The next week went by quickly. Alex settled into the routine easily. Then, one day, Dean and Lisa approached her. "You're going to school."
"What?" Alex exclaimed, sitting up straight.
"You need an education," Lisa insisted. "You start next week."
"There's only a month of school left," Alex pointed out.
"That's too bad. And if you don't pass, you can go to summer school." Dean folded his arms. "And if you don't go to school, you are going to get a job."
Alex glared up at them. "Fine. I'll go to school. Only because I want my summer off."
"Dean had your transcripts sent over last week. You start Monday."
"Transcripts?" Alex tipped her head, then shut her mouth when Dean shot her a warning glance. "Fine. So I start Monday, then."
"Yes." Lisa picked up her purse. "Come on. We're going shopping."
"Shopping. Why?" Alex groaned.
"You need school supplies." Lisa looked Alex up and down. "And new clothes."
"What's wrong with my old clothes?"
"First off, those are my clothes," Dean put in.
"You never wear them," Alex shot back. She saw Dean and Lisa exchange a glance. "Fine." Lisa disappeared upstairs, and Alex looked up at Dean. "School? Transcripts?"
Dean stretched out on the couch beside her. "It was purely Lisa's idea. She still thinks you're human. And I . . . may or may not have reused some of Sam's."
Alex huffed.
...
Alex and Lisa got back from shopping late that afternoon. Alex jumped out of the car and walked into the house to see Dean sitting on the couch, watching tv. "What are you watching?" she asked.
"Baseball." Dean shrugged. "I guess that's what normal people do."
Alex laughed. "Dean, you are anything but normal. I never liked baseball."
Dean grunted. "How was your shopping trip with Lisa?"
"Good, I suppose. I got a backpack. Haven't had one of those in several years." Alex sat down on the couch next to Dean. Lisa walked in through the front door.
"Hey, honey. We're home." Lisa was carrying several bags.
Alex winced. "Sorry. Let me help you with that." She took the bags from Lisa.
"Thank you." Lisa took her spot next to Dean. Alex carried the bags up the stairs and into her bedroom. It had originally been Lisa's office, but Dean and Lisa had agreed to switch it out with the guest bedroom to create a nice room for Alex. She dropped the bags on the bed.
"Alex?" She heard Lisa call her name.
"Coming." Alex hurried down the stairs. She was trying very hard to stay on Lisa's good side; it was always a possibility in Alex's mind that she might be asked to leave. "Can I help you?"
"Yes. Dean and I were going to go out for dinner tonight. Can you watch Ben?"
"Sure. No problem." Alex nodded.
"You'll need to make dinner for both of you."
"Uh, okay. I'll see what I can do."
"And no computer until you clean the house."
Alex's eyes widened in disbelief, but she nodded meekly. "Yes ma'am."
Lisa exchanged a look with Dean. "Alex," she said slowly, "you do know it's okay to say 'no', right?"
"What do you mean?" Alex looked from Dean to Lisa, throughly confused.
"Sit down." Alex obliged. "Alex, you don't need to do everything I say. It's okay to roll your eyes, ignore me, typical teenager stuff."
"Uh, okay, if that's what you want."
Lisa sighed. "Alex, that's not the point."
"Sorry." Alex looked down at her hands.
"Why don't you do this? You're a teenager. And Dean's told me that you always argue. So why aren't you?"
Alex shrugged. "Because I want to stay," she mumbled. Even though she didn't see it, she knew Dean and Lisa exchanged another look.
"We're not going to throw you out." Lisa let out a quiet laugh. "We would never do that to you."
Alex looked up at her. "I hope not." The room was silent. "Can I go?" Alex asked.
"Yes."
Alex stood up and quietly left the room. She went upstairs and looked into Ben's room. "Yo, Ben. How's it going?" She stepped inside.
"It's going good." Ben looked up from his computer. Alex sat down on the bed. "How was shopping with mom?"
Alex made a face. "I hate shopping. It's official."
Ben laughed. "Dean said the same."
"Good for him." Alex watched Ben play his video game. "Dean and Lisa are going out for dinner. So it's you and me, kiddo."
"Kay. What's for dinner?"
"Dunno." Alex grinned. "You want to order a pizza or something?"
"Awesome," Ben grinned as well.
"Okay. It's a deal." Alex stood back up. "Pepperoni and sausage?"
"Like always." Ben turned back to his game.
Alex smiled and left his room, closing the door behind her. She went back downstairs. "You two still going out?" she asked, seeing Dean and Lisa still sitting on the couch.
"Yeah." Dean sighed and got up. "What are you doing for dinner?"
Alex shrugged. "Probably order a pizza."
Lisa sighed. Dean laughed. "You did ask her to rebel, Lis," he reminded her.
...
Alex and Ben did end up ordering that pizza. They ate it on the couch, watching some action movie Ben insisted was good. Around ten, Alex sent him to bed. He protested, but she firmly reminded him that it was a school night. Then she remembered that is was a school night for her too. Alex sighed, and cleaned up the pizza box and pop cans that remained sitting on the coffee table. Then, after making sure the door was locked and only the living room lights were on, she retired to bed.
...
Alex was back in her nightmare. Lucifer was sitting on the table, watching Alex intently. "I haven't seen you in a while." He frowned. "Not sleeping well?"
Alex hissed. She was sitting back in the chair; however, this time she was not bound. She looked for the door.
"Thinking of leaving?" Lucifer guessed. His eyes flickered to the door, and it vanished.
Alex stood up. "Leave me alone." she hissed, and flared her wings. Pain shot up her left wing, and she fell to the ground.
Lucifer walked over to her and helped her up, his face concerned. He ran his fingers over her broken wing. Alex flinched, expecting pain, but there was none. Her confusion must have shown, because Lucifer spoke. "There. It will still be broken in the real world, but you will feel no pain here." He stretched out his wings, and Alex took a second to study them. They were regal and full; the crimson primary feathers faded to black at the tips, and they seemed to reflect the light so they looked like they glowed.
Alex stretched out her own wing. It moved flawlessly. "Thanks, I guess," she muttered. "But it's still your fault."
"I am sorry. But you needed to learn to obey me without question." Lucifer loosely wrapped his arms around Alex's waist. She tensed, but remained still. "Good," he mumbled.
Alex growled softly. Lucifer retaliated by pulling her tightly against him. Alex struggled out of his grasp.
"You can't run from me, Alex." Lucifer let her go. "You see this?" He motioned to the room. "Your mind?" He smirked. "It's mine."
...
"No!" Alex sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. She looked at the clock. 5:47. Alex fell back in bed, shivering in fear. She lay there for several minutes, unable to fall back to sleep. She replayed her dream in her head over and over. Finally she got up and quietly made her way downstairs, careful not to wake the others. She sat down at the kitchen table in the dark. After a minute or two she heard the stairs creak, and the kitchen lights flickered on. Alex jumped up and spun around, fists balled. She relaxed as she recognized Dean.
The hunter stared at her for several seconds. "Can't sleep?" he guessed. "Bad dream?"
Alex nodded and sunk back down into the chair.
"You want to talk about it?" Dean sat down across from her.
"Not really," Alex mumbled. She studied her hands.
"It the same one?" Dean asked, referring to one of Alex's common nightmares.
Alex shook her head.
"Well, okay," Dean sighed. He stood up. "You hungry?"
"No." Alex stretched out her wing. There was still biting pain. She groaned.
"You ready for your first day at school?" Dean tried to strike up a conversation.
"No. I'm not really good with people."
Dean laughed gently. "You'll do just fine." He pulled two beers out of the fridge. "Bottom's up." He tossed one to Alex, and opened the second one for himself.
Alex rolled her eyes. "No better way to start off the day." She opened hers and took a sip. She still didn't like the taste, but it helped calm her down. She quickly drank half before Dean took it away from her.
"Don't want you to be buzzed for your first day." He winked and finished it off.
Alex narrowed her eyes jokingly. "Fine. Be like that." She looked at the clock. "You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep," Dean shrugged. Alex nodded understandingly. "You want to watch some infomercials?" Dean grinned. Alex raised an eyebrow. "It's the only good thing on at this time," he quickly explained. He led Alex over to the couch and flicked on the tv. He sat down next to Alex. He put his arm around her comfortingly, and Alex put her head on his shoulder. "So is Cas okay?" he asked worriedly.
Alex shrugged. "I don't know. He said he couldn't risk seeing me because the others would find me."
"So that's it? No more you and Cas?"
"I don't know. Heaven's in total chaos. Hopefully everything works out, but . . ." Alex trailed off, biting her lip.
Dean rubbed her shoulder, lost in his own thoughts. "And how about you? Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You went missing for a week. No one knew what happened. All we found was a dead demon, his eyes burned out."
"That was me."
"Me and Sammy had to keep driving, but Cas stayed behind, looking for you. He was worried sick." Dean let out a breath. "He blamed himself."
"It wasn't his fault. I was jumped by three demons. They shot me with tranquilizers. I manage to kill one, then I passed out." Alex swallowed. "I woke up I-don't-know-where. Crowley was there."
Dean tensed. "Son of a bitch. I will freaking murder him," he swore. "Did he hurt you?"
"No." Alex closed her eyes. "He didn't. He, he said he didn't want to damage the merchandise."
She felt Dean tense again. "He was going to sell you?" Dean hissed. "Son of a bitch." He paused. "But how did you end up at the cemetery? With Lucifer?" Alex didn't respond. "He didn't." Dean swore. "I will rip his lungs out. I will murder him." His eyes glittered with anger.
"Murder who?" Ben spoke up. Both Dean and Alex jumped.
"No one," Dean sighed. "Go back to bed."
Ben looked at the two of them. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Just having a heart-to-heart."
"Uh, okay. I'll just go back to bed then." Alex listened to Ben retreat up the stairs.
Dean turned back to Alex. "Now I wish I had killed those sons of bitches when I had the chance."
"It's fine. I'm okay now."
"Did he hurt you?"
"He broke my nose. And my wing. And he bruised a couple of my ribs. Cas was able to fix everything but the wing."
Dean sighed and pulled Alex tighter. "I'm sorry, girl."
Alex let out a silent breath. They sat in silence.
...
The sun rose. Alex blinked open her eyes. She had fallen into a dreamless sleep, her head resting on Dean's shoulder. Dean shifted, and Alex sat up.
"Dean?" Lisa walked into the room. She paused when she saw the both of them. "Alex, Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"
Alex sighed. Dean nudged her to her feet. "I'll take them today," Dean promised. He stood up and hugged Lisa. She kissed him quickly. Alex averted her eyes.
"I'll go get ready." She ran up the stairs and threw open her closet. She quickly put on her new pair of jeans and a clean black shirt. On a second thought, she pulled out Dean's old green jacket. She grabbed her backpack which was filled with her school stuff, and went back downstairs. Dean glanced at her.
Lisa laughed. "A chip off the old block, huh?" She patted Dean on his back. He had gotten dressed as well, and also wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a jacket. He frowned.
"Well, at least one of us looks good," Alex joked.
Lisa smiled and walked over to the kitchen. She noticed the two beer bottles sitting on the table and frowned. "Dean?" She called. "Would you like to explain this?"
Dean shrugged his broad shoulders. "What can I say?"
"But two?"
"One and a half," Dean corrected before he caught himself.
Lisa looked over at Alex. She put her hands on her hips.
Alex shrugged innocently. "Sorry. Old habits die hard, I suppose."
"But I only let her have half," Dean added.
Lisa sighed. "Honestly? New rule. No drinking for you. And no drinking in the morning for you." She pointed at Dean.
"But at night, right?" he frowned.
"We'll see."
Ben ran down the stairs. "You ready to go?" Dean asked him. When he nodded, he motioned for Alex to put on her shoes. She did so; she slipped on one maroon and one grey converse. Sure they didn't match, but Alex had gotten them cheap. And they were unique.
"Hurry up." Dean's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She jumped up, grabbed her backpack, and rushed out the front door. Dean was getting behind the wheel of a tan Ford truck. Alex ran up to the passenger door and sat down, leaving Ben to take the backseat.
"Dude," Alex frowned. "Where's the Impala?"
"Retired." Dean backed the truck out of the driveway. Alex frowned again. They dropped Ben off at his school before Dean took Alex to the high school. He parked the truck and walked her in.
"Uh, yeah, hi." He smiled at the woman in the office. "This is Alex. She's new. I don't suppose you can show us around?"
The woman blushed. "Sure, Mr . . ."
"Winchester. Dean Winchester."
"Sure, Mr. Winchester." The woman stood up and walked off with Dean, leaving Alex to trail behind. "Here are the lockers. This is yours." She showed Alex how to open it. "And here is your schedule." She handed Alex a sheet of paper. "The room numbers are right there. You should be able to find your way around. If not, just ask." She then led Alex and Dean down the hall to one of the rooms. "This is your first class." She opened the door. Many pairs of eyes turned to stare at them. Alex stepped in, and Dean stood behind her. "Mr. Neilson?"
A large man turned at his name. "Yes?"
"This is Alex. She's new and is joining this class."
"Alex, eh?" The man studied her. Alex met his gaze confidently. "And who's this?"
"Dean. Her guardian." Dean put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't cause any trouble," he said. "I'll see you after school." He smiled rakishly, and Alex heard several people catch their breath.
"Yeah, see you." She smiled back and watched them leave. The door closed, leaving Alex alone with the strange people.
"Well, Alex, find a seat." The teacher turned his back to her and continued with the class.
Alex slid into one of the back tables and put her backpack on the floor.
"That guy was cute," one of the girls next to her whispered. "I bet he's wonderful."
Alex raised an eyebrow, confused. "What?"
The girl batted her eyelashes. "I said he was cute."
"Yeah, I caught that part." Alex leaned back in her chair.
"Is he your dad?" the girl persisted. Alex shook her head. "Friend?" Alex shrugged. "Boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?" Alex snorted. "Dude, he's like thirty." Then again, she thought, Cas looks to be around thirty to forty. And he's my boyfriend. Well, mate. Alex flinched at the thought.
"Alex."
Alex looked up at the teacher. "Can I help you?" she asked innocently. A few students laughed.
"Explain the atomic theory."
"How the hell should I know?" Alex shrugged. "I'm not a regular around here." A few more students laughed.
The teacher frowned. "Then I suggest you pay attention." He handed her a textbook and turned back to the board. Alex paid little attention to the class. She flipped through the book. It was filled with useless facts. I'm an angel, she reasoned. When am I ever going to need to know about the electromagnetic theory?
...
Half an hour later, the bell rang. All of the students stood up and filed out of the room. Alex picked up her backpack and followed. She pulled the schedule out of her pocket and looked at it. Spanish. Room 218. Where the hell is that? Alex looked up. She picked a hallway, and went that way. Thankfully, it appeared to be right, and she entered the room with only seconds to spare. She sat down at the back table.
"Hey." Alex looked up. "That's my spot." A tall boy looked down at her.
"Really?" Alex shrugged. "Sorry." She looked around him towards the front of the class.
"You gonna move?" The boy crossed his arms.
"Does it look like it?" Alex didn't bother looking at him. She heard a couple in the class gasp in shock.
The boy leaned over and put his hands on the table. "You know who I am, right?"
"Haven't the slightest." Alex noticed everyone was watching them, eyes wide.
"The name's Calvin. And this is my seat."
"Listen, Calvin, right?" Alex met his gaze. "I don't want to cause any trouble. But this isn't your seat. 'Cause I'm sitting here." She put her feet up onto the desk. "And I'm not afraid of you."
"We'll fix that." Calvin cast a quick glance at the teacher. "I'll find you. After school. Out front. You hear?" He walked away before Alex could respond.
She rolled her eyes and sighed. One of the girls next to her leaned over. "You better run," she warned. "He's going to kill you." Her large blue eyes were filled with concern.
Alex laughed. "Trust me. You've have no idea what I've had to face. He's nothing."
"But he's one of the toughest guys in school," the girl persisted.
"Listen. I've seen tougher. I've fought tougher." Alex resisted adding the fact that she'd killed tougher as well.
"You're Alex, right?" The guy in front of her turned around.
"Uh, yeah."
"Didn't you promise that guy you'd stay out of trouble?" he inquired.
Alex sighed. "Yeah. I got to lay low. Stay unnoticed. Don't want to be found again." She muttered that last part under her breath. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice.
...
The end of the day came quickly. Alex slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed out to the parking lot, looking for Dean's truck.
"Hey, girl." Alex rolled her eyes and turned around to see Calvin.
"What do you want?" She scanned for the truck.
"I don't like smart asses." Calvin spun her around. Alex could see a large crowd had gathered.
"Shove off." Alex watched Calvin ball his fists. "I don't want to fight."
"I'm going to enjoy beating you to a pulp." Calvin swung a fist at her. Quick as lightning, Alex dodged the punch. Calvin swung again. Alex dodged him once more. She glanced behind her to see the brown pickup truck pull into the lot.
"That's my ride." Alex started to walk away. She heard heavy footsteps and felt a large weight land in the middle of her back. It shoved Alex to the ground. She ducked her head and rolled with her shoulder, landing back on her feet. She turned around to see Calvin standing there.
"Too scared to fight?" he teased.
"I don't hit little girls," Alex shot back. In her peripheral vision, she saw Dean get out of the truck and lean against it casually, his eyes trained on her. She looked over at him, and he nodded.
Alex sighed, and dropped her backpack. Calvin came at her again, winding up for a punch. He threw it at her face; Alex caught his fist and twisted it. Calvin winced in pain before wrenching it away. His face was twisted in rage. This time he tried a right hook. Alex recoiled, barely avoiding the fist. She punched him in the face, and he staggered backwards. She heard the crowd gasped. Calvin straightened up, his face twisted in anger. He charged at her. Alex balled her fists and adjusted her stance. Calvin threw several punches. Alex blocked them effectively. She had always been fast and strong; being an angel only heightened those strengths.
One of Calvin's fists connected with her jaw, and Alex was knocked backwards. She stumbled, but remained upright. She tasted the iron tang of blood, and spat out a mouthful. Calvin approached. He swung at her. Alex deflected the blow and punched him in the stomach as hard as she could. He flew backwards into the crowd. Alex wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Calvin stumbled back to his feet and glared at her. Alex confidently met his gaze. Even though she knew he couldn't see them, she flared her wings. Well, wing. Calvin sneered, but stalked off. Alex picked up her backpack and walked over to Dean, ignoring the whispers of the crowd. "What are you looking at?" she asked crossly.
"Nice moves." Dean uncrossed his arms and got into the driver's seat.
Alex saw Ben staring at her, his eyes wide. She acknowledged him with a nod.
Alex got into the car and put her backpack between her feet. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"For what?" Dean backed the car out of the school lot and took off down the road. He glanced over at her.
"For fighting." Alex didn't meet his gaze.
"Uh-huh." Dean adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "Who started it?"
"He did." Alex put her forehead against the window. "I tried to walk away."
"I don't blame you. Sometimes, you need to defend yourself." Dean laughed. "At least you can fight. I don't think he'll be giving you much trouble anymore."
Alex smiled, warmed by Dean's laughter. "Let's hope not."
...
They drove home in silence. As soon as Dean pulled the truck into the garage, Ben jumped out. Alex followed sullenly. She found Lisa in the kitchen. "Hey, guys how was school today?"
"Good." Ben dropped his backpack on the couch.
"And how about you Alex? Anything exciting happen on your first day?"
"No," Alex muttered. She heard Dean enter the house.
"Alex got into a fight!" Ben exclaimed. "It was so cool!"
"What?" Lisa turned around. "Is that true?" she asked.
Alex nodded reluctantly.
"Alex." Lisa looked disappointed. "Wait." She turned to Ben. "You saw this fight?" When Ben nodded, she sighed. "Dean."
"What?" Dean stepped behind Alex.
"You didn't stop her?"
"Alex is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. That boy needed to learn a lesson."
"But letting her fight? And on her first day?" Lisa looked angry and disappointed.
"I didn't start it," Alex mumbled.
"Well this type of behavior better not continue, young ma'am." Lisa put her hands on her hips. She sighed again. "Go upstairs."
Alex obeyed.
...
The next several days passed without event. Alex fell into routine at school, though most people tended to avoid her. They cast her weird looks when they thought she wasn't watching. The nightmares continued as well. Because she was an angel, she was able to remain awake for several days on end, but when she did finally sleep, she was haunted by Lucifer. Finally, Friday was over and the weekend had just begun. Dean and Lisa took Alex and Ben out for dinner, and afterwards they went bowling. They got home late and went straight to bed. "At least tomorrow you get to sleep in," Dean had reminded them cheerfully.
Alex smiled and collapsed into bed. She hadn't slept since Sunday, and every fiber in her body was screaming for rest. It wasn't long before she was asleep.
...
"Are you avoiding me?" Alex opened her eyes to see Lucifer standing in front of her. "It's been five days," Lucifer whined. "Don't you like being here?"
Alex snorted and walked to the other side of the room. Lucifer followed. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Alex tensed, remembering how Castiel would do the same. She tried to ignore him and walk away. Lucifer didn't let her. "Come on, Alex. Talk to me."
"Ugh." Alex wrenched herself out of his grasp. "Why do I keep dreaming about this? Why can't I have normal dreams?" She sat down on the bed.
"You think I'm just in your head?" Lucifer sat down next to her. "Alex, you're not crazy. I'm real."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," she told him.
He smirked. "Right now, in the cage, I can see you. Whenever you fall asleep, I'm pulled to you." He wrapped his arm around Alex's waist. Her muscles tensed. "And I'm still powerful. I control everything here. Even you." He whispered the last sentence.
"No." Alex stood up. "You're lying."
"I'm not." Lucifer stretched out on the bed.
"Yes, you are," she insisted.
Lucifer shook his head. "Come here." He patted the mattress next to him. Alex ignored him. "Alex. If you don't obey me, I'll have to do something I don't want to," he warned. "The pain might not follow you into the waking world, but the memories will. Now come here."
Alex squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Then she turned and regretfully walked over to the bed. She sat down on the other side.
"Lay down," he ordered. Alex obeyed slowly. She stretched her legs out and warily rested her head on the pillow. She wanted nothing more than to wake up. They lay in silence for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Alex closed her eyes, trying to ignore him. It had been several weeks since she had last been around an angel, and she felt her willpower and self-restraint failing. She hated it. She hated feeling her body react to his slightest touch. And she hated that fact that she knew that there was nothing she could do to stop it. Except being near her mate.
She took a breath and tasted Lucifer's scent. She clamped her mouth shut and turned on her side to face away from him. Lucifer placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back down onto her back. She suppressed a shiver at his touch. He seemed to notice, because he reached down and linked his fingers through hers. He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently.
Alex could feel her mind start to shut down, and she desperately fought it. Lucifer rolled onto his side so he was facing Alex. He flared his right wing so it hovered several feet over Alex's head. The bare light filtered through the crimson feathers, making them glow. Alex let out a breath of amazement at the sight. The angel smirked. He leaned in and kissed her softly. Alex tensed immediately. She fought for control over her body, which was trying to betray her. He tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss. She gasped in shock as she felt Lucifer roll over onto her. He pinned her under him, keeping her in place. He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead into hers. "No," Alex gasped. "This is wrong."
"But it feels so right," Lucifer grinned and crushed his lips against hers. Alex felt her last bit of self-control desert her. She kissed him back. Lucifer ran his fingers through the underside of her wings, grinning to himself when he felt Alex shiver. Alex kissed him feverishly, and he responded by grinding his hips into hers. He bit her bottom lip at the same time, and Alex gasped. He took that opportunity to force his tongue into her mouth. Alex stiffened slightly at the intrusion, but fingers in her wings soon had her completely relaxed. She reached up and ran her hands through his short hair, pulling his head closer. Lucifer tolerated it for a while, but soon untangled her fingers from his hair and gently, yet forcefully, pushed her arms above her head. Alex was in no position to resist, and allowed him to reposition her limbs. He ran his hands up her side and slid them under her shoulders, gently lifting her up into him. He ran his forked tongue along the inside of her mouth. Alex moaned quietly.
Suddenly, he rolled off of Alex. She opened her eyes and lay there, confused. He grinned. "Sweet 'normal' dreams." He whispered, brushing his lips against the shell of her ear. Then he was gone.
...
Alex woke when she heard the sound of footsteps outside her door. Sunlight was flooding the room. She rolled over and looked at the clock. 9:56. Alex yawned. She narrowed her eyes quizzically as she remembered her dream. She wasn't angry; which was weird because she knew she should feel angry. But she didn't. She ran through the dream in her head again and blushed. Alex shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. It could have been a lot worse. You wanted it to be a lot worse. A little voice in her head told her. Alex jumped out of bed, embarrassed for thinking about it. She ran down the hall and stairs and into the kitchen. "Hey." Dean acknowledged her.
"Hey."
"It's about time you got up." Dean looked up from the table.
"Sorry."
Dean smiled understandingly. "I get it. First good night of sleep in a long time, huh?"
"Yeah." Alex went with that. "Exactly." She grabbed a bowl and sat down at the table. She poured milk and cereal into the bowl and picked up the spoon. "Where's Lisa?"
"She took Ben to the grocery store." Dean stood up and cleared his dishes and put them in the dishwasher.
"Awesome. More food," Alex mumbled around a mouthful of cereal.
...
The weekend passed way too quickly, and once again it was Sunday night. Alex found herself wanting to dream again, which slightly disturbed her. She crawled into bed and closed her eyes. She hadn't slept at all last night so she would be able to sleep well tonight. She had been right, and sleep came easy.
...
She found herself back in heaven, back in the bedroom of her house in heaven. Confused, she looked around. Alex blushed as she realized she was also slightly disappointed. "Alex?"
Alex turned at the sound of Castiel's voice. All thoughts of Lucifer vanished from her mind at the sight of her angel. "Cas?" she breathed. Castiel stared at her for a second, then rushed forward and pulled Alex into a tight hug. "I missed you, Cas," Alex whispered into his chest.
"I missed you too." Castiel buried his face into her hair. Alex reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand. She pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him deeply. He returned the kiss. Alex ran her fingers through his dark brown hair, melting into him. Suddenly, she felt something strange. Castiel felt different. She opened her eyes to see Lucifer kissing her, not Cas. She shoved him away. Lucifer pouted. "What?" he asked.
Alex narrowed her eyes accusingly, but said nothing.
"You have to admit that was pretty good." Lucifer's appearance shifted into Castiel. "I had you convinced," he said in the angel's voice. He shifted back. "Look." He motioned to the room. "I even changed the location." He smiled. "I got it from your memories. I told you I control everything in here."
Alex huffed angrily and stomped over to the bay window. She sat down on the the seat with her back against the wall and her legs pulled up to her chest. Lucifer sat down next to her.
"Come on, Alex. Don't pretend like you can't hear me." He put a large hand on her knee. Alex crossed her arms. "I'm sorry." He actually sounded regretful, and Alex shot him a glance. He smiled when he met Alex's gaze. "But I'm surprised you are still choosing him over me," he pouted. "And after all we've been through."
Alex let out a low growl.
Lucifer kept talking. "I see you still need more convincing." At those words, Alex felt her stomach twist. She curled her toes and fingers, and returned to gazing out the window. She tried to ignore Lucifer next to her. He laughed quietly. "What do you think?"
Alex swallowed nervously. She tried to focus her thoughts on Castiel. She admitted to herself that she had wanted to dream, but now that she was angry at Lucifer again, she wanted nothing to do with him.
Lucifer seemed to pick up at that. He leaned in close to her. Alex turned her head to look away. Lucifer reached up and took her head in his hands. He stubbornly turned her head so Alex was facing him. He leaned in slowly and softly kissed her. Alex closed her eyes. He drew back slightly. "Do you still like that angel better then me?" he whispered, his lips barely brushing Alex's as he spoke. He felt Alex shiver, and he smiled. Alex didn't respond, but, as Lucifer reminded himself, at least she didn't protest. He felt Alex try to stretch her face closer to him, but he held her head still, keeping his lips close enough that they were barely brushing hers, but far enough away to drive Alex insane. After several seconds she stopped struggling and went limp, her eyes still closed. Lucifer grinned to himself. It was so much fun breaking a female angel.
Alex waited patiently. She could feel his breath on her lips. She knew she was doing what Lucifer wanted, but at the moment she didn't care; he was the only angel she had been around in weeks, and the effect was starting to show.
Lucifer removed one hand from her head and put it on her knee. He felt Alex try and moved her head, and he let out a quiet growl. Alex stopped moving. Lucifer gently pushed her knee down. Alex obeyed, lowering her knees from her chest. He slid his hand up to her thigh, his lips still hovering next to hers. Alex squirmed in frustration, her wings twitching. Lucifer stretched out his wings and brushed his primary feathers across the inside of her wings. Alex let out a labored breath. Lucifer leaned back, watching Alex recover.
She opened her eyes slowly. Anger and confusion flashed through her eyes. She abruptly stood up and walked over to the bed and sat down. Part of her was still angry, but another part was secretly hoping he would join her. After a few seconds, she glanced over at him to see him still perched on the bay window, watching her. She held his gaze for a moment. He didn't move; he just sat there, eyes trained on her. She turned back to face the wall. After a moment she felt the other side of the bed dip. Alex didn't turn around, but she felt goosebumps run up her arms. She could feel Lucifer kneel behind her; he ran his hands from her shoulders down to her wrists. He must have taken off his jacket because Alex could feel the bare skin of his arms. She let out a shaky breath. Lucifer brushed light kisses along her neck.
Alex lost it. She spun around and crushed her lips against his, taking Lucifer by surprise. She pushed him down onto his back and followed him down, never breaking the kiss. Lucifer lay beneath her, shocked, but soon got over it and began kissing her back. Being much stronger than Alex, he was able to overpower her. He rolled them over, claiming the dominant spot on top. He slipped his forked tongue into Alex's mouth. She moaned, and Lucifer responded by grinding his hips into her. He flared his large wings in a display of dominance, and Alex reacted by flattening her wings against the sheets. She reached up and ran her fingers through his feathers. Lucifer arched his back and let out a soft hiss. He curled the tips of his wings towards her. Alex traced his wings down to his back. She ran her hands down his sides to his hips, then back up to his shoulders. She tugged at the collar of his shirt, indicating she wanted it off.
Lucifer laughed. "You, girl, are too impatient." He drew his head away from her.
Alex let out a growl.
"I bet you were never this way around Castiel." He scented the air. "And you're not in heat." He grinned coyly. "It must be me." Lucifer chuckled, eyes glimmering."However, I will never take you that far unless you say it's okay. I am an angel, after all." He dipped his head, hovering above her lips. "I need your consent to be inside you." Then he rolled off of her.
Alex growled softly. He retaliated by almost shoving her off the bed. "No growling."
Alex reluctantly pulled herself into a sitting position. As she sat, the fog in her mind cleared, leaving her slightly embarrassed at what had almost happened. She leaned back against the headboard, crossing both her arms and legs. Lucifer shifted into a comfortable position. Alex stared past him angrily.
"Are you ignoring me again?" Lucifer sighed dramatically. "I mean, honestly. Either you won't acknowledge I exist, or you're all over me."
Alex huffed.
"It's like the two most extremes," he continued. "Let's try a little moderation, eh?"
"Fine." Alex turned her eyes to look at him. "What do you want?"
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "What do I want?" he asked playfully, propping himself up on an elbow. "You sure you want to go down that road?"
Alex bit back a sharp retort. "What are you doing here?" she rephrased.
"Talking to you."
Alex closed her eyes for a brief second. "Why are you here?" she rephrased the question yet again.
"Why?" Lucifer's brow furrowed in confusion. He finally spoke. "I'm not choosing to come into your dreams, Alex. I'm being pulled. I mean, it's nice to get out of the cage for a while. I get bored with only Sammy around. But it's not me doing this." He leaned forward. "It's you. You're letting me into your head."
"Am not," Alex retorted after a second's thought. "I don't want you here, Luci."
"Don't call me Luci," Lucifer warned menacingly.
"Why not?" Alex challenged. "It's kinda cute."
"Cute?" Lucifer spat. He sat up angrily, then paused. "Well, Alex, I must say I'm flattered," he said sweetly. "No one's ever called me cute before."
Mad that he wasn't offended, Alex wrinkled her nose. "There's a good reason for that."
"If you don't want me here, just say so." Lucifer looked thoroughly offended.
"I don't want you here," Alex said firmly.
Lucifer frowned, and, as Alex watched, his form shimmered and disappeared.
"Good riddance," she mumbled. She stood up and walked over to the bedroom door. She reached for the doorknob.
"You can't get rid of me that easily." Alex stopped cold when she heard a voice whisper in her ear. Anger washed over her, and she threw her elbow back into his stomach. It did nothing, but made Alex feel slightly better. "Ow," Lucifer complained. He roughly shoved her face-first into the door. Alex tensed. "I thought we had gotten over you hurting me," he whispered in her ear. He ran his hand over the spot on her left wing where he had broken it weeks before. "You don't want me to get angry, now do you?"
Alex let out a faint hiss before forcing her muscles to relax. Lucifer sensed it and loosened his grip on her.
"Good," he murmured, and stepped back. Alex pushed down a tidal wave of fury. Lucifer seemed to pick up on it, because he ran his hand down Alex's wing to her shoulder. "You're not thinking about being mean to me, are you?" he murmured.
Alex responded by wrenching her wing out of his grasp. She threw open the door and stomped out into the hallway.
"Alex."
Alex heard Castiel's deep, authoritative, voice. She resisted turning at the sound of her mate's voice. "Shut up," she snarled.
"Alex, it's me."
She let out a shaky breath. She felt hands on her shoulder, and they turned her around. Alex refused to meet his eye.
"Alex, look at me." Castiel cupped her chin in one hand, raising her face towards his.
"I said shut up!" Alex lashed out, punching him in the face.
"Ow!" Castiel's appearance shimmered and was immediately replaced by Lucifer's. "That wasn't very nice."
Alex hissed something incomprehensible. She spun around and ran down the stairs.
"You know, I get the feeling there's a few bumps in our relationship." Lucifer followed close behind. "I've found that talking about our feelings often helps."
"Shut up!" Alex yelled over her shoulder.
"Fine. I'll go first then." He sat down on the couch.
Alex stalked off into the kitchen.
"You're suppose to be listening to me!" Lucifer complained from the other room.
"No thank you," Alex called back.
"I'm getting tired of your attitude." Lucifer walked over to the kitchen and leaned against the wall.
"Likewise," Alex said through clenched teeth. She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm.
"I'm serious, Alex." He put on his very rarely seen 'serious' face. "I've got to deal with Sammy's attitude all day, and I don't want to come home every night to deal with this."
"Then why don't you bother not coming here at all," Alex spat. She tried to wrench her arm from his hand.
"Don't," Lucifer growled. Alex instinctively froze. "Both you and I know that's not the answer."
Alex glared up at him, but said nothing. Tears stung her eyes, but she held them back.
"Good." Lucifer pulled her into a hug. "I knew there's a reason I loved you." At those words, Alex tensed. Lucifer just laughed.
...
"Alex?" Gentle shaking pulled Alex out of her dream. She cracked open her eyes to see Dean standing over her, concern spread across his face. "You okay?" He sat down on the side of the bed. Alex scooted over a bit to make room.
"Yeah, yeah." Alex yawned. "I'm fine. Why?"
"You were tossing and turning, and muttering in your sleep." Dean placed a comforting hand on her leg. "Bad dream again?"
Alex's dream came rushing back. She sat up in bed and wrapped her arms around Dean's neck. Before she knew it, she was crying. Dean hugged her back, rubbing circles along her spine. They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
The lights flickered on. "Dean?" Alex looked up to see Lisa in the doorway, wearing a nightgown.
Dean pulled away from Alex. "Hey, Lis."
"What's going on?" Lisa asked tiredly.
"Nightmare," Dean responded.
Lisa looked from Dean, to Alex, then back to Dean. "Why don't you come back to bed?" she suggested.
Dean glanced at Alex's tear streaked face. "In a minute," he promised. Lisa sighed, turned off the light, and left, leaving Dean and Alex alone.
"You okay?" Dean asked again.
Alex sniffled. "Yeah, I am now."
"You want to talk about it? It might help."
"Since when do we talk about our problems?" Alex pointed out quietly. She meant it as a joke, but it rang true in Dean's ears.
"Since we became normal," Dean grunted in response.
Alex laughed wetly. "You don't want to hear about it anyways."
"Try me." Alex looked into Dean's serious face. "Alex, what are you dreaming about?"
Alex was silent for a few seconds. Another tear slipped down her face. "Lucifer," she whispered. Beside her, Dean tensed.
"Son of a bitch," he whispered. He pulled Alex close to him.
"It's fine, Dean. He can't hurt me," she whispered back.
"It's not fine," Dean insisted. "Do you know he can't hurt you because it's just a dream, or because he's tried?"
"He hasn't hurt me," Alex promised. "He says he doesn't want to."
"He hasn't . . ?" Dean trailed off.
"No." Alex knew where he was going. "Not yet, but . . . Dean, I'm scared. He says he's real. That he's being pulled from the cage into my dreams. But he can't, right? That's impossible." Alex let out a nervous laugh. "Maybe it's just PTSD, right?" She involuntarily let out a small whimper.
Dean wrapped his arms around her. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered into her neck.
Alex started crying again, feeling comforted by Dean's presence.
"I got you." Dean pressed a kiss into her forehead. "I got you, baby." He let out a sigh. "I'm so sorry." He gently rocked her back and forth in his arms. "I'm so, so sorry."