Damn, Morena did a nice job. The throne room looked more like I lived here. She managed to get the light, airy, antique look of French colonial, but with a little bit of metal in various places. In some spots, it looked practically steampunk, but I'm not complaining. How she managed to get all the wasted blood off the walls will forever baffle me, but girlfriend had a talent. That's for sure.

Even better, I rested comfortably in my throne while Onoskelis blended into the paint and Seth continued to serenade me. I kind of wanted to start treating him more like a pet, but I didn't have the heart to. Something about keeping his human half like that felt wrong. If it were his vampire half, though, I wouldn't hesitate. Speaking of vampires, or in this case, vampiric tendencies, where, in Chuck's green Earth, is my blood bag?

I knew Xander wandered off earlier. I told him it was cool if he wanted to offer some...special relief to those suffering. He was an incubus after all. I'm sure I could let him run loose on Earth just to get his rocks off for a while. That didn't mean I didn't have needs, too. Granted, he didn't touch me, but I had specific needs that only he could satisfy. Well...I say only he can. There is one other, but as of now, he's dead to me.

"Xander!" I called out to the void, "Where are you?

"He's still on Earth," Seth assumed, playing softly, "What's with you two?"

"He's my dealer," I always had a tongue-in-cheek way of looking at our relationship, "I feel like ass and I need some of his blood."

"What about Morena?" he suggested, "Aren't they the same kind of demon?"

"Essentially," I mulled it over, "But I don't want Morena's blood. Xander would never forgive me. And if he's pissed off at me, I won't get his blood either."

"What about Crowley?"

"Screw him!" I squealed, "He can go rot in a corner of Hell I don't have access to."

"Alright," Seth backed off, "I see I hit a nerve."

I let out a heavy sigh. That was a bit rough and Seth didn't deserve that. He's only trying to help, "I'm sorry. It's just that...Well, Crowley broke my heart. Let's just leave it at that."

"It's alright," he took my hand, "What about my blood? It's here. It's still got some supernatural juice to it. And since I'm stuck in Hell, you can just push the reset button. It'll replenish itself."

"You're even more out of the question," I shot him down, "I know you're trying to help, Seth, but I can't mix my bloods like that. I'm not even sure if mixing Xander and Crowley is good for me."

"How bad is your withdrawal?" Seth wondered.

"It's not Candyland," I scoffed, "But I'll manage until he comes back."

"Are you sure?" Lucifer sang behind me, "Because you're held together with duct tape right now, Lena. Your withdrawal is going to get pretty intense shortly. You better get to an incubus demon soon."

"Ok," Seth sat at my feet, laying his head on my shins, "So, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, Seth," I allowed, "Ask away."

"What's the deal with you two?" he asked.

"Excellent question, Seth!" Lucifer praised, "I like him."

"Xander and I have an understanding," I explained, blowing the little devil on my shoulder off, "He's...sort of like my second in command, but not exactly at that level. I keep him around for the blood and he knows that."

"So..." Seth bit his lip, "It's not...Like...Physical? You did say he was an incubus demon, right?"

"No," I rolled my eyes, "I'm not doing Xander. He's done some things in the past that I'd consider a turn off, but I'm kind of hooked here, so I put up with it. I have the power to end him at any given time. We're not a thing, Seth. Don't worry."

"What about us...?"

"We're not a thing either," I clarified, "Don't get me wrong. You're sweet, but you were also going to turn me."

"That's more serious than a wedding ring," he chuckled to himself, "That's actually eternal."

"Alright," my shaking and sweating started to get nearly unbearable, "Xander! Get your ass back down here!"

The throne room doors creaked open and my favorite meal came stumbling in, "I'm so sorry, Lena. I thought you were going to be ok."

"Come on, Xander," I teased, "Lipstick on the collar? Could you be any more cliche?"

"Sorority house in New Orleans," he grinned, "Like an all-you-can-eat buffet of..."

"I get it," I cringed, "You can keep your exploits to yourself. For now, your queen needs her fix. Come here."

"I should keep some of this on ice for you while I'm gone," Xander opened his wrist up for me, holding it over my mouth. So much better...

"She used to keep it in applesauce pouches," Seth shot me a wink.

"He's right," I pulled Xander's arm out of my mouth, "Crowley's idea."

"That's ingenious," Xander approved as I took his wrist back, "I could fill a few IV bags for you to take at your leisure. That way, I could have a little recovery time, too. And I'd still be able to take the occasional trip upstairs."

"Xander," I finished up, wiping my mouth off, "I hate to ask this of you, but call me paranoid. You didn't do something stupid like go see my brothers, did you? Or possibly just as bad, Crowley?"

"No way!" he squeaked, "Do I look like I have a deathwish? Actively seeking out a Winchester is a suicide mission. And given that I've switched teams, I'm sure Crowley's not too happy with me and he's a lot stronger than I am. Besides, that would've taken away from Jessie...and Misty...and Tiffani...Sasha...Olivia..."

"Again," I grumbled, "I don't need to know who you're doing when you're on Earth."

"Sorry," Xander giggled, "Are you ok now?"

"Yeah," I nodded, laying my head on his chest. All of a sudden, a sharp, intense pain stabbed me in my stomach, "I think so."

"Told you so..." Lucifer hummed, "Your body's looking for something stronger, kiddo."

"Lena?" Xander looked down at me.

"You ok, Charlie?" Seth jumped to my side.

"Yeah," I shook it off, biting down on my tongue, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure...?" Lucifer, you sadistic son of a bitch, "I heard that. Not wrong. But I know better, Lena. I'm in your head."

"I'll be fine," I assured myself, "I'll be alright."

"If you say so," Lucifer materialized out of nowhere and took a seat on the arm of the throne, "Honestly, I love what you did with the place. Cheery with a touch of irony."

"Thank you," the corner of my mouth twitched, "I mean, it's Hell. There's no doubt about that, but it's a place to hang the hat at the end of the day and that's all that really matters."

"It's cozy," he shrugged, "Who'd you get to do this?"

"Morena."

"This looks like Morena's handiwork," Lucifer's praises kept coming, "I really didn't use her to her full potential."

"Let me guess," I gagged, "Just a casual?"

"Hey!" he argued, "Do you know what kind of honor it is to service the King like that? That's like being on the A-squad at the strip club and then some!"

"Being your bottom bitch?" I thought it over, "No, thank you. I'll have to pass."

"I'd never do anything like that with you," Lucifer gasped, just as disgusted by the notion as I was, "Lena, I think of you like a daughter. My list of kinks might be extensive, but that is not one of them."

"Good to know." Not that I wanted to, but it's good to know Lucifer has a little moral compass.

"Um...Lena?" Xander gave me a look, "You do realize that no one else sees Lucifer except you, right?"

"Sorry." I completely forgot Xander and Seth were still here. Whoops.

"How do you know she was talking to Lucifer?" Seth wondered.

"She's been hallucinating for a while now," Xander explained, holding me closer to his chest, "But it wouldn't surprise me if his spirit is following her around."

"See?" Lucifer chimed in, "Xander figured it out. You should promote him to more than your second in command."

"That's as high as it gets," I pointed out. Shut up, Lucifer. I don't want them thinking I'm going nuts.

"What?" Xander asked.

"Don't worry about it," I brushed him off, "How about a power nap before I go patrolling the grounds again?"

"Absolutely," he ran his hand absentmindedly down my spine, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," I admitted, "But the blood's hitting my system, so I got that going for me. Everything's settling down."

"That's good," Xander cradled me, "Go ahead, Lena. Get some sleep. Do you want me to wake you up?"

"You're going to wake me up?" I groaned, making myself a bit more comfortable in his arms.

"Not unless you want me to." Damn, Lucifer. Maybe you're right. I told you. Promote him. But I can't. That'd give him more power than me and I need my underlings to stay under. That's my girl. You make Daddy proud, sweetheart. You're still not my dad.

"No, thank you," I felt my eyelids grow even heavier, "I'll take a long nap, please. Play me out, Seth."

"What should I play for you, your highness?" Seth teased.

"You know any Death Cab?" I wondered.

"Plenty," his soft guitar riff began and I wrapped Xander's arms around me like a blanket. Maybe I should switch the throne from a chair to a daybed. I'd have to talk that over with my interior designer. But like her brother before her, Morena had business to take care of, too. I hope she finds a cozy frat party to...entertain.

"Ahem..." the throne room doors flew open. So much for that nap, "Lena, what the hell did you do to this place?"

Come on...I just wanted a nap. Was that too much to ask for? I guess so. Slowly, my eyes started to open. Sure enough, an angry man in a dark suit stood in front of me. And he smelled so...good...Hungry, aren't you, Lena? Oh, hell yes. A dirty little grin creeped across my face, "Hi, Crowley."

"Again, I ask..." he yanked me out of Xander's arms and sent him off God knows where, "What. The hell. Did you do here?"

"Isn't it awesome?" I beamed, "I did a little redecorating. I figured you weren't using this throne room, so I thought I'd take it."

"No!" Crowley snapped, pinning me against the wall, "Your brothers aren't here to protect you, darling. Welcome to my Thunderdome."

"Are you really going to take that from him, Lena?" Lucifer coached me, "Come on. You're better than that. Are we going to let what he did slide? He handed you over to Sam and Dean like you meant nothing to him."

"No," I regained my strength as Xander's blood went into full effect. Crowley wanted to play rough? I could play rough, "You betrayed me, you son of a bitch."

"You're losing your mind, Lena," Crowley pointed out, keeping his hold on me, "That demon blood problem of yours has become more of a pain in my ass than it's worth. And that's why I gave you back to Sam and Dean."

"Because you couldn't handle me anymore?" I growled. Go on, princess, "Or because you knew I was getting stronger with every last drop I was sucking down from you? You knew you wouldn't be able to control me much longer."

"You think me so heartless," he went on, "I gave you back to your brothers because you've been away from them far too long. They kept you stable, Lena. They kept you grounded."

"Exactly," I glared a hole through him. Toss him aside! He means nothing to you anymore. Excellent idea. With a wave of my hand, Crowley was the one against the wall, not me, "They held me back. I held them back. We'll call it mutual toxicity. Now, there's been a change of management around her, Crowley. And they like me better. They don't just fear me, but they respect me. I'm taking what's rightfully mine."

"That throne is not rightfully yours," Crowley struggled for breath, "It's mine."

"And how did you get your hands on it again?" I reminded him, "Didn't you use Sam and Dean to throw Lucifer in the cage? And then, you took over? Karma's a bitch, isn't it?"

"Lena..." he begged, "Don't do this."

"Sorry," I gave him one heavy right hook to the jaw and knocked his lights out. Fantastic. As much as I loved having Xander in his place, I really missed having the good stuff around. I needed a couple of the bigger demons to get him out of here. Who to call, who to call...Ghostbusters? Shut up, Lucifer.

"I'm so sorry, Lena," Xander burst back through the doors, "I ended up in some sort of cow pasture and I have seen some things that I can't unsee."

"It's alright," I let out a heavy sigh, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"First of all," I looked over in the corner at poor little Seth bundled up in a ball, "Seth? You alright? I know coming face to face with Crowley is rarely pleasant."

Seth opened his mouth, but no sound came out. That son of a bitch...He didn't mute my bard. He did NOT mute my bard! You want some help, Lena? Can you make him be able to talk again? I sure as hell can try. Any time now. Seth opened his mouth again, "Sorry about that. Yeah. I'm good."

Thank you, Lucifer. You're welcome, princess. I took my seat on the throne yet again, "Good. Now, Xander, who are the biggest demons you know?"

"I'm not sure," Xander thought it over, "I know a lot of demons. What do you need them for? Security?"

"No," I shook my head, "I want Crowley in a cell on meat hooks."

"Oh!" he chirped, "Then, you want Azza and Orias. They're pretty ruthless."

"Are they worse than Onoskelis?" Seth asked.

"They make Onoskelis look like a basket of corgi puppies," Xander cringed, "They're brutal."

"And they hate Crowley with a passion," Lucifer added, "Excellent choice, Xander. Seriously, Lena. Promote him."

"Go get them for me," I ordered, taking his knife out of his pocket. It's been so damn long since I've had good blood fresh from the tap. Xander has served as a phenomenal substitute, but it's like turning vegan and switching to soy substitutes. That doesn't mean I can't crave a little real bacon once in a while, "Seth, look away."

"Why?" Seth scoffed, "It's not like it's anything I haven't seen before. Remember? I was a vampire when I was alive. I'm not squeamish."

"It's not your squeamishness I'm worried about," I clarified, "You don't need to see me feeding on Crowley of all people. Now, look away or you're going back to your cell."

"Yes ma'am," he turned his head, staring into his corner. I ran Xander's pocket knife down Crowley's arm. Just a little bit. A little cut was all I needed. And a really big straw. Mmm...Hello, old friend. I missed you. Yeah. I'm keeping you. What are you going to do with him, Lena? Isn't it obvious? I'm going to put him up on hooks, drain every last drop out of him, and start all over. Sound like a plan?

A couple of hard coughs rattled my chest. That's different. Usually, Crowley's blood felt like a warm hug in the pit of my stomach. And didn't end up on my hand…I licked my thumb off and swallowed hard. No sense in it going to waste. I'm ok. I'm fine. It's just that it's been a while since I've had blood so strong. I'll be alright. Are you sure?

A/N: So! Lena's got her best buddy back! Well…Her favorite food. I've missed having Crowley around and there's no way he's going to leave Hell unattended for so long. Someone might try to take…over…Oops. But for now, I'm exhausted and I have strong desire to lay down, watch a movie, kick back, and enjoy myself. See you next chapter! xx