so simple. And here she finally was, his precious girl. He was the only one who could see her the way she really was. She was glowing; a bluish-white light surrounded her.

"About our agreement…" Crowley started.

"Yes," Lucifer cut in impatiently, all he wanted was to be alone with the girl. "I never lie. But I would advice you to stay out of my sight and never to test my patience again. Now leave."

Crowley didn't need to be told twice, he was gone in a fraction of a second. Mia tried to run to the door, but Lucifer appeared in front of her, startling her.

"No need to be afraid, Meus Pretiosus," Lucifer hummed softly. "I have no intention of harming you…"

"Stay away from me!" she demanded with a shaky voice and backed away.

Poor thing was so scared… That wasn't right. He smiled when she ran to the old fireplace and picked up a poker.

"What are you planning to do with that?" he inquired.

She didn't say anything; she just squished the poker with both hands.

"Alright, keep it if it helps you to feel safer, but you're really not in any kind of danger. On the contrary. I will protect you and give you everything you have ever wanted."

She was still breathing rapidly, clearly she was very afraid.

"I want to leave," she said.

He crossed his arms and smiled at her.

"Well, everything except that."

She stared at him cautiously and took a deep breath.

"What do you want from me?"

"As I said, I want to keep you safe. Look after you."

She was quiet for a brief moment before speaking.

"You…you're the devil. Why… Why would you…"

"I understand you must be confused," he replied calmingly. "Everything will be clearer soon, I promise." He paused and held out his hand. "Please."

She shook her head rigidly and lifted the poker.

"No."

"Oh come on, surely you don't want to stay here? I have prepared a very nice accommodation for you and I have a gift for you."

"I don't want anything from you," she murmured defiantly.

"Really? Well, that's a shame. Your brother Oliver has been eagerly waiting for you."

He saw a glimpse of terror in her eyes, although she tried to hide it.

"Before you ask, he's fine, I haven't hurt him. Come with me and you'll be reunited."

"Why would I believe anything you say?" she managed to ask.

He smiled.

"Despite of what most people think, I don't lie. I would certainly never lie to you, my dear."

She tensed when he took a step towards her. He stopped and kept his distance; there was no need to cause her any unnecessary distress. The fact remained that human body came with human feelings. That was something he simply needed to deal with, as inconvenient as it was. Normally Lucifer felt nothing but loathing towards humans and their feelings, but she wasn't just any human, she was a part of him. He had lost a lot of power when he had lost his grace, but that would all be fixed soon.

"What's wrong with your face?" she asked after a moment of silence, she was still squishing the poker.

Instinctively he touched his vessel's face; it seemed that the burn marks were getting worse.

"Oh, this… Just a little inconvenience. No need to be alarmed."

"It looks painful," she stated.

He smiled.

"It's not. The problem is that this body isn't my real vessel."

She tensed and pressed her lips together.

"Sam… Sam's your real vessel, right?" she murmured.

He raised an eyebrow; he had to admit that he was surprised for her knowing that.

"Yes, he is."

She was quiet for a brief moment before continuing.

"I want to make a deal with you."

He cleared his throat in order to hide his amusement.

"A deal?"

"Yeah. I'll come with you and I'll do whatever you want me to do, but in return I want you to leave Sam alone and let my brother go."

He observed her curiously; she seemed to be very much serious.

"Well… I can certainly let your brother go if that is what you want, but the part about leaving Sam alone… I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why not?" she asked tensely.

"Because Sam was born to be my vessel, it's his fate."

"If you hurt him…" Mia started angrily and took a threatening step towards Lucifer.

Again he was surprised. She had really become attached to Sam. Interesting… And very good news to Lucifer.

"No need to worry, my dear," he said calmingly. "I wouldn't hurt Sam any more than I would hurt you. It's the truth; you know that, don't you? You know I wouldn't lie to you."

She was very confused; there was no doubt about that.

"You are safe with me," he hummed softly and approached her. "You know that. I'm the one you have been waiting for your whole life. The part of you that has been missing."

"No…" she murmured, but she didn't back away. He smiled and stepped in front of her.

"Everything is alright, my dear," he assured and carefully touched her cheek.

She flinched, but she still didn't move.

"Everything will be…" he paused and frowned when he felt a nasty sting on his stomach, she had just stabbed him with the poker. Calmly he pulled it out and dropped it on the floor.

"That wasn't very nice," he scolded and looked up.

She was shaking and few tears were rolling down her cheeks. So many feelings… He had to admit that he couldn't understand most of them, but he did understand that she was upset.

"It's alright, I'm not angry at you," he assured. "I understand you need some time to adjust and fortunately we have time."

Yes, they had some time while waiting for Sam. Mia didn't flinch anymore when Lucifer cupped her face and ran his thumb across her cheek. Touching her made him sigh blissfully; he had missed the feeling for so long. Everything was finally like it was supposed to be.