The next day, they brought Michael back to the hotel with them. They had convinced him to return to California and stay with Natalie in the large house while he regained his footing in the world with his new status as a Fallen. In all technicality, he would become a demon over time, and Felix had mentioned it was a tough thing to experience on your own. Natalie refused to leave him be on his own.

Lucifer had pulled the rental in to the Hotel parking lot early that morning after they had returned via the same ferry.

"Two brothers, in an old muscle car, searching for God," Natalie intoned seriously from where she sat in the back as Lucifer put the vehicle in park and turned back to look at her irritably.

Laila let out a snort of laughter.

"I've heard of this plot, somewhere . . ." Michael pondered aloud from the front seat.

"It's Supernatural," Felix groaned next to Natalie and pulled his face down in embarrassment. He didn't want to even be associated with that woman in the moment.

"I hardly think that genre suits the situation, supernatural is fiction," Michael shot back knowledgably and crossed his arms. He was very much real.

"No, it's a show, called Supernatural," Felix shot back, hating the fact that he had to explain further so that the recently fallen archangel could understand.

"Hmm," Michael hummed and drummed his fingers in his forearms, as he had crossed them in indignation. "I'll have to watch it, maybe we can get some ideas," he muttered thoughtfully.

"Please, don't," Felix muttered and kicked at his seat, prodding him into action so he could get out of the car and far away from the lot of them.

The group padded through the hotel lobby and filed into an elevator in varying degrees of exhaustion from the late night before and entered the suit with relieved sighs. Few of them had actually gotten any sleep, so it was no surprise that Laila and Natalie immediately detoured for their own rooms to take a nap and replenish themselves.

While lying in bed, Natalie sent out a text to both Gabriel and Raphael, informing them that they had located their brother. She did not mention what he had done to himself, as she knew he would need to discuss it with them personally, but the situation weighed heavily on her mind. She dropped the phone onto the bed next to her and sighed. The room was quiet and only the hum of the ceiling fan eased the heavy silence against her ears. From the living room though, drifted the sounds of the television and Lucifer's deep and melodic voice, it sounded as if they were discussing what was on TV. She smiled tiredly and rolled over to close her eyes.

When next she opened them, Lucifer was standing at the sliding glass door, his own recently purchased phone held to his ear. He murmured into it quietly so as not to wake her but his presence alone had roused her from her sleep.

He slid the phone back into his pocket and crossed his arms, staring out at the water before he turned to glance down at her. He quirked a brow at seeing her awake and watching him then sat down on the side of the bed.

"Gabe called. Wanted to know when we would be heading back. I told him tomorrow most likely since you needed rest," he explained.

Natalie grunted tiredly in acknowledgement before pulling the blankets up over her shoulder and snuggling into the pillow again.

"Hey," she called a few moments later, her voice muffled by the pillow. Lucifer had yet to move and hummed in response. "I love you," she stated matter-of-factly and lifted hand from beneath the blankets to pat his cheek wearing a shit eating, but sleepy, grin.

Lucifer smiled down at her and grabbed her wrist to place a kiss against her veins, "I love you too," he murmured into her flesh.

"You do?" Natalie gasped teasingly.

"I do," he muttered and leaned over to kiss her on the lips.

They bought tickets for the plane ride home later that night. It was a strange trip back, as they had expected have a holy arch angel in tow, but instead, they had a recently fallen demon to cart back. Raphael had informed her via text that he had already known of the events. He had seen how broken Michael had been over the End of Days and Lucifer's condition the previous day had only confirmed it for him. The information had been share with Gabriel already, and really, it was easier that way. There would be no need for Michael to muster up the nerve to break the news, no shocking surprises, nothing to ruin what she had planned.

It was her father who picked them up from the airport in his van. It was the only vehicle big enough to pick up all five of them along with their luggage, after all. They stood outside of the airport, watching for the green van in the distance as other people and vehicles drove through and picked up friends and family.

Lucifer's hand never left Natalie's back, afraid she would wander off or grow distracted, until the old vehicle pulled to a stop in front of their ramshackle group. Alex McAllister stepped out of the driver side door and greeted them all cheerily.

"How was the trip?" he asked over his shoulder as he pulled the sliding door of the van open and moved around to lift the trunk door.

"It was fun," Natalie exclaimed as she followed him and loaded her suitcase into the back of the van.

"You could say that," Laila added as she set her own bag next to Natalie's.

"That's good, at least," Alex shot back with a laugh. He ran back to the driver's side door and slid back into the van. The door was pulled shut and he looked back as if to count and make sure everyone was present. Once certain, he shifted the van into drive and pulled into the line of traffic exiting the airport. "It's nice to see you again, Michael, I hope you doing well," he spoke up after the car had remained silent for a few moments.

Michael was sitting in the seat just behind Alex, Lucifer next to him, while Laila and Felix had claimed the very back. "I'm doing well enough," Michael answered with a charming grin.

Lucifer did not miss the way his grip had tightened on the armrest of the seat but made no comment.

Michael had met Alex after the battle. He had come to visit Natalie as she recovered from the emotional turmoil and offer his apologies. Natalie had been so sad that day that he had not been able to bear sitting with her for more than a few minutes. He had ended up in the kitchen of the house and spoke with Alex for a while, apologizing again for all that had happened, and offering his support should the family ever need anything. After that, though, he had disappeared.

"That's all that you can really hope for," Alex assured the newly fallen with a tight smile. He understood that it would be a long while before balance was restored.

"Booze helps," Felix called out from the back, earning a laugh from all those in the vehicle.

"In moderation," Alex corrected.

"Truuuuuuue," Natalie chorused and patted her father's shoulder with a proud smile. He hadn't touched alcohol in years, asides from when they celebrated and had a toast, and he was very happy about it. Natalie would not let him doubt his success. They had spent so much time working on it together and Natalie, as well as the new knowledge he had gained, helped to steady him immensely.

"With that being said, I think a celebration is in order," Alex added. "The gangs all back together now!"

"Wooh!" Felix whooped in the back while Laila chuckled. Michael offered up an appreciative smile while Natalie clapped her hands in excitement. Lucifer remained silent but a small smirk did cross his lips as he settled back in the seat with crossed arms.

They arrived back at the house some time later. The driveway was empty as the van pulled in and its shuttering engine was shut off and those inside piled out onto the pavement with relieved sighs. None of them would be traveling again any time soon as they had been cramped enough over the past few days. Rather than head in their separate directions, they had agreed to stay at Natalie's house for a while to rest and officially catch up but as Natalie opened the door and they all filed in, it was obvious no rest would be had.

"Welcome Home!"

Several voices chorused from the living room, dining room, and kitchen. The large house was packed with several angels, demons, and humans alike. They had thrown streamers about the common areas of the home and let balloons loose to float about the ceilings. The sliding glass door in the dining room was opened out onto the wooden deck where the smell of smoke and cooking foods wafted in by the light breeze from outside.

Music was playing from the sound system in the living room while several people sat about, obviously just talking, but all eyes had turned to the misfit group as they walked in through the front door.

"Oh man, you guys shouldn't have," Michael mumbled in disbelief. The sweater he had been carrying was set on the back of the couch and he ran a hand through his hair as he struggled with warring emotions within.

"We're just happy to have you back," Natalie assured him quietly with a hand on his arm. She gave him a loving pat and lead him into the living room.

It was Gabriel who was the first to greet his long lost brother with a warm embrace. He had come from the kitchen and wrapped Michael up in his arms. "I'm so glad you're back," he whispered.

"Me too," Michael answered truthfully and stepped back as Raphael approached.

"Natalie," Lucifer grouched from where he stood.

"There's no stopping her, Lucifer, might as well go alone for the ride," Alex said through a laugh and patted the demon on the shoulder before he headed for the grill. It was Nathan who had been invited over by Gabriel doing the cooking. There was a growing pile of meat and grilled veggies to his side as he continued to flip even as Alex greeted him with a handshake.

"How many people are here . . .?" Felix mumbled in awe.

"The majority of the angels, any demon within a forty mile radius, several people from the Bar, the four horsemen, Kristi even," Laila answered him from where she stood next to him.

"How even . . .," Felix whispered.

"It's Natalie, what do you expect, she was charismatic even when she was just human," Laila offered with a shrug and pushed her suitcase further into the house towards a closet. She wanted to stow it out of the way during the party and would collect it later when they left.

"But, everyone, I mean, even the horseman?" Felix continued. He headed for the patio in Alex's wake, determined to light a cigarette and maybe grab a drink after.

"Lucifer, get your ass in here!"

Lucifer sighed and his ears fell despite his best efforts to hide is displeasure at having to deal with more people. "Where the fuck do you get off, ordering me around, Pax?" he shot back as he stepped into the dining room.

"Here," Pax answered and shoved a drink into the devil's hand. The contents sloshed over his hand and Lucifer caught the smell of rum before he took a long gulp of the drink and set the cup down on the dining table, now empty.

"Yesss, get on my level," Pax exclaimed and handed his own drink over before returning to the kitchen to get himself another.

Lucifer snorted and glanced over at those occupying the table, and scowled. The four horsemen sat about with cards between them, varying levels of intoxicated, but had forgotten their cards in favor of eyeing him instead. "You," he growled at Death.

The man pointed to himself, jokingly, and laughed as Lucifer took a threatening step towards him. It was obvious the devil wanted to break his skull in.

"Nope!" Natalie chirped and slid in between Lucifer and the table, grabbed his hand, and pulled him away towards the patio in one smooth motion.

"Girl, I swear, you keep the worst company," he muttered as they stepped into the backyard. The large oak trees had been strung with lights, crisscrossing overhead, while a bonfire burned warmly to the right. A few humans had crowded around it with beer, Max present among them, and they watched as Natalie dragged the devil out into the middle of the little clearing.

Speakers had been set up to play music outside as well, and so Lucifer found himself being dragged into a dance, instead of beating Death's face as he had so desperately wanted.

"I do indeed," she agreed with a chortle and looked up into his eyes mirthfully. "The worst of the worst, in fact," she added as he wrapped a hand around her waist .

"Hmm," he hummed in agreement, a grin growing across his face, and swept her across the grass in a mix between a waltz and a more modern dance. One moment they were clad in the jeans and sweaters they had picked out that morning, and the next, a suit and gown.

Natalie glanced down at the silky red gown that flowed about her with a chuckle. Her feet were bare in the grass, but that suited her just fine, as it was cool and healthy. The gown was sleeveless but it hugged her waist before falling about her thighs to her ankles in uneven lengths, fluttering in the slightest breeze. "You always liked me in red, didn't you?" she asked knowingly.

"It is my color, after all," he agreed smugly and spun her about once more.

His black suit was simple enough in comparison to her dress, but as she spun back to him, she noted it was lined in the same red silk.

"I really need to thank you, for doing all of this, for me. For Michael. It is more than I could ever ask of you," he murmured into her ear as they came together under the lit trees and the song they had started their dance with came to an end.

"You came back to me," she replied with a shrug. "I'd give you the world if I could," she added with a smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts.

"I know," he said, and he meant it. Spontaneous promises and proposals were her thing, but he had always known, those moments were honest and true. She would sit on them for so long that they would burst forth at random and surprise him, each and every time. When she had told him he was her best friend, when she had drunkenly told him she'd die for him, and then again when she had told him she loved him for the first time. "I'd give you the galaxy," he continued with a shit eating grin.

"What? You can't one up me!" she cried as a new song started and they moved again. "In that case, I'd give you all of the universe."

"Hmm," he hummed in thought and lifted his eyes to the stars absently. "Would you settle for just me?" he asked seriously and dropped his yellow eyes to her green searchingly. They had never truly addressed their situation. Things had just steadily progressed as time went on and they had allowed their feelings to grow, but the End of Days had come too soon, and they had never been able to speak their hearts and minds. They had picked up right where they left off, comfortable in each others presence, happy to flirt, but unsure of how to progress. It was not a familiar place for Lucifer to be.

She gripped his shoulder tightly and smirked, "I think I could make that work."

"I'll have the contract drawn up," he said and leaned forward to kiss her.

They paused in their dance, arms wrapped around each other, and shared the tender moment for as long as they dared. Honestly, this felt like the moment when everything changed for them. Everything was out in the open and they were working to build something together.

"Oi!" a grating voice called, "Can you not swap spit in front of me?"

"Don't be jealous!" Natalie called back over her shoulder to her brother.

Max had stood up by the fire pit, a can of beer in hand, and scowled. He didn't need to see Satan himself sucking his little sisters face off, it was gross. "I'm going in for another drink," he muttered to the rest of the group that comprised of his boyfriend, roommate, and a few regulars from the bar. They all chuckled at his discomfort as he stomped back into the house and waived at the two drunkenly.

"He totally wishes he was in my place," Natalie snickered behind a hand.

The two danced through another song before Natalie stated she needed a drink of the alcoholic variety. Lucifer had let her go reluctantly and made his way over to Felix to join him for a smoke on the patio. He sat back in a wicker chair and kicked his feet up on the matching wicker table with a sigh.

"Looking fancy," Felix whistled and snorted when Lucifer shot him a look.

"How's Michael doing?" Lucifer asked as he blew a cloud of smoke into the air and watched it dissipate in the breeze.

"The life of the party," Felix answered with a shrug, "Dude came right out of his shell."

"Of course he did," he muttered with a chuckle and shut his eyes to revel in the peaceful moment. After a few minutes, however, the absence of Natalie began to grate on his nerves and he pushed himself to his feet. He ground out the cigarette in an ash tray on the table before he slid his hands into his pockets and stepped back inside. He detoured for the kitchen to grab another drink from Pax, who seemed to have taken up roost there, before he causally strolled through the growing crowed in search of strawberry blonde hair.

"Did you see where that brat ran off to?" Lucifer asked Laila some time later.

Laila looked up from her hand of cards, she had sat down with Famine to play, and the two goths lifted their eyes to him in confusion. "I have not," Laila answered truthfully and glanced over at Famine.

"Death slipped out front a bit ago. He said he needed to speak with her," Famine answered coyly and dropped her chin into her hand.

Lucifer scowled at her before he about faced and headed towards the front door.

"He's so cute when he's flustered," Famine drawled and set her cards down on the table with a longing sigh.

Laila hummed in agreement as her eyes returned to her own set of cards absently.

Lucifer shut the door behind him, marveling at the silence that assaulted his ears, as the music and chatter of the house cut off. Crickets took up their song then to ease the quiet. With drink in hand he descended the handful of steps to the driveway and scanned the front yard of the property.

He spotted the two moments later, standing by the largest of the old oaks, and talking quietly. Natalie held a glass orb in hand by the rope it was tied with, running a hand through her hair with scrunched brows. Lucifer noted blankly that only a few lights bounced about in the glass.

Death held his hands out to her, clearly at a loss about what they were discussing.

Lucifer struggled to tamper the growing ire within him and approached at a casual pace, and downed the rest of his drink.

"I'm not quite sure what's going on but I'm going to keep an eye out," Death was saying as Lucifer approached.

"Alright," Natalie mumbled and rubbed her face tiredly. "Please get back to me as soon as you can."

Death nodded once, tight lipped, before he stepped back and lifted a hand in Lucifer's direction. He disappeared moments later with a swirl of black smoke.

"What's wrong?" Lucifer asked and moved in front of Natalie with scrunched brows.

Natalie lifted the glass orb to her eyes with a sigh, "Death says there's something wrong. Children's souls are disappearing before he can even get to them," she explained quietly.

Lucifer dropped his eyes to the glass orb thoughtfully, concern lining his face, before he lifted an arm and pulled her into his side. "We'll figure it out," he assured her quietly.

"I know," she answered and tipped the orb over into her hand. Three balls of light spilled out into her palm and she wrapped her fingers around them as they dissolved within her. She felt them nestle within her soul, a little confused to happy and comfortable, and allowed herself a small smile. It was such a good feeling when souls came and went. It was concerning that Death was losing track of the children, but she was certain everything would sort itself out soon. She had the Devil at her side otherwise.

"There's no use in worrying about it now, kid, enjoy the party," he muttered and rubbed her shoulder as they shuffled back towards the house. "One drama after another," he warned with a chuckle, "this one isn't over yet until the party ends."

Natalie snorted and rubbed her other shoulder in his side, "Look at you, trying to cheer me up," she teased.

Lucifer smirked and pushed her through the door and shut it behind them. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a marshmallow, I know," he drawled.