A/N: Hope you're enjoying. A bit more sexy-times.
Compared to the elevator ride, dinner itself was quite tame.
Lucifer, with Hermione's permission, ordered for them. A shared appetizer of stuffed dates; an entree for him of roasted duck with root vegetables; hers a stuffed capon breast with asparagus. Dessert was a flight of gelato. Each course had a wine pairing, picked by Lucifer - he didn't trust the sommelier. ("You can't trust someone who wears white athletic socks with black dress shoes!")
"That was lovely, thank you," Hermione wrapped herself around Lucifer's arm, the couple heading toward the elevator.
"I'd like to invite you up, if I may be so bold."
Hermione giggled and blushed. "Why Mr. Morningstar, how forward of you."
"Wow. You two are disgusting."
Lucifer kept walking, "Goodnight, Maze." They made their way to the elevator call buttons.
"Wait," she said, getting up from her spot on the lobby sofa. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were forced into this. I'm sure you wouldn't have picked her, if it had been up to you, Lucifer."
At this point Lucifer left Hermione at the elevator and walked towards Maze.
"Two points: one, I picked her out of the crowd before we ever met. Two, you'll regret saying that, Maze."
Maze opened her mouth to respond, but Lucifer shook his head. "Don't," he warned her.
He returned to Hermione, holding the elevator for them.
Hermione didn't say anything when he stepped inside, scanning his room key to access the penthouse. She didn't say anything for their trip up to the 52nd floor. When the doors opened at their floor, Hermione stepped forward, into Lucifer's arm, which blocked her path.
"I tried talking to you four times on the elevator - I'm going to need you to talk to me at some point this evening," Lucifer informed her.
"Oh," she seemed a bit shocked. "I hadn't heard."
Lucifer looked at her, waiting for more.
"I was just thinking how you've known Maze for centuries, and here I am getting between you two. I just wonder how this works in His plan, is all."
Lucifer closed his eyes, and waited two beats before commenting.
"Maze is a demon. You are an evil-defeating witch. You're with me because you bring balance to this," he gestured up and down his body. "The only thing Maze can balance is a knife blade."
Lucifer led Hermione out of the elevator, into the room.
He sat on the sofa in the suite's sitting room, and pulled Hermione across his lap. She smiled, and rested her head on his shoulder. He gently stroked her leg while they sat.
"Now what are you thinking about?"
Hermione chuckled, "I was wondering if we could introduce Maze to Ginny."
"You little minx! I'm the Devil, you're supposed to balance me out!" He kissed her forehead.
She looked up and he kissed her mouth. They sat there, tongues mingling, responding, dancing with one another. Then Lucifer placed Hermione on the sofa, while he sank to his knees on the floor between her legs. His slid his strong hands up her legs, to retrieve her panties.
"When did you lose those?" Lucifer asked incredulously.
"About the time I slid the dress on," she said with a mischievous grin.
The growl that came from Lucifer was part lust, part territorial.
He leaned up, kissing her forcefully on the mouth.
"If I weren't so turned on right now, I'd be angry there was nothing between the rest of the world and your sweetness." He kissed her again with an almost bruising force. At the same time, he slipped two long digits into her sex. Her "oh" muffled by Lucifer's mouth. Leaving his fingers in, his slid down her body, taking his mouth to her clit. There he lapped and sucked, slowly building up speed. She came against his face, her body grabbing onto his fingers.
"Take me to the bed," she told him.
Lucifer scooped her up, and gently placed her on the edge of the bed. Sliding out of his suit, he pulled her by the hips to the edge of the bed, where he sheathed himself in her. Standing, he was able to control his thrusts, pulling back so far, he was almost out, then slowly going back in. He tried to go slow, to drive her crazy, but he couldn't resist, and had to pick up speed for his own benefit, pumping faster and harder. She came before he knew it, shouting an obscenity or two. Lucifer continued for a little while longer, his hips slamming into hers. When he came he yelled "Hermione!" He laid next to her on the bed, she still in her dress and bra. They stayed like that briefly, out of breath they traded soft, brief kisses, unable to kiss for much longer, due to potential lack of oxygen. Having caught her breath, Hermione excused herself and went to the loo. Hermione emerged having used the facilities, brushed her teeth and trading her dress for a plush hotel bathrobe. When she returned, Lucifer was asleep. She grabbed her wand to carefully put him under the covers, then, ditching the robe, slid in beside him, to get some sleep.
Hermione awoke the next morning when Lucifer came back in from the balcony.
"' morning," she said drowsily.
"Good morning. Breakfast should be here in a minute." Lucifer sat next to her, leaning down to give her a kiss.
"Mmmm, you smell like fresh air. Were you out there long?" Hermione asked.
"I went out to feed Crookshanks and give him some time in the garden. Wasn't gone half an hour."
Hermione sat up. "My house is a twenty-minute drive, one way." She sat looking at him, expecting him to explain. He smiled at her and continued to sit.
When her brain fully woke up, she put it together.
"You flew. I'm sorry, I get it now." She kissed him on her way to the loo.
While she took care of her morning ablutions, Lucifer let the bellhop in to set up breakfast, and ushered him out with a generous tip.
Hermione returned, dressed for the day, and they sat down to breakfast. They discussed living arrangements over their fry-ups.
"It doesn't make sense to keep throwing money away at a hotel," Hermione argued.
"But I hate to even make my bed, let alone clean up. I don't want to put that burden on you. I know you, you'll feel obligated," Lucifer countered.
Hermione looked at Lucifer while she drank her tea, giving him a look that said 'you're not wrong, but that doesn't mean I like it.'
Once she swallowed, she presented her counterpoint.
"One major factor you forget is that I'm a witch - most of my domestic needs are taken care of by charmed household goods. But if you insist on needing someone else to help with domestic chores, Professor McGonagall asked if I could find Winky other employment - Winky is free house-elf - Winky still doesn't get along with the other house-elves."
Hermione spent the next half-hour explaining house-elves, what happened to Winky, what SPEW is, and a few other questions Lucifer has on the topic.
"If there will be three of us under one roof, we need to move," Lucifer pointed out practically.
After a long pause. Hermione replied. "I'm not very liquid at the moment. I'm afraid I'm tied up until the divorce."
Lucifer offered to pay, telling her at first, she didn't need to pay her half. When that went over poorly, he told her she could cover utilities, since she was already paying some, it wouldn't change much financially.
Hermione needed to drop off some last documents to court, to pave the way for her finalized divorce; so, Lucifer said he would talk to his lawyer about getting Hermione out of the lease on her rental, and talk to an estate agent. Since Lucifer had the penthouse in LA, there was little need to buy another place there, and Hermione has her family and friends in the UK, making for good reasons not to move too far.
Lucifer scrolled through listings on the computer with the agent, narrowing down ones to see in person. It was when he turned down a palatial mansion with a pool and hot tub, because it didn't have a work space for Hermione, he realized something had changed.
Lucifer's number one priority had been Lucifer. Now he was sacrificing things that made him happy, for her.
He excused himself from the agent's desk for a moment, and he went to pace in the parking lot.
Lucifer thought to himself I should just fly off. I can hide in Australia for a while, until the pain goes away, and she stops thinking about me. But as soon as he thought it, there was a stabbing pain in his chest, like his heart was ripping in half.
"This is just bloody brilliant!" Lucifer shouted, half to himself, half to his Father.
Lucifer went inside and agreed that he and Hermione would meet her colleague tomorrow to look at the more remote options Lucifer had been looking at.
When Lucifer thought about Hermione, he felt joy, and quite a bit of lust, too. When he thought about himself, he got angry and wanted to run.
He checked his watch. It was too early to call Linda in LA and wake her up to talk.
"Damn it!" Lucifer exclaimed, realizing he was being considerate for other people now, too. The man who had been waiting for a bus when Lucifer walked past, shouting, tried very hard to appear very small.
Hermione stopped at her place to pick up the paperwork before heading to court. She found Crookshanks was pleased Lucifer had stopped by, but was of course judging her for not doing it herself.
She dropped her dirty laundry off, and replaced the old clothes with some clean ones, stuffing them back into the purse with the invisible extension charm.
Hermione went to her desk to collect paperwork. She was slated to drop off financial disclosures, as well as signing a sworn affidavit, at her muggle attorney's office. Probably 30 minutes tops. She hoped so. It was at this moment, standing at her desk, when she realized she didn't have Lucifer's mobile phone number. If she got delayed, she couldn't let him know.
As a witch, finding him wasn't the worry. What she worried about was the bond - if The Devil was expecting her, but got worried when she didn't show, what kind of hell would he rain down?
Would he? Since they had consummated the bond, there hadn't been any physical symptoms of the bond. She didn't hurt being separated from him, even though they weren't particularly far apart. Maybe he would get over it. He wasn't well known for his monogamy. What if he found a side piece? What if he just left her?
Never one to leave a stray thought alone, Hermione began to over-analyze the whole concept. I'm no time, Hermione has convinced herself that Lucifer was looking for another mate, as well as shacking up with Maze. Should Hermione go, to avoid this inevitable scenario from playing out? Should she take the preemptive strike?
As soon as Hermione began to entertain the thought, her chest hurt. She had to sit down. Once she put serious thought into leaving, where she might go, she hurt. So, the bond was there, strong as ever, and was working to keep them together.
Lucifer arrived at Hermione's just before lunch, two salads from a local shop in tow. Hermione set a simple table for them, and took out some sparkling water for them. Hermione learned Lucifer loved LaCroix, and he hinted that he made have been involved with a deal to make the brand so popular.
They sat quietly eating, though they each attempted to start a conversation, but their heart was never really in it. Finally, after the food was gone and they were still seated, Hermione, the brave Gryffindor that she always was, finally said it.
"Thought about leaving you today." She looked up to see him looking at her, concerned, but not angry.
"I did too," Lucifer replied. Neither of them reacted outwardly.
"I didn't actually want to leave. But, well, I thought you might, and so I figured it would be easier for you to move on if you didn't have to make the first move. I can't be the woman you imagined yourself with. So, me leaving would let you find someone else, someone better."
Now he looked angry.
"I don't understand 'better?' A young, powerful witch, who fought the evil of two lifetimes and won? A beautiful woman with a soul to match? You set a pretty high bar if I'm supposed to find someone, as you say, better." He put his hand out on the table, palm up, reaching toward her, but left her to decide if she wanted to breach the remaining distance.
"A quick internet search and I can see the models and actresses you've been with."
"They were . . ." Lucifer searched for the word and found one, "extracurricular. They were also two-dimensional, and gauche. I'd be lucky, honored really, if you wanted to stay with me."
Hermione put her hand in Lucifer's, palm up too. Lucifer put his other hand on top, face down, enclosing her small hand in his own. Keeping her hand in his, Hermione got up to sit across his lap. She rested her head on Lucifer's shoulder.
They both sighed, relieved and content. They chuckled, that they had shared this very physical response.
"I know that being bonded to the King of Hell was probably not what you had in mind as a day-dreaming schoolgirl. But I hope I can make you happy. Obviously, we are already content together."
"Hmmm," she pondered. "Well, I married my high school sweetheart, who was neither loyal, nor honest, and isn't what anyone would call sexy. So really, he was reliable to me. And famous to all those other witches." She sat up straight, looking Lucifer in the eyes, and put her hand behind his head.
"You on the other hand, you are drop dead sexy, even more famous. And, if I may be so forward," he nodded for her to continue, "an amazing shag."
Lucifer chuckled and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss, as if to live up to the hype.
The kiss led them to the bedroom, where Lucifer's tall, powerful frame highlighted the ways in which he differed from Hermione's ex. Lucifer's strong, rhythmic pounding brought Hermione right to the edge, where he refused to give her release until she said his name. And she did, over and over, first out of need, then in the shouts of her release. Lucifer practically cried "Hermione" as he went over the edge with her. Wrapped in Lucifer's arms and wings, Hermione discussed the need for the soon-to-be-their place to have a bigger bed, in a bigger bedroom too. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, Lucifer's wings knocked over items here and there; easy enough to clean up with magic, but they both preferred she didn't have to.
Lucifer checked e-mail on his phone while Hermione popped in the shower for a quick rinse. He had several, about club business that he forwarded to Maze, and one from the estate agent, which let him know a beautiful manor home in the country has just been put on the market; they could see it that afternoon if they were interested, and they were encouraged to act fast. That part amused Lucifer, everything about the relationship had been "act fast." Why would this be any different?
Lucifer went to the bathroom too tell Hermione about the house. After first expressing her hesitance in him paying for it, she reluctantly agreed they should go.
Lucifer called the agent while Hermione dressed; they agreed to meet at the property.
Hermione pointed out they could hardly show up to the house in the middle of the countryside without a magical explanation. Lucifer informed Hermione he had a car at the hotel. After making sure Crookshanks was set for the rest of the day, she apparated them to the hotel. In the lobby, the valet appeared with Lucifer's brand-new Aston Martin convertible. Hermione didn't know much about cars, but she knew it was a bit more expensive than her parents' Volvos; and that it was what James Bond drove.
While there was no doubt Lucifer was speeding, the combination of his driving skill and the well-engineered vehicle made it seem like a leisurely trip to the countryside.
They toured the estate with the agent, all 45 acres, the mansion's eight bedrooms and ten baths, and the guest house, which was accessed from a fork in the driveway, or a long swim across the property's pool. But what hooked Hermione was the study - a large workspace, a niche off of an even larger library. The whole place was empty and so was the library, but Lucifer was happy to help Hermione in filling the library shelves.
Lucifer was chatting with the estate agent in the dining room about when they could close, and what currency was acceptable for a cash sale.
Hermione was sitting on the steps of a grand staircase, reclined, daydreaming about making this place a home. Then her phone started vibrating. She knew it was Harry before she picked up the phone. Most of her magical friends only owled, her parents were working, and all that left was Harry.
"Hi Harry."
"Hermione, could you come over? I was trying to fix something here and I've ruined Ginny's favorite couch."
"Uh, sure. Are you okay? You sound a bit off?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm just worried about what happens if I can't fix it before Ginny gets home."
"Ah. Okay. See you soon."
"Cheers."
Hermione stood in the doorway of the dining room, Lucifer smiled when he saw her standing there.
"Harry needs my help cleaning up a mess before Ginny gets home. Do you mind if I help him out?"
"Not a problem. Shall I pick you up from your place this evening for dinner, say 7 o'clock?"
"Sounds great," Hermione walked in to kiss Lucifer goodbye. "Oh, remind me to exchange phone numbers tonight."
Lucifer chuckled. "Of course. Though I can't help we've muddied up the order of all this."
Hermione giggled, "Agreed."
She walked to the front door, waving over her shoulder as she stepped outside.
"Was she able to get an Uber out here?" The estate agent asked.
"I think she made arrangements with her friend," Lucifer replied, noncommittally.