A/N: If you're reading this, I'm currently in negotiations with a cult leader wanting to take me to a higher existence. He's definitely a charmer, there's no doubt. His voice…It sends chills down my spine. And those eyes…I couldn't help but get completely lost in them. No matter what he says, he's hypnotizing. Every word sets my soul at ease while simultaneously setting my heart on fire. This feeling…My god…This feeling…There is no successfully describing it…

I need to learn to not write to good ASMR videos.

But anyway, if you are reading this, I'm away from my desk right now. I'm currently in Michigan and I'll be gone for another couple days. I'll be back by next week, I promise. And we'll probably be ending the story then and there, too. So, I'm going to let you read and I'll meet you at the bottom. Ok? Okie dokie. Hehe…I like him. He says okie dokie. I'm sorry. I'll see myself out.

God, I hate buses. Public transportation is its own special kind of hell. People? Too many. Gross. The smell? Mother of holy...Especially this bus in particular. If that's not piss on the floor, someone's lying. That's all I can smell in this hot, cramped space; piss, sweat, and dirty feet. It's times like these where I missed my car. She's probably sitting back at the bunker. There's no way Dean would let her sit anywhere else. Hell, right now, I'd even settle for the piece of crap Pinto. Anything but this freakin' bus.

I can complain all I want. This wasn't too bad. Minus the minor inconveniences. The Mexican sunrise was truly a sight to behold. The beautiful cocktail of reds and oranges blending together in such a breathtaking gradient. It's too bad I had to enjoy this alone. I could see first kisses happening to a sunrise like this. Or I'm just a hopeless romantic.

By the time I got to LA, I was thinking about a nap. The mere concept of sleeping on that god-awful bus made me gag. There had be a guy staring me down most of the way like I was his next meal. If that wasn't enough to keep me up, nothing was. So, I'll take Crowley's credit card, find a really nice hotel, catch a bit of sleep, maybe a massage and some top shelf scotch. Then, I can hightail it back to Wyoming. I'll stock up on more blood, pay Crowley a visit if he hasn't bled out yet, come up with a better plan to get Gabriel's grace. It'll be great.

Let's see...LA doesn't have a shortage of ridiculously nice hotels. And eating real food couldn't hurt. I found a hotel with ivory towers and checked into the presidential suite. For some reason, when they saw the name on my card, they started treating me like a damn queen. Not that I'm complaining. After the hell I went through on that bus, I deserved it. I don't know why I'd be surprised. This is LA. I'm sure there's no shortage of crossroads demons around here. I guess I should know where all the demons on Earth were hiding since I am their boss now. Or should I say I'm the boss of their boss? I may not know how the chain of command goes, but I know that I'm on top. That's all that matters.

When I got into my room, I immediately flopped down on the bed. My god, I like this place. If by some act of God I end up back with Sam and Dean again, I don't know if I could go back to the more, uh...Let's just call them quirky motel rooms. Crowley's got me spoiled. Between the nice hotels and the top shelf booze and the demon blood, I've grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle now. And I never want to go back.

All I did was shut my eyes and I was out cold. This was nice. Even Lucifer knew how exhausted I was, so he was kind enough to leave me alone. He's in the corner with a Rubik's cube at this point. Everything's good. The boys have no idea where I was. I still had a couple pouches left. Room service was on its way with coconut shrimp and brandy. Everything was fantastic.

"Lena..." a familiar voice woke me up, "Wake up, kiddo. We found you."

We? Ouch...Why do I feel I just had my ass kicked? Where was I? This wasn't my hotel anymore. I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore. That's for sure. Whoever decided to kidnap me is definitely going to regret it and I'm going to make damn sure they do not have a very nice day. Come on, Lena. I know you're dizzy and I know you're a little fuzzy right now, but open your eyes. Get your bearings again.

"Where am I?" I murmured.

"Take a guess," the voice scoffed, "Who else would be coming after you? You've just become another monster."

"Hello, boys," I assumed, "I'm guessing Sammy's here, too."

"He went on a supply run," Dean sat at the edge of my bed, "You just got my pretty face."

"How'd you find me?" I wondered, hoping small talk would take some of the heat off me.

"Since you're full of angel grace," he growled, "And we just happen to have that angel on hand, all it took was a little tracking spell. I didn't think we'd find you somewhere so vapid like LA, though."

"I was border hopping," I shrugged, starting to come to a little better, "I thought a little time in Mexico could be good for me. Fruitless, but good. And I got demons all over LA in case I needed a snack."

"Why, Lena?" Dean snapped, trying his best to keep his hair trigger temper under control, "He was trying to help you. He went into your room to heal you. I told him not to. I told him that you should go through all that pain. All the hell that the withdrawal would put you through. I thought you deserved it. It'd be a good deterrent for if you ever wanted to fall off the wagon. No, Dean. The pain of demon blood withdrawal is excruciating. She's sick. She doesn't deserve it. What does that idiot do? He goes in to help you. How do you repay him? You zap some of his grace! Because, what, demon blood wasn't good enough for you? You were looking for bigger game?"

"Dean, please," I tried to stop him.

"No," he went on, "You're going to sit and listen. The only reason you're still alive right now is because Sam took the demon killing blade with him and my gun. I'm through giving you chances, Lena. This is the last one and it's not me giving you mercy. So, you can thank Sam when he gets back."

"I'll put him on the Christmas card list."

"Lena," Dean balled up his fists, "I will not hesitate to deck you right now."

"You don't happen to have my bag with you, would you?" I asked, in need of a little drink.

"No."

"Damn," I pouted, "Dammit, Dean. You took me out of my hotel, didn't you?"

"Yep."

"I had room service on the way," I whined, "I had coconut shrimp and good brandy coming."

"The shrimp was pretty good," he shrugged, "Haven't had the chance to crack the brandy yet."

"Look," I sighed out, "I know you're calling me every name in the book in your head right now. Between what I did to Cas and running off on you and stumbling down this little path I've taken, I deserve it. But do you think that, just for a little while, we can put all that aside and crack that brandy open? I'm sure I'm not the only one that could use a drink."

"And why should I do any favors for you?" Dean glared through me. The look in his eyes was almost primal. He wanted me dead. I could feel it. He looked at me like I was any other monster. Never did I ever think I'd be on the receiving end of it.

"I'm not asking as a favor," I clarified, "I'm simply sharing a bottle of good brandy with you. Please?"

"It goes against my better judgment," he grabbed a couple of glasses, "But what the hell? A drink isn't going to kill me. This isn't spiked with anything, is it?"

"Nope," I shook my head, "Just good, old-fashioned brandy."

"Good," Dean opened the bottle and started pouring. He took the first shot for himself. A little rude, but given the circumstances, I'll allow it. Then, he slid a glass to me, "Here."

"Thank you," I savored every little drop. Mmm...That was warm all the way to my belly.

"Dean," a deep, rough, tired voice broke the silence, "Are you doing alright?"

"What are you doing out of bed?" Dean jumped up, "I told you, Cas, you need to save your strength."

"I'll be fine," he brushed him off, "Is she awake?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded, "I'm pretty sure the sedative wore off by now."

"Sedative?" I chirped, "When did I get one of those?"

"When we got you from your hotel room," he explained, "You might be full of demon blood and angel grace and God only knows what else, but you're still physically human. You are still human, aren't you?"

"I'm not sensing anything else in her," Cas reported, "Even what little of my grace was in her is starting to subside. I imagine the demon blood will be next."

"Hey, Cas," I sat up, taking another drink, "You want to come sit and throw back a few with us?"

"He's going back to bed," Dean demanded, "I don't care if I have to drag him there myself."

"You don't have to drag me, Dean," Cas assured, "I will go back to bed soon. But first, I needed to tell you something. That mediator you asked me about."

"Oh!" Dean lit up, "What about him?"

"He said he can make it. He'll be here within the hour."

"Good," he sighed out, "We'll need all the help we can get."

"What would you need a mediator for?" I asked, as if I didn't already know.

"We don't have many options left," Cas sat with me, much to Dean's chagrin, "But we're going to try the intervention one more time. After that, Sam and I won't be able to hold Dean back any longer."

"Just what I want," I admitted, "Dean Winchester tearing my ass to ribbons. No, thank you. I'll take the withdrawal."

"There is something different about you, though," he looked me over, "I can't put my finger on it."

"It's the crown," I smirked, "Ruling Hell has done wonders for my skin, too."

Hey, Lena? Remember me? Friendly neighborhood Lucifer? Hi, Lucifer. What can I do for you? Pissing off your big brother may not be such a good idea. Especially with what's going through his head right now. What's he going to do? I got one of those faces that sticks in his mind like glue. Or a thorn, in this case. He won't touch me. I'm not so sure about that. Oh, trust me. I'm fine. If you say so. Go back to your Rubik's cube, Lucifer. I gave you that, so you'll have something to occupy yourself with. Yes, ma'am.

"Is it?" Dean gave me a glass of water, "The booze'll dehydrate you. You'll need this."

"Now, you're doing me favors?" I wondered, "What's the occasion?"

"Just drink," he shut me up, "If Sam comes back and finds you dead, he'd think I did it and never forgive me."

"Fine," I took one drink of water and it tingled my insides, "Dean..."

"What?"

"This is holy water, isn't it?"

"It might be," he brushed me off, "Just wanted to see if you'd burst into flames or not."

"Dean," Cas scolded him, "She's sick. If she would've, you wouldn't forgive yourself."

"I don't know about that," Dean's opinion of me wasn't changing. He might as well come out and say he's disowned me. He tightened the cuffs around my wrists and ankles, "I'll be right back."

"Putting the baby to bed, are we?" I asked.

"Yes," he nodded, throwing his angel's limp arm around his neck, "Come on."

"Dean..."

"We're not arguing, Cas," Dean's voice dropped an octave, "I'm taking you to bed whether you want me to or not. Even if I have to carry your ass upstairs."

"Fine," Cas wasn't going to put Dean in that position. They're both tired. God only knows when the last time Dean got any decent sleep. Maybe the two of them could grab a nap once Sam gets back. He'll be the only one that understands me enough to get me out of here. In which case, I can go back to Wyoming, pop the gates of Hell, and continue with my doomsday plan.

Actually, shutting my eyes for a while wouldn't be a half bad idea either. It's not like I can go anywhere. If the holy water incident was any indication, I can feel the effects of any devil's trap, too, I'm sure. Yeah. I'm not moving. Dammit. Why do the boys have to think of everything? I've got demon in me. I got angel in me. I think I'll be ok. Just half an hour or so should put me back on track.

"Hi, Lena." Oh, crap, "Long time, no see. That you've known anyway. I check in from time to time. Probably shouldn't have waited so long before I see you again."

Yippee.

"Lucifer, leave her alone. Out of her head right now."

"Why can't you leave me alone?" I groaned.

"Not happening."

"Ugh," I shut my eyes, waiting for this nightmare to be over. The sooner, the better. I'm not surprised that he's their last-ditch effort. This really was a divine intervention, "What do you want from me, Chuck?"

"Let me love you," he begged, "Lucifer, I said now."

Sorry, Lena. Dad's no fun. It's been nice hanging around with you for the past couple months. I'll miss you. I'll miss you, too, princess.

"Now, Lucifer." Loud claps of thunder started rumbling outside.

Ooh...Daddy's getting real scary now. Not even letting me say my goodbyes.

"LUCIFER."

Fine! I'm going!

"A couple months?" Chuck gasped, "Oh, Lena, Lena, Lena...I thought you were better than this."

"Not the first time I've told you that you think too highly of me, Chuck," I reminded him, "Demon blood's too damn good."

"Just when I thought your nicotine problem was the main headline," he shook his head, "Maybe the alcohol, but we're all entitled to a vice. Just not demon blood, ok?"

"Why not?" I scoffed, "This feels better than the booze and the cigarettes together. And the added bonus of being superhuman? Yeah. I'll take more of that."

"Crowley's pretty pissed," Chuck sat with me, "I had to take care of him first. That should've been the first red flag in your mind. And maybe when you decided to rule Hell..."

"What can I say?" I shrugged, "I liked the power trip. All the demons at my feet, Crowley on meat hooks...Life was good."

"No," he gave me a little swat on the nose, "You do know I'm not leaving you for a while, right?"

"I kind of figured," I rolled my eyes. Joy. Just what I wanted. One on one counseling with God. Not many can say they got that. I can think of one who doesn't want it. Oh, if the nuns could see me now.

"You really should stay with them, you know," Chuck wrapped an arm around me, "Sam and Dean are good for you. That's why I put you in their path in the first place. Because not only are they good for you, but you're even better for them. And they needed that in their lives. Why would you leave like that?"

"I'm not in the mood for this, Chuck."

"It's a good thing I got all day then." He really wasn't going to give up on me, was he? I will say this. Out of all the social workers I've ever had, Chuck is definitely the most tenacious.

A/N: And I'm back! Leave it to Chuck to come in to save the day. Dean's a little bitchy, but right now, he's got every right to be. And I'm kind of proud of Cas for being the ever-forgiving soul. He knows she's sick and trying to drill that into Dean's head, but we all know how stubborn Dean can be. I still love him, though. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have one more update to finish in writing time (which is last Saturday for those of you in real time). See you next chapter! xx