When Natalie woke the next morning, she was surprised to find that he had actually fallen asleep and had yet to even wake. He had turned over onto his back in the night while he faced the other wall. One arm was still wrapped around her, as if he had been afraid to let go of her in the night, but she noted that the glass of water was half empty. Had she been able to recall, though, it had been herself who had woken in the night and whined for the water until he had passed it over to her as he was yet to fall asleep. She yawned and slithered out from his hold to close the blinds as quietly as she could, so the morning light did not bother him, and padded into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

She showered to work out any kinks in her neck and shoulder from sleeping in an awkward position, and washed her hair, before stepping out in a towel to pick out an outfit for the day. The white towel was fluffy and soft, though it was the one Lucifer himself had used the night prior, and fell to her knees wrapped around her chest. She tucked it around her breasts as she opened the large walk in closet in thought. It wasn't going to be too cold out that day, but just enough to get away with wearing a light sweater if she chose to. She hummed in thought as she prodded at tops hanging from the rack. She decided on a dark grey sweater and a pair of black leggings, and was just setting the outfit aside on a chase lounge next to the closet when she caught sight of Lucifer watching her.

A devilish smirk greeted her and she couldn't help the infectious smile that grew across her face. "You're supposed to be sleeping," she scolded endearingly as she grabbed at the towel to keep it from falling.

"How could I possibly?" he wondered aloud as she sat down at the edge of the bed to brush a lock of hair back that had fallen between his horns.

"By closing your eyes," she shot back straight faced and covered his eyes with her hand.

He chuckled and pulled it away, but was loath to move, he had not felt so comfortable in a millennia. He had his Natalie back, whole and in one piece with memories included, and could not imagine how it had all happened. How had he gotten so lucky? How had he managed to survive as the keeper of hell, bringing on the apocalypse, fighting his brother, and losing all that he was, to end up back here with his Natalie? It didn't seem possible.

"Are you still tired?" she asked in a more serious tone.

"No," he answered simply, "I'm just . . . comfortable," he admitted with a shrug.

Natalie grinned, "Well, we do have a few errands we should take care of today if you're up for it."

He groaned in annoyance and rolled away from her, of course she would have already planned out all the things they needed to do, she was a ball of energy. He sighed as she shook his shoulder and stared straight out the window, watching as the tree branches outside swayed in a light breeze. It only then occurred to him that it was all over. There was no longer an impending apocalypse to plan for, souls to contract and take, and he wondered for the first time in a long while what he would do with himself now. He guessed, the only thing he really could do was to follow in Natalie's wake.

"Fine," he snapped and threw the covers back to push himself out of bed. She was subsequently knocked over onto the bed in the process but he ignored her squawking complaints in favor of stretching and letting out a yawn.

He felt fingers trace the scars down his back and it sent shivers up his spine. His arms fell to his sides and he stared down at the plush beige carpet beneath his toes absently.

"Why are these scars so bad?" she wondered aloud.

He froze, muscles growing taught, before he forced himself to relax once more. She didn't know. He had never told her. He simply shrugged, "the fight really did a number on me," he offered lamely.

Natalie hummed in thought but climbed out of the bed soon after, holding the towel in place, and said, "Why don't you explore the house while I get ready?"

Lucifer cocked a brow, "Just don't take three freaking hours."

Natalie pouted and pushed him out of the room.

Lucifer glanced back over his shoulder as Natalie disappeared into the bathroom once more. He eyed the tattoos that lined her arms and shoulders and glanced down at his own that still adorned his. It was strange, he thought as he padded down the hall, as he had expected his to disappear. Natalie had had hers tattooed on her body by human hands, as a human, but his had appeared after he had fallen. They had burned their way across his body, locking his soul down, and sealing the thousands (at the time) of damned souls within him. It had been a suffocating experience and he had panicked. He had hidden himself away for what felt like months while he struggled to come to terms with what he had become. His body had felt so heavy, even when he flew, he had struggled more so than he had as a true angel. Weighed down by his sin and the damned. Now he was free but, due to his choices, he would never fly again.

He rubbed at the back of neck as he peeked into the room next to Natalie's. It was a spare bedroom, he could tell due to the lack of personal belongings, but there was a suitcase next to the bed neatly packed away. He hummed in thought and scowled, wondering who had been staying with her, before glancing into another door to his right. A bathroom. Nothing fancy.

The house was designed to mimic the Victorian style, with a wraparound porch and high ceilings. Hard wood flooring ran throughout the house, with the exception of the bedrooms, which were new carpet. The house still smelled faintly of paint but Natalie's favored shampoos and laundry detergent leant it a cleaner and more pleasant scent.

He descended the stairs slowly, taking a moment to admire the photos that lined the one wall to his right. There were several photos of her father, brother, and one of her mother all smiling. He spotted a few of Laila, Festus, and Kristi even and chuckled at the memories of his manipulation of her. He recognized a few other friends of hers and was glad to see that it looked as if she had made up with the human Michael.

He paused at the second to last step, the wood creaking beneath his feet, and stared at a photo of himself. She had taken it without his knowledge, it would seem, as he was standing at the sliding glass door of her old house. Morning light was streaming in through the trees of her backyard and lit his profile as he stood in his true form, one hand rubbing his neck as he had just done not a few minutes before, as he stared out at the new day.

A part of him was irritated to see that, out of all the hundreds of photos she had forced him to participate in, only one had made it on to her wall. He snorted and stepped down into the dining room. A large table, big enough to seat ten, was set up in the middle of the large room. It was dark cherry wood and complimented the light blue of the walls. A large watercolor painting of a mermaid hung from the wall above the table that, at night, would be lit by the simple metal work chandelier.

"She did not decorate this place herself," he muttered with a quirked brow. She didn't have the skill to design and decorate such a house. He had a lot of questions for her then. He wanted to know what had all happened in his absence and how she had come to be in such good financial standings.

There was no wall that separated the dining room from the kitchen, only a large marble topped bar that was lined with mail and random objects. He didn't spare the kitchen much examination, but he did note all of her appliances were stainless steel and of high quality. Instead, he turned down the hall into the living room where a large couch and love seat barely took up any space, such was the size of the house. It was filled with a large television and bookshelves bursting with so many books and knickknacks he felt he would go cross eyed from looking at it all. Large windows, with a similar nook like the one in her room, was lined with pillows and a few other books tucked away between them.

He walked fully into the living room, intent on taking a seat and watching some TV, but paused at the sight of someone sleeping on the couch. Based off of the short red hair and male figure he could make out under the blanket, it was her brother.

The man was wrapped so tightly in the blanket, he looked like a burrito, and while he was sleeping soundly he was also sleeping soundly in the perfect position for the TV.

Max let out a shout, woken from his slumber by the sudden impact of him hitting the ground. He stared blearily about the room, wondering what had happened, before he turned to look back over his shoulder and shouted again.

Satan himself stood towering above him, hand held above his head with Max's favorite blanket still hanging from his grip, and grinning like a madman.

Max had never seen Lucifer in his true form, with the exception of a shadowed photo hanging on Natalie's wall, and so he was not expecting to find him towering in his full six foot two inches glory above him. Horns jutted from his forehead, ears pointed and lifted up in mischievous delight, and his eyes glowed gold mirthfully. He was huge and muscular and covered in tattoos and he was not at all someone he had expected sweet little Natalie to stand next to much less fall in love with. And he was wearing a pair of his sweatpants. . .

So flabbergasted and fearful was he, that the only thing he could think to say was, "Those are my pants . . ."

"They're mine now," Lucifer stated with a quirked brow and stared down at the human, daring him to challenge him. It had been years since he had been able to enjoy his old ways, to truly feel like himself, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't looking for a fight.

Max stared up at him, slack jawed, before he snapped his mouth shut and nodded, "They're your pants now."

Lucifer grinned, "Good." With that said and done, he flopped onto the couch and stretched out, grabbing the remote from the side table and hit the power button.

He looked completely at home while Max pushed himself into a sitting position and stared about the living room blearily. He was still a bit lost, due to his sudden awakening, and trying to remember what he was doing there. He hadn't intended to fall asleep at Natalie's house. He had received a call from their father the night before, explaining the situation, and he had come over to offer assistance and become reacquainted with "Stan", but they had already turned in for the night when he had arrived. Natalie usually woke up to get a glass of water or juice in the middle of the night, so he had hoped to catch her then, but had fallen asleep watching a Star Wars marathon on TV.

Where did she even get the sweatpants? He wondered tiredly and scowled. He must have left them there during a previous visit. He recalled the one night he had spent looking for them, tearing his apartment apart in search of them, but had given up. They were his favorite too, they were velvety soft on the inside and thick enough to keep out the cold . . . what a waste.

Max shot a glare in Lucifer's direction but the devil didn't even spare him a glance, absorbed in the television program. He looked at the TV out of curiosity and snorted when he saw that he had chosen to watch Doctor Who of all things.

The sound of someone coming down the stairs had Max perking up from where he sat as Natalie stepped into the living room. She had left her hair down to air dry, wet ringlets dancing about as she moved, and put on a bit of light make up to accent her eyes and full lips. She spotted her brother immediately and grinned from ear to ear.

"I see you've finally met Lucifer," she observed as she moved about the couch and sat down on his stretched out leg. She set her purse and keys down on the seat next to her.

"Hey," he snapped, finally pulling his eyes away from the TV.

"What, am I too heavy for you?" she asked with a pout.

Lucifer scowled at her but wisely chose not to respond and turned his eyes back to the TV.

Max stared in awe, "Satan is whipped," he drawled. How neat was it that his little sister had managed to tame the devil himself.

"Watch it, boy," Lucifer growled, "or you'll find more than your sweatpants missing."

Natalie laughed as Max blanched, "I'm glad you two are getting along." She patted Lucifer's hand that had been resting on the couch in front of him happily. Her phone buzzed from inside her purse and she reached down to grab it while the two men glowered at each other. She read through a text from Laila, asking if she would be in to help that night, and she sent back a quick confirmation. "We have to go shopping for Luce before heading to the Hookah Bar, are you and Anne going to hang out tonight?" Natalie asked while she scrolled through her social media for gossip updates.

"Probably," Max answered with a sigh, giving up on the staring contest with Lucifer, and searching about for his own phone.

"Cool! We are having a movie night tonight, I think Felix decided on Indiana Jones-," Natalie had begun to say but she paused, lifting a hand to her chest as heat bloomed across it. Again, tears sprung to her eyes as newly replenished souls entered into the world once more, whispering their thanks and love, before she let out a sigh and wiped at her eyes.

Max watched with a blank face, used to the event, but Lucifer stared wide eyed as he himself felt the souls reclaim their existence and leave to start new lives. It was like watching birds take flight for the first time. It was beautiful and heartbreaking at once. It had not been so long ago, when he himself had felt the wind ruffle his own feathers and push him higher in the sky while the world reeled below him in a dizzying and exciting game. Natalie had reached for his hand to steady herself and he tightened his fingers around her own still in awe of what he had just witnessed.

"Ugh, God, it's like sending your kid off to his first day of school over and over again," Natalie whined while fanning her eyes in an effort to keep her mascara from running.

Max chuckled good humoredly and stood to stretch, "but yes, we'll stop by tonight," he finished and yawned again. "I'll talk to Anne and text you what time she decides on," he glanced at his own phone then added, "Mark might even come, he's been whining for another date night."

"Oh?" Natalie queried with a satisfied smirk hidden by her hand.

"Stop it," Max ordered curtly before moving towards the front door.

"Okay, okay," she pacified him and stood herself.

Lucifer rubbed some feeling back into his leg before pushing himself up and watched as Max shut the front door behind him. Once he was certain he had left and turned back to face Natalie, she was rummaging through her purse, before he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into his arms. She lifted her head to look him in the eye with a smile and he smiled back in return. In that moment, he truly felt that she was the most important thing in existence, and he would die for her without a second thought. He bent down and kissed her just as desperately as they had the day before. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled through the kiss with a giggle of glee that only succeeded in bringing a smile to his own face again.

He could not remember ever feeling that happy.

"You're such a marshmallow," she teased and pulled herself out of his arms to head towards the front door. "Oh! I almost forgot!" she exclaimed before running back upstairs and returning within a matter of seconds. She held up his black shirt for him and he took it with a snort.

"You know I can just make clothes for myself, right?" he asked her even as he pulled the shirt on and buttoned it.

"Oh . . .are you feeling up to your full strength already?" she asked in return.

He straightened the collar in thought, "Of course I am," he assured her. As if to emphasize this, he lifted a foot now wearing his boots from the day before.

She pouted.

Lucifer rolled his eyes.

"We can still go shopping," he said begrudgingly.

"Yay!" she exclaimed and clapped her hands, once again making a beeline for the front door.

Lucifer shoved is hands into his sweatpants, paused upon noticing he was still wearing sweatpants, and with a snap of his fingers replaced them with jeans. Poor Max would probably never see his favorite pair of lazy day pants ever again and the thought caused him to grin as he exited the house in Natalie's wake and shut the door behind himself.

Natalie was taking the shopping spree, less of a trip for necessities, and more as a chane to catch Lucifer up on all of the things he had missed. This was evident in the way in which she continuously yammered on about drama with her friends, her father's brief dip back into alcoholism, and her brother finally finding a boyfriend who didn't mind the fact that he had a female roommate. And while he wanted to be kind for her and listen as best he could, due to how long they had been apart, he had never been one for such gossip. She caught him zoning out on more than one occasion while they flitted from shop to shop in search of a wardrobe for him.

In his defense, Lucifer was just pleased to be back. The years without her, while he had struggled to return, had been dark indeed. It was all a blur of sleeping in woods and stumbling through unfamiliar towns. He had no idea where he had been, how he had gotten so far away, but she had been his single throughout each and every day. To have her at his side, talking up a storm as she always had, was like a balm to his torn and beaten soul. So when she caught him zoning, it was purely because he was lost in the moment, and he was afraid to allow his mind to wander towards darker topics. Topics like his brother and where he was.

"This would be a good coat for you," Natalie murmured aloud in the middle of a store. They had found their way to the mall and the concourse outside the store gates was boisterous and filled with people shopping on the weekend. The store Natalie had pulled him into was quiet, though Lucifer noted, it was marginally because of the prices. He caught site of the coat in question, a black wool trench coat with three buttons and nice collar, and the price tag read three hundred dollars. He snorted.

"You are not buying that," he stated as he pulled it from her grasp and set it back on the hanger.

"What? Why not?" she protested and took it back, holding it to her chest like a newborn child.

"It's expensive," he deadpanned and quirked a brow.

"I mean . . ." she looked at the tag with a smirk, "it is but it's something that I can afford these days."

"I did notice that you were rather well off," he drawled, "tell me, how does one such as yourself come into such funds when you work at a Hookah Bar?" He leered at her in a familiar and teasing manner that only brought a further smile from her face.

"Well, everything is paid for, Gabriel and Raphael have been taking care of me. They got me the house and the car and all the bills get paid for . . ." she trailed off upon noticing the increasingly bewildered expression he wore.

"How?" he questioned, stunned. "Where would they get the money from?" He didn't understand. Angels and Demons they may be, he couldn't imagine they were just materializing money for her use.

"Magic," she answered with a shrug.

"Listen, Kid, that's not how it works," he muttered and rubbed at his face. He would need to corner those two featherheads when he saw them next and find out just how it was they had provided her with everything she could ever need.

"Anyways, all the money I make goes towards whatever I want, and since I have a house of my own there's not much for me to have to save for," she continued to explain while she held the coat up to his shoulders to make sure it would fit. He was so tall and had the broad shoulders to match. Even if he could materialize clothes, it was still much easier to do so when the specific clothes he wanted were already in existence, and it was just a matter of moving matter as opposed to creating it. This she had learned from the angels in his absence. "Also!" she began and shot him with a dignified glare, "I'm a manager and co-owner of the Hookah Bar, and with the way business has been going, I make nearly four thousand a month."

"You're doing good, Kid," he assured her and ruffled her still wet hair with a smirk. He knew her one true goal in life was to own a house, and now that she had achieved it (by making the ultimate sacrifice), she needed to fill her time with things that she enjoyed. She fully deserved it in his eyes. She could do what he could not. She took in those damned souls and, rather than lock them away for all eternity, she was healing them and sending them back into the world to try again. He had been driven mad by his punishment. But she stood in front of him, more bright and full of life than she had ever been, unphased by her task.

He would never leave her side again.

"I know I am," she shot back with a cheeky grin and took the coat up to the register for purchase. He remained where he was, watching as she chatted animatedly with the cashier, and felt his heart ache with nothing but love for the small human who had completely changed his life.

As she returned to him, bag in hand, he offered his arm to her. She took it, wrapping her arm around his, and he took the bag from her with a smile.