The party came to an end early in the morning when the food had run out, soon followed by the alcohol, and the few people that remained had intended to crash there. Natalie had three guest bedrooms to be used, a formal living room, casual living room, and an office. So it was no surprise when the majority of the humans returned to their own homes via taxis, and horsemen had dispersed, that Natalie was left with several angels and demons talking quietly among themselves as she readied for bed. Raphael and Uriel had taken up the couch while Michael laid on his stomach on the floor of the living room, absently searching through television channels, while Gabriel attempted to tidy as much of the mess they had made so as not to inconvenience Natalie.

"I'm so tired," Pax moaned as Natalie tucked him and Felix into one of the guest beds with a smile.

"Then sleep, silly," she chortled as he rolled over onto Felix, who had long since passed out in a drunken stupor.

"'Kay," he mumbled in return.

Max had chosen to stay over and he and his boyfriend had claimed one of the other guest rooms. Anne had chosen to return home so that she could get a good night sleep before work the next day.

"Where'd Laila go?" she questioned aloud as she traveled through the dining room, trash bag in hand and collected empty cups and plates.

"I think she's in one of the rooms," Lucifer said as he dropped the grilling utensils into the sink to be washed tomorrow.

"Okay," Natalie mumbled through a yawn and stretched. "I think we'll do the rest tomorrow," she continued and shuffled into the living room. "That couch pulls out and there's an air mattress in the closet over there, have a good night you guys," she explained and waved her goodnight to the angels.

"Night," they chorused back.

Natalie flopped into her bed with a tired sigh and a smile on her face. Lucifer followed her in and shut the door, glad to finally be away from the crowd of people, and padded over to the bed. He bent down and kissed the back of her neck, causing her to giggle, and asked, "Can I have you tonight?"

Natalie paused and turned over to face him on her back before she grinned and held her arms out to him. "You can," she answered with a laugh as he pulled her into his arms and sat down on the bed in her place, Natalie perched upon his lap.

They shared a kiss, as his hands slid up her back in search of the zipper to her dress, and she worked to unbutton his shirt. He could have just magicked the clothes away, the same way he had made them appear, but then, where was the fun in that? He slipped the dress from her shoulders and left a trail of kisses from her jaw to her collar bone as she pulled the shirt from his arms and ran her hands across is skin, marveling at the smooth taut muscles beneath.

Lucifer pushed her onto the bed, sliding her off of his lap as he did, and let out a hum of pleasure as he continued to work along her collar bone and pulled the dress from her hips.

"I really do love you," she reminded him and he lifted his eyes to hers, the hungry gaze dimming to a soft expression and he smiled, returning to her lips for another kiss.

"I know," he murmured, "I love you too."

Natalie woke the next morning feeling thirstier than she ever had in her life before. Between two nights in a row of alcohol and their recent exploration in love making, she was in desperate need of hydration. She sat up with a stretch, loathe to leave the cool sheets against her bare skin, but knowing she must regardless. She glanced over at the resting form of Lucifer, sprawled out across the bed and his arm still outstretched to support her head, and smiled. She leaned over his face and drew her finger down the bridge of his nose, enjoying the sight of his usual grumpy face relaxed, and snickered when he pushed her hand away.

"Leave me be, woman," he mumbled and rolled over, holding a pillow to his chest, to hide his eyes from the morning sun.

"You sure like sleeping now," she observed and leaned over again, this time to blow into his ear.

Lucifer rolled back over and pulled her down to lay in his arms, hands wrapped around her wrists to prevent them from bothering him further, and sighed.

Natalie pouted but closed her eyes again to sleep for a bit longer. She could get a glass of water later.

When she woke next, Lucifer had left the bed, but she heard his loud voice from downstairs. It sounded as if he was arguing with Michael already. She would have been worried if it wasn't for the fact that the few words she did catch were in regards to cleaning the house. She smiled into her pillow before pushing herself out of bed to shower and change.

Freshly dressed in some leggings and a white tank top that fell passed her hips, she padded down the hall and descended the stairs. She could not help the sigh of relief that escaped upon sighting that the house had been cleaned while she rested and Max was in the kitchen, already cooking up a breakfast to feed an army. She pulled herself onto a bar stool next to Pax and a cup of coffee was set down in front of her by Lucifer himself. He smiled down at her lovingly as she blearily took her first sip.

"I've wait for this day for so long," she drawled tiredly as Lucifer stepped away, wearing the pilfered pair of sweat pants from Max, to set up another pot of coffee.

"What day?" Max shot back over his shoulder with a chuckle.

"The day I'd wake up in a boy harem," she said casually and took another sip of her coffee as every angel, demon, and human in the room turned to look at her all in varying forms of sleepwear and undress.

Pax lifted his head to glance about as if to confirm the boy harem and snorted, "This is kind of a sausage fest."

Uriel's laughter rung out from the dining room and the others followed suit while Lucifer rubbed at his face and took a sip of his own coffee.

"What's everyone laughing about?" Laila asked tiredly as she walked into the kitchen wearing the same clothes as the day before.

"My dream is ruined," Natalie bemoaned before she giggled and pulled out the stool on her other side and patted it for Laila.

"Same," Laila grunted and sat down, graciously accepting the coffee placed in her hands.

"Max, your burning the bacon," Lucifer called from over his shoulder as Laila took the cup of coffee.

"What? Oh!" Max returned to the stove and took the bacon from the burner just in time.

Michael strolled into the kitchen with arms raised mid stretch, "Morning guys, anything I can-." He was cut off as Lucifer set a finger on his chest and pushed him back out.

"You are a destructive mess in the kitchen, get out," he deadpanned and only quirked a brow when Michael shot him a betrayed expression and shuffled into the dining room to claim a seat at the table with Uriel and Felix.

"Aww, it's okay Michael, I am too," Natalie reassured him from her stool with a laugh.

"I tried to learn," Michael whined and dropped his head onto the table with a tired groan.

"You failed," Lucifer called from the kitchen and lifted a pan of eggs from the stove over Max's shoulder and slid behind Raphael as the archangel filled his own mug of coffee. The pan of eggs was brought to the table where a buffet had been set out with plates and silverware for all. Lucifer shook the eggs out onto a growing mountain of a serving tray. Peppers and onions added some color to the yellow mass. He returned to the kitchen where Max had held out his hand for the skillet. "It's still hot," Lucifer muttered and leaned around him to set it back on the stove.

Lucifer turned away and Max poked at the handle of the skillet curiously and nearly cried out in pain, but he bit his lip, refusing to look a fool in front of a room full of angels and demons. He shook his hand in an effort to cool the burn before turning the stove off with a sigh.

Breakfast was rowdy, as was expected with a household of demons and angels, but fun. There was much laughter and retelling of the nights events as they partook of the provided eggs, bacon, and toast. Natalie was pretty sure they had hammered back a couple gallons of coffee by the time people started to remember they had lives and jobs to attend to. Well, some of them anyways. Natalie wouldn't be surprised if several of them hung around for a couple days.

"Come on, McAllister, we got a bar to stock and open," Laila called as she stood and went about to search for her discarded suitcase.

"On to the next party!" Natalie cried, causing Pax to laugh.

"Easy there, party animal," Lucifer drawled from where he sat at the head of the dining table. He downed the rest of his coffee and stood.

"We'll meet you there, Laila," Natalie assured the woman before she headed upstairs to find a pair of socks and put her hair up.

Lucifer stood and with a snap of his fingers, was dressed in jeans and a v-neck black shirt.

"Aww," Mark, Max's boyfriend, could be heard letting out a groan of disappointment.

Lucifer lifted his eyes with a suffering sigh before he scooped his phone from the kitchen bar and slid it into a pocket just as Natalie returned with her purse and keys in arm. "Don't break anything," Lucifer ordered all those in the room as they shut the front door behind them and headed off to the Hookah Bar.

They had almost nothing to do upon arrival. Laila was just setting out a hookah for Felix when they walked in through the back door and strode into the main room.

"Gabriel did everything," Laila explained as Natalie glanced over at the fully stocked and cleaned bar. Her eyes roamed the rest of the room to take in the perfectly placed furniture, cleaned and swept floors, and uncluttered surfaces. "He even fixed the sink in the men's bathroom," she added with a smile.

"Wow," Natalie exclaimed and walked over to join Laila on the couch with a plop. "Then we get to chill until open and then it should be an easy night."

Lucifer set up a game of pool for himself to remain entertained while the girls talked and Felix pulled on his hookah. Natalie watched him as he played, he had the table cleared in a few minutes, before he reset it and started again.

"It's official," Natalie said quietly to Laila, "He's perfect in every single way."

Laila side eyed her with a knowing smirk and leaned back in the couch with crossed arms. "That's awesome, rock on, Natalie," she said coyly and snickered as she blushed. "It's about time, I was beginning to wonder. Like, I honestly thought you guys have been doing it the whole time."

"What?" Natalie squawked.

Laila laughed as Felix covered his eyes with a hand and tried to block out the images in his mind. His own blush worked its way to his cheeks and he groaned. "Why father?" he bemoaned.

It was a fun night at the bar. With both Lucifer and Michael back, business was booming even more so than usual, and they struggled to keep up with orders. But everyone was in such high spirits that no one minded the extra time it took to get a drink, hookah, or snack.

Lucifer stood behind the bar with Nathan, as the human had been struggling on his own, and many a joke was made about their similarities. Both men were just as tall, muscular, and tattooed as the other. Nathan's exciting personality, coupled with Lucifer's sarcasm and wit, worked well together at the bar. Many a joking insult was traded but Lucifer was loath to admit that he was enjoying himself. Nathan was far more joyful then he would have liked, but he made up for it in intelligence and understanding of social grace. He didn't push for information or whine, like some people . . . He reminded him of Ipos.

"Look what the dog dragged in," Lucifer drawled as Raphael himself sat down at the bar.

"Brother," Raphael greeted with a small smile and leaned on the bar.

"Not that I care but should you be drinking?" Lucifer asked as he wiped out a freshly cleaned glass and set it down on the rack with the others. Nathan was talking to another group sitting further down the bar but glanced over upon hearing those words. They typically led to rowdy and belligerent guests angry for being cut off.

"I thought about it," Raphael admitted as he glanced up thoughtfully and scratched at his beard, "But, does it really matter now?"

Lucifer paused in thought as well and Nathan chuckled at the vacant expression they both wore.

Eventually, Lucifer shrugged, "I don't think it matters anymore. Sin or not you still return to the garden."

Raphael chuckled and ordered a beer then and enjoyed the opportunity to talk with his brother, causally, while he worked. At one point, Natalie breezed by to give Raphael a hug, which the angel appreciated, and shot Lucifer a happy smile.

Lucifer paused from picking up empty glasses, staring at the bar top, lost in thought.

"What's wrong?" Raphael had asked as he took a sip of his third beer.

"It's just . . ." he paused. It could have been the beer he himself had consumed throughout the day while working, but he had had a realization that, he was already well aware of, wash over him again. It seemed all the stronger due to the recent events and atmosphere he had been surrounded by, but he couldn't help but voice it. "You know, none of this would have happened had she not been born. We wouldn't be here, talking amicably, and rebuilding the world if she hadn't stepped in and offered herself up. I can't help but wonder; what would have happened if she hadn't made a contract with me, hell be damned, and stuck to me like glue."

Raphael stared at Lucifer steadily before he dropped his eyes to the glass before him and swirled the amber liquid thoughtfully. "This world would have died," he admitted quietly and set the glass down with a sigh. Overcome with what could have been, he sat back in the stool and glanced about the warehouse, and admired the company of humans, fallen, and angels gratefully. "We must guard her with our lives," Raphael intoned darkly as he leaned forward on the bar once more with crossed arms.

Lucifer's grip on one of the glasses tightened and cracks speckled its transparent surface. "I planned on it, if anyone should touch her, they will know Hell," he muttered and threw the glass into the trashcan behind him. It thudded as it hit the side before shattering at the bottom. A few of the other guests at the bar turned to look curiously before returning to their own conversations. Broken glass was a norm at any bar.

Raphael snorted with a smirk, "Hell is no more, brother."

Lucifer glanced down at him, his eyes previously had searched out the strawberry blonde in the crowd, and leveled him with a sardonic grin. "I am Hell," he growled, eyes blazing in the low light, horns red and ears pointed.

"She's only grown more beautiful, you know," Raphael added with a sigh, "All kinds of dark things will be drawn to her." He rubbed at his face as the alcohol set in and anguish washed over him at the same time. "I've never seen such a thing in any soul, I can't look her in the eye, Lucifer."

"Do I need to be worried about you trying to steal my woman?" Lucifer grouched with a glass in one hand and the other fisted.

Raphael let out a bark of laughter, "No, but you may find me lost after looking. She's like the aurora borealis."

Lucifer frowned but grunted and turned away to get another customer a drink. Raphael followed with his eyes and noted then that even Lucifer's soul had changed. It would always be a bit darker than others but it had begun to glow with its own light. Cracked and broken it may be, he was working on his own garden. Raphael snorted, though it may as well have been filled with cacti, he thought with a chuckle.

Several days passed in a similar fashion. Angels and demons were constantly cycling through Natalie's house all hours of the day, so much so, that she had given up on even keeping her door locked. No one would even dare to enter the property as it were, since a certain Japser and Jekyll had followed them home, and the Hellhounds patrolled the land throughout the day and night. She just saw no point in it. Anyone was welcome to stay at her home, as far as she was concerned.

They would make a large breakfast for everyone present and return to the bar to work into the early morning, and then a late night dinner would be made. The only time Natalie and Lucifer had alone together was night, when they laid in bed, and talked to each other about all they had missed out on in the six years they were apart. It was a nice pace and Natalie enjoyed it, she knew Lucifer did too, though he would never admit it.

Still, she waited to hear back from Death every day. She grew more and more nervous the longer he was away and after a week had passed, she voiced her concern to Lucifer while they shared a hookah in the back of the bar. The place was empty, as they had yet to open, and Natalie had offered to make one so that she could get him to sit down with her.

"I'm sure he's just getting everything sorted out, kid, he's an age old creature who's been doing his job for a millennia," Lucifer assured her with a shrug. "There are bound to be a few hiccups here and there anyways, everything is still new in comparison," he added and took a pull from the hookah. He blew out a cloud of black smoke, as he so loved to do, and leaned back against the plush couch.

Natalie nodded and drummed her fingers on her thigh in thought. "I just. . ." she paused, trying to find a way to explain it, "It doesn't feel like nothing. I feel like something is wrong . . ."

Lucifer grunted and passed the hookah hose over to her, "Trust your gut then, but even then, there's nothing we can do until he comes back from recon."

"You're right, you're right," Natalie agreed with a suffering sigh.

That night was just as busy as any other. The bar was packed and all of the couches were filled with smokers chattering away. Every pool table was occupied and the staff were running around like headless chicken. Laila had left manning the hookahs to Natalie and Felix so she could jump back into the kitchen with Chelle. Both Nathan and Lucifer were at the bar.

It was a wild rush and Natalie could not deny the fact that she was thoroughly enjoying it. There was nothing quite like the rush of a busy night at the Hookah Bar. When everyone was frantic but it high spirits there was much laughter to be had. Even when a plate of food had been dropped, there was nothing but laughter, and the mess was quickly swept up by Natalie herself.

She was just emptying the contents of the dustpan into the trash in the back when she heard her name being called from the main room. The voice sounded frantic, but she assumed she was just missing out on something really awesome, and so took her time washing her hands. She assumed someone would record the even and she would get the play by play later. She was wiping her hands on a towel when Laila threw the kitchen door open.

"Natalie," she gasped through panic.

Natalie was darkly aware of why she immediately felt sickening panic well up within her stomach like bile. It clenched her heart and hugged her lungs and prohibited her from thinking at a functioning pace. That tone of voice was one she had not heard since she was a child, and it was quickly followed by a dizzying drive to a hospital, that all ended in a broken heart.