The next morning Lucifer woke up to find an empty space beside him. He hadn't heard or felt Oriel leave during the early morning hours and he blearily looked around the bedroom searching for her. Unable to even sense her presence nearby, he forced himself to get out of the bed and see if she was in the villa at all. After a quick glance around inside and not seeing her, he walked out the patio door and found Oriel sitting on the stone bench again. This morning she was wearing a Grecian-style gown that shone with the pale yellow hues of the morning sun. She remained silent and motionless as he approached.

"I thought that you might have left without saying goodbye," he pronounced after waiting a few seconds and receiving no acknowledgement from her.

"That would be a new experience for you, wouldn't it?" she replied in an offhand manner still somewhat lost in her thoughts. "My clothes are right next to yours, by the way."

"One can't rely on that. You tend to create new ones as needed," Lucifer said and gestured to what she was wearing. He didn't want to admit to her that he had not even thought to look for her clothing. "I take it you were deliberately hiding?"

"Some of us like to take time to pause and reflect instead of acting rashly," Oriel responded coolly without looking directly at him. "It prevents bad things from happening – like cutting off one's wings unnecessarily."

"Enough!" Lucifer said loudly with an edge of anger in his voice. "You needed to conceal yourself from me in order to think?"

"No more than you needed to conceal the fact that you were shot and bled from me," Oriel replied in a tone that matched his own as she finally looked up at him.

"Punishing the punisher, are we?" he shot back quickly his voice tinged with bitterness. "I suppose I understand with turnabout being fair play and all that."

"Why would I bother? You won't ever feel a bit of guilt, I know that all too well," she answered plainly and looked at him her eyes filling with mirth as she added, "I just didn't want to disturb you."

Although he was still feeling a bit of a sting from Oriel's comment about his wings, Lucifer knew without a doubt that she was telling him the truth. He sat down next to her and did his best to remain calm as he inquired, "What have you decided?"

"I think it's best for all involved if I go home," Oriel told him quickly and then turned her head away. She was sure her answer would be met with Lucifer's disapproval; it had been the main reason she put off returning inside for so long. Oriel was correct in her thinking and upon hearing her reply his expression turned stony and he stood up again.

"You are running away? You spent hours out here following every thread that you could think of, as far as you could and that is the decision you come to?" Lucifer asked with intensity that bordered on anger as he looked down at her. "Since when do you run from a fight, Oriel?"

"I'm not running away. I weighed the options and I'm taking the one I find most agreeable," she countered. As she finally said the words aloud, she found she was trying to convince herself as much as him that she was doing the right thing. "As you so aptly pointed out last night, how would I fight a soul that has escaped from Hell?"

"Oriel, a soul has little power without a demon fueling it, and my words were an offer of assistance not a reason for you to run and hide," he said hoping to clear up any misunderstanding.

"I know both of those things," she replied sternly. "My name has remained out of your ledger for eleven hundred years Lucifer; I am not putting it in there now."

"For all you know it was only a bad dream and my services will not be needed … at least not in that way," he said wearing a sly smile and hoping to lighten her mood.

Ignoring his innuendo, Oriel said, "Let's assume you're right and it is only dreams. What do you suggest I do?" As she watched his expression turn to one of self-satisfied superiority she added, "We're only assuming this for a moment, so don't look so smug."

"I suggest that you stop thinking about the past!" Lucifer stated as he looked directly into her eyes.

"You don't really think I spend time replaying my past over and over in my head?" she asked as she glared back at him.

"I thought we had gotten you over that a long time ago but perhaps I was wrong – perhaps you are relapsing," he mused and idly turned away from her.

"Perhaps it is more than just random bad dreams," Oriel said. The harsh tone in her voice caused him to turn around and face her again.

"If you are correct, what good will returning home do?" he challenged her.

"Angels aren't the only ones kept out of the land where aos sí reside. Ephialtes, that lovely creature you decided to give some charge over nightmares, cannot cross into our realm either. The dreams are not as strong and will not be as strong there," she said making her point for going home.

"Am I to understand that you plan on staying there forever then? No Black Sea, Amsterdam, or California beach?" Lucifer demanded as he looked at her dubiously.

"If need be," she told him stubbornly and did her best to maintain her resolve under his intense gaze. "I cannot relive it again every night."

"I know you, Oriel; you do not remain behind the veil when you are home. You wander the Tor, sit at Glastonbury, and haunt Stonehenge in shadows – sometimes all in the same day. We have had lunch in Paris and dinner in St. Petersburg. You more than anyone, possibly aside from myself, will not be content confined to one spot," he told her. As he spoke, he watched her carefully and tried to gauge her reaction to his words.

"What is your point?" Oriel asked bluntly. She did not want to admit the truth in his words and did her best to remain impassive.

"My point is: you will be miserable in short order," Lucifer stated with a pointed stare, almost certain his words had some effect on her.

"The potential negative effects of my remaining here is too great," she replied slowly.

"What does it matter?" he questioned coldly, his true nature breaking through.

"I am not you; I cannot be callous and cavalier with other's lives – not even yours," Oriel retorted, her reasoning now made clear to him.

"Yes, you would rather play the martyr," Lucifer expounded while shaking his head. Even after knowing her for a millennium, he could still be caught somewhere between exasperation and disbelief at Oriel's depth of feeling and emotions at times. "How often do I need to tell you that sainthood…and the suffering that goes along with it, is not worth it?"

"In my case I am sure a halo is not coming," Oriel said with annoyance as she rejected his notion.

"My father makes exceptions all the time," he told her with narrowed eyes. "He did banish his favorite son to Hell after all."

She laughed, "It is amazing how you can bring any conversation back to you."

"I was merely stating a fact," Lucifer said without pretense.

"If you want to see a fight, order pay-per-view and leave me out of it," Oriel stated and shook her head.

"Why do you really want to go home, Oriel? Is it because of the dreams and the fear they cause you or is it something else entirely?" he challenged, determined to get her to voice aloud the reason for her decision.

"Lucifer, I almost attacked you when you tried to wake me," she recounted. "What if you were a bit more mortal or someone else attempts the same thing?"

"I can take care of myself quite well as I demonstrated last night. Unless you suddenly plan on having random humans in bed with you, it will not be an issue," he told her.

"It is an issue. I woke up before anything happened but what if I don't next time?" Oriel argued. "And it's all because of a dream; a dream, Lucifer. Do you understand the ramifications of that? I cannot fight and defeat something that isn't real and tangible; but I am very able to hurt others in the process."

"Oriel, eventually the dream, if that is what it is, will become reality again," Lucifer said stoically. He understood what she was getting at but chose not to acknowledge the words. "That is the way Ephialtes will work – assuming he knows it is you."

"Great! It was so much fun the first time, I can't wait to do it all again," she uttered with biting sarcasm. "Really Lucifer, that's your selling point?"

"Stop allowing your fear to cloud your perception and your judgment," he replied with a calmness that surprised her. "Listen to what I am telling you."

"I heard what you said…my dream will become reality," Oriel assured him.

"Yes, real and tangible. When it does, you can send Blasius back where he belongs…without my assistance," he said with a serious look on his face. "I just need to keep you sane and prevent you from killing anyone until that moment occurs."

Oriel rolled her eyes and walked back inside the villa without a word. She knew Lucifer would not be swayed from his belief that she should stay in Los Angeles. Her own mind, which had been made up prior to speaking with him, was now filled with doubt.

Before leaving for Lux a short time later, Lucifer looked at Oriel and said with a stern seriousness he rarely used with her, "Think about what I told you, Oriel. I expect to hear your final decision later tonight – in person."

Soon after Lucifer left, Oriel also decided to leave the villa. Restlessly pacing around the house was getting her nowhere and even the outdoors brought little comfort to her thoughts. A few hours later, she sat back on the Pacific Northwest mountainside trying to come to some sort of decision before speaking to Lucifer again.

"Rough night?" Amenadiel asked with a slight smirk as he looked at her. Despite an inhuman ability to go on very little sleep and her best efforts, the previous night's disruption coupled with weeks of restless nights had left Oriel paler than usual. She also was almost certain that the archangel had a hand in the recent events.

"For all the wrong reasons," Oriel replied not bothering to hide her annoyance with the disturbance. After a slight pause she continued, "I'm beginning to think you really do like me in spite of your protests."

"My standards are a bit higher than my brother's," the angel snapped back with a scowl.

His response brought an amused smile to Oriel's face. Deciding not to antagonize him further she did not say the words that first sprung to mind but instead said, "Then there's another reason you've sought me out again, Amenadiel?"

"When is Lucifer returning to Hell?" he asked her angrily.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" she asked with her voice full of exasperation. "I will warn you though, you probably won't get an answer you'll like. He seems to be greatly enjoying helping the police."

"My brother is not a law-abiding rule follower," Amenadiel protested.

"Unlike yourself?" she replied with a definite hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Do not compare me to the devil," the angel commanded her with glaring eyes.

"I wasn't," Oriel said unashamedly while silently noting to herself how both Lucifer and Amenadiel tended to get upset over the same things. "However, I will point out the error in your thinking. Lucifer doesn't like to be told what to do or when to do it, but he does enjoy punishing the evildoer."

"He isn't doing that now," Amenadiel retorted sharply. "They would not let him torture anyone the way he is used to."

"You are assuming he is playing by their rules," Oriel asserted with a gleam in her eye. "An eye flash here, a hell face there and the next thing you know a human's mental state is suddenly less than stable. Voilà – evil being punished."

"You believe he is justified in his actions," the angel said as his eyes grew wide. "Of course you would; you're Lucifer's staunch ally."

"I think you have me mixed up with someone else; I don't tend bar," she told him and waited for Amenadiel's reaction. He said nothing but stared at Oriel coldly.

"Lucifer was set to do a job in Hell and he did it – better than anyone else could," Oriel continued with conviction. "As he sees it, now they receive punishment a bit sooner."

"Presently, he is not doing his job no matter how he sees it. He was not given permission to leave and not return to Hell," the angel countered.

"How many times do I need to tell you that I cannot make your brother do anything he doesn't want to do?" she asked him earnestly.

"Are you really trying Oriel?" Amenadiel inquired as he looked at her intently. He was determined to not believe the aos sí, no matter what she told him – or the number of times she repeated the words.

"How is Hell, Amenadiel?" Oriel asked boldly in return as she shook her head and her eyes glowed in his direction. She was tired of having the same discussion with the angel every time they encountered each other and decided to change the course of the conversation. "Having any trouble keeping track of everyone?"

"How do you know I've been watching Hell?" he questioned her. His voice was filled with honest surprise at her inquiry.

"Did you think no one would mention it to me?" she replied evenly. "I assume you forgot to tell me the first time we spoke and you asked for my help because you had so many things on your mind that day."

"You wouldn't have spoken to Lucifer if I had told you," Amenadiel declared carefully avoiding her eyes.

"We both know that isn't quite true," the fae told him. "I am curious though, what exactly is your job again? Getting Lucifer back to Hell or making sure order is kept there while he's away?"

"Both," the angel said shortly.

"I hate to tell you this, but you're not doing either very well," Oriel said brazenly. "I'll give you a pass on your brother; Lucifer is difficult to navigate even when his mood is agreeable. But maintaining order in Hell, well, I think it's time you go to Plan B."

"Are you accusing me of something Oriel?" he asked as she watched him intently. She was hoping to discern the slightest change to his expression and read what he wasn't saying aloud. "If you are, just say it."

"I'm not accusing you of anything," she replied doing her best to remain calm. Oriel was well aware confronting Amenadiel while alone was not the best idea. She wasn't sure that she could trust the angel not to "accidentally" cause her harm. "I just think it would be detrimental to humankind if anyone got out."

"My brother should have thought of that before he left," the angel told her seriously.

"You know as well as I that Lucifer could care less about the consequences of his actions," Oriel told him.

"He should," he muttered angrily.

"He isn't going to change, Amenadiel…no matter what," she explained to the angel.

"So, am I supposed to wait until Lucifer decides to go back on his own?" Amenadiel asked her with bitterness filling his voice.

"I realize you have a job to do – a very challenging one," she answered. "But, when it comes to Lucifer, you'll catch more bees with honey, as the saying goes. Plus, you won't get stung in the process."

"If my brother isn't careful, he will be the one getting stung," the angel said with a short laugh.

"Dealing with demons must be difficult, possibly even tempting – especially when you don't like the task you've been set and don't hesitate letting everyone know that," Oriel replied trying to remain nonchalant. "Personally, I don't trust them."

"I can handle the demons," he retorted deliberately ignoring the message behind her words. "You've spent too much time sojourning with my brother and forget how powerful we are; they would not dare attempt to overstep my rules."

"You're walking a fine line," Oriel replied with a pointed look. "Be careful you don't fall, Amenadiel. We both know how that turns out."