After a short drive, they pulled up in front of the same villa he had brought her to previously. "Did you buy it?" Oriel asked as she stepped inside the doorway.

"No, I already own a perfectly acceptable penthouse. You can see the stars for miles from my balcony – in case you hadn't noticed," Lucifer replied as he looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

"I did. There's also a very rare copy of Milton's Paradise Lost that wants to be read too," she answered easily and then asked, "Why here?"

"You won't stop by Lux, so it's either this or sitting at the parking lot at the Observatory again. This is more comfortable," he replied.

"I see," Oriel answered with a dubious glance in his direction. She then posed a question to him, "Was setting your detective friend on me necessary?"

"I thought you would enjoy it," Lucifer told her. "Who am I to tell her about you?"

"Since when do you not like hearing yourself speak? But I did greatly enjoy it for the most part. Oh, by the way, some of the questions included you and I did answer them…somewhat," she said with a smirk.

"And?" he asked in return with a growl in his voice.

"Let's just say the ball will be back in your court as soon as she musters up enough courage to broach the subject with you," the fae replied with a self-satisfied smile.

"What subject, Oriel! Tell me!" Lucifer demanded loudly.

"And ruin the surprise? Hell no!" she told him with an even wider grin on her face as she walked out the patio doors.

"Will you at least tell me why you are here and why you didn't inform me of your presence?" he asked as he followed her outside.

"Since when do I have to inform you of my comings and goings?" Oriel challenged with bright eyes.

"You don't," Lucifer replied calmly. "However, there is such a thing as common courtesy."

She laughed before telling him, "Because you are always the embodiment of manners and courtesy."

"We aren't talking about me," Lucifer answered civilly despite his growing annoyance.

"Contrary to what you may think, I don't always take great pleasure in vexing you," Oriel stated as she looked directly into his eyes.

"You are beginning to vex me mightily right now Oriel, and you will not enjoy the result," he said sharply.

"Lucifer…relax, enjoy the view," she whispered into his ear.

"Why, Oriel? This is not your favorite place in the world; I know that better than anyone," Lucifer pressed her for a direct answer.

"Is it still following you? Given the circumstance, you have been unusually quiet," she told him.

"Since when do I have to account every moment of my day to you?" he asked sarcastically, mimicking her earlier comment with a glare in his eyes.

"Since we both ended up with sand in our face so to speak; I believe it has been called common courtesy by others," she replied with a challenging smirk and matched his glare.

They stood silent eyes locked for a long moment until Lucifer slowly shook his head; eventually the glares softened and both quietly laughed. "So, are you still being followed?" Oriel repeated.

This time Lucifer was the one to lean in and whisper, "Is it worth my while to tell you or are you going to insist on being difficult?"

"You enjoy every minute of me being difficult, you always have," Oriel told him matter-of-factly as she quickly undid two buttons on his shirt. As he smiled and looked on eagerly, she just as quickly appeared to lose interest and turned and walked back inside the villa.

"Oriel!" he muttered and swiftly followed her indoors.

"Yes or no?" she asked directly and turned to face him, chuckling at his chagrin.

"Like you, it makes its presence known from time to time; it has not tried to touch me again," Lucifer finally admitted and then added drily, "Very unlike you."

"It hit me not you. You were an unfortunate casualty, not the target," she asserted her eyes glittering with amusement at his comment. "It has only been set to watch you, not touch you for the time being."

"For the time being?" he repeated and watched her carefully to see if she knew more than she was saying.

"Lucifer, you know better than I that it will soon want more than just to watch. Lurking on the sidelines really isn't a demon's strong suit," Oriel said bluntly.

"It hasn't bothered you?" Lucifer inquired curious to know if Oriel was also being followed.

"I've been home," she told him. "In case you forgot, even you can't follow me there."

"Oriel, why do I find it hard to believe that you have remained in the realm of the fair folk until today?" he asked.

"Because not only are you fiercely intelligent you also know me that well," she answered with a saccharine smile. "It hasn't found me or even looked for me; I think I'm only an issue when I'm near you."

"Hmmm," he mused with interest at what she had just said and filed away that particular piece of information in his mind. "What are your plans?"

"I don't have any," Oriel answered. She had only intended on seeing Chloe to inquire about Lucifer and then return home; meeting the devil was not on her agenda.

"You only came here to learn if the demon was still following me?" Lucifer asked slowly and deliberately. While it was true that Oriel wouldn't bother him with small matters, he also knew there was probably more to her visit.

"Was I supposed to pick up a phone and call your detective friend to find out?" she asked in return.

"That was an option," he told her. "You could have also called me."

"Yes, but if I don't show up here I miss the fun of answering Chloe's questions," Oriel said cheerfully. "Besides, I owed the child braids."

"You wanted to be sure they were safe," Lucifer announced as the idea finally dawned on him. "I am not powerless, Oriel; I will not allow a lesser demon to get out of hand and the detective is also very capable of handling things."

"What if you don't have a choice in the matter, Lucifer?" she countered seriously. "Chloe may be very capable but because she refuses to believe, she will not see any threat coming until it is too late. The child needs to be kept safe."

"The child is not aos sí," he told her bluntly.

"I know that," Oriel answered loudly and gave the devil an angry look.

"You just chose this particular time to develop your maternal instinct?" Lucifer inquired determined to get an answer that satisfied him no matter how irate Oriel became.

"I am not getting maternal," she answered defensively. "You know what humans did to me Lucifer, what do you think demons will put her through? I will not allow it."

"A demon, no matter what kind, would never trouble itself with a child. I have rules," he stated.

"You retired, remember? You're not in control anymore," Oriel said harshly. "I'm thinking Hell abandoned YOUR rules soon after they realized you abandoned it."

"So, you are saying this is my fault?" Lucifer said stopping short of a direct accusation.

"I did not say that," she said with a sharp inhale, her teal eyes now glowing.

"Fine; you are implying that it is my fault," he said in correction.

"I did not say or imply anything of the sort. I am stating a fact; you left five years ago. That set in motion a whole chain of events and God only knows what they are," she retorted.

"Back to my fault again," Lucifer said simply. "Did you have to bring my Father into this?"

"Well, the devil sure doesn't know what's going on down there," Oriel said unable to hold her tongue. She waited for his outburst, willing to admit that any outrage was partially justified. Instead he surprised her and turned away angrily without uttering a word.

"Lucifer — Lucifer, look at me," Oriel pled. He slowly turned back around and faced her, his eyes blazing red. She faced him without flinching from the anger that seemed to emanate from his being. Oriel wanted to make him understand her reasoning and she boldly placed a hand against the side of his face. She felt the rough stubble of his beard against her palm. At her touch, his eyes returned to their dark brown color and his face relaxed. "I'm not accusing you of causing anything. If you now choose to play cop to alleviate the boredom of running a nightclub, that's fine."

"I…," he began to say.

"I'm not finished," she stated and cut him off. "You are making the choice to hang around with the police. Chloe has made the choice to befriend you. But that child has not been given a choice in this matter, and as much as the girl likes you, Trixie is too young to realize all the baggage you bring with you."

"I do not have baggage," Lucifer protested.

"You're the devil!" she said emphatically her eyes wide. "You have one demon tending your bar, another lesser one currently stalking you, angelic brothers ready to start a war with you at any moment, plus you have been hooking up with an aos sí for the last millennium; you're right, no baggage at all."

"Trivial matters," Lucifer said matter-of-factly.

"Lucifer, I know what it's like to be a child and have your world ripped apart because of other people's battles. I would prefer she not go through that," Oriel replied with a quiet solemnity.

His face became placid at her words and he nodded once in acquiescence. "I'm going to Lux; if you are hungry, there is something I think you may enjoy waiting in the refrigerator. I trust you will be here when I return," he said calmly any previous anger seemingly dissipated.

Oriel nodded once in return declaring a truce. She was slightly surprised he backed off so quickly and attributed it to his needing to be at Lux not her words.

Hours later, Lucifer returned to the villa from Lux. He walked in through the patio doors and found Oriel curled up in an overstuffed chair reading a book. She had made a quick trip to Lux and grabbed the novel from one of his bookshelves earlier that evening while he was playing piano below.

"I thought I would find you outside counting the stars," he teased as he walked over to where she sat.

"Already did that," she replied nonchalantly and then teased. "And I danced naked in the moonlight; pity you missed it."

"Beltane is a way off – not that you have ever joined in," Lucifer said plainly as he looked down at her. He then walked over to the kitchen island where glasses and bottle of scotch sat waiting. Before pouring two glasses, he removed his jacket and hung it on the back of one of the high chairs that were around the counter. Oriel closed the book and went over to join him. "I see you have been playing with shadows again," he added and gestured to the gown she was now wearing.

"I figured I might as well make myself comfortable," she told him and took a small sip from her glass. "I didn't expect you back so soon. Nothing there catch your eye?"

"What can compare to a fae with hair of fire, a razor-sharp tongue, and a penchant for first editions?" he inquired with a mischievous grin. He had known she had visited Lux earlier that night even if no one else there was aware of it.

"Possibly a stubborn and self-indulgent fallen angel," Oriel told him with a pointed look. Taking her gaze from his eyes to his shirt, she used some of her powers to undo a few buttons on his shirt.

"It appears that someone is feeling a little frisky. Don't stop there, keep going," Lucifer told her. He knew, as well as she, that her powers had limits. The more concentration she put to the buttons the more likely the gown constructed from shadows would begin to fade.

"It's much more fun when I use my hands…or so I've been told," she replied with a laugh, well aware of the motive behind his words.

"Get on with it then," he commanded with mock seriousness. "I did leave a perfectly good nightclub to see you."

Oriel did as she was told and led him back to the bedroom. After the romp, they both collapsed into sleep limbs intertwined. A short time later, Lucifer was awoken by sudden movement beside him. He looked over in the dim room to see Oriel thrashing around in her sleep and mumbling. Although he couldn't make out most of what she was saying, he did catch a name that was familiar to him.

"Oriel," he said in a half-whisper. It did no good; she remained asleep.

"Oriel, wake up," he repeated, this time a bit louder and gently touched her shoulder that was nearest to him. She started awake, her eyes glowing bright and ready to attack. Oriel reached and grabbed his arm with inhuman strength as she turned towards him.

Her action and force of her grip took him by surprise; he was even more surprised when she tried to kick him away. Lucifer knew despite the recent twinge of mortality he still had both the strength and power to subdue Oriel immediately. He also realized she was still caught somewhere between her dream and reality and didn't want to injure her. Deciding to try physical strength first, he took hold of both her upper arms and pinned her back to the mattress. "Oriel, it's me," he said his eyes a fiery red as he looked down at her. She continued to struggle against his grip, "Oriel, stop, it's Lucifer."

Seeing his eyes glowing red in the darkness brought Oriel fully awake and she slowly stopped struggling against him. Her own eyes dimmed as she breathed heavily and tried to calm down. "I didn't hit you, did I?" she asked him cautiously now totally aware he was holding her arms down.

"No," he told her and relaxed his grip on her arms. "Thankfully, the sharp kick missed all the vital bits."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly and rubbed any last traces of sleep from her eyes as he let go of her. "I guess I had a bad dream."

"Bad is a touch of an understatement. I would classify it as near night terror…or a flashback," Lucifer told her. He watched her closely trying to discern her reaction. Oriel could feel his eyes on her and she turned her head so she could look at him.

"What?" she asked him sharply and sat upright pulling the sheet around her. The dark room had no effect on her vision and she could see the expression on his face perfectly.

"You were dreaming of Blasius?" he said, half asking her, half telling her.

Oriel nodded silently in reply. For the moment refusing to say the name of the man who was her captor centuries ago.

"How long has this been occurring?" he responded. His gaze was unrelenting in its intensity but Lucifer could see that her features remained impassive and did not betray any of what she was feeling.

"A couple of months…since the incident with the demon on the beach," Oriel told him. "This one was the worst."

"When were you going to mention it?" he inquired with raised eyebrows.

"I just assumed it was old memories surfacing. My dreams have been filled with feelings of being watched or being chased since then. This time…it was like I was reliving it," she told him and paused before saying, "What if he got out?"

"Blasius did not get out," Lucifer assured her. Upon hearing those words Oriel shot him a look that said she clearly thought otherwise and he continued, "Okay yes, I'm here, not in Hell."

Oriel abruptly got out of the bed; a few seconds later Lucifer heard the patio door open as she went outside. Shaking his head, he got up and followed her after donning his boxers. He found her seated on a stone bench wrapped in shadows and staring up at the stars.

"What makes you believe it is more than memories resurfacing? Did you see something?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

"It was so real, Lucifer, I could feel the iron against my skin," Oriel told him in a quiet voice. "And this so-called nightmare happens on the first night I'm away from my home. It's too much of a coincidence for me; you are free to think otherwise."

"Don't jump to conclusions, Oriel," he said trying to choose his words carefully so as not to upset her further.

"You know what he did to me and you know what I did to free myself," she replied, immediately dismissing his words. "If I am correct, he will come after me."

"If it is Blasius, I will not let him hurt you again," Lucifer assured her.

"That is not how we work. You owe me nothing and I owe you nothing – we agreed," Oriel reminded him forcefully.

"If you are correct this is not a demon, how do you, aos sí, propose to fight a soul that has escaped from Hell?" he inquired with a pointed look.

"I will figure something out, Lucifer," she told him brusquely. "I am not your responsibility."

"Oriel, it is in my power to send him back to the torture he so rightly deserves for eternity," he replied. Lucifer's eyes narrowed as he remembered Blasius' story.

"You don't know that," Oriel said as she touched the scars on his back. At her touch, he immediately tensed and then slowly relaxed under her hand. "Shot and bled, remember? It may be better if you stayed far away from me."

"Found you on the beach, remember? I'm the devil that could," he told Oriel and brushed her hair away from her face. "And just as it is my choice to hang around with the police, it is also my choice if I stay away from you – not yours, or anyone else's. Now, off to bed with you and no kicking me this time."