5-11-24 (She Waits – Louden Swain)

"You sure that's everything?" Lucifer scanned the living room for wayward luggage for the fourth time since we'd finished packing the car this morning. I don't know why he didn't believe me the first three times, but I reassured him that we hadn't missed anything important; Nox was with a sitter, any and all supernatural artifacts were locked away and warded, and I had double-checked the list of essentials for our vacation before closing the trunk of the car.

I tiptoed over to him and took his hands into mine, pulling his arms around me until I was completely enveloped. His wings draped over me too, but they weren't "out" so I couldn't see the red-grey feathers that tickled my shoulders, "All that's left is us."

"And you're positive that you don't want me to drive?"

My head thumped against his chest and I sighed with as much loving exasperation as I could manage. I never should have told him when my birthday was, nor that I always took the week off from witching if circumstances allowed it. Until this year his excitement about travelling rivalled mine; he spent every waking hour looking up possible entertainment, places to stay and food that he could mooch off me. This turn around the Sun, however, has turned him into the worst worrywart I've ever seen, "Darlin' it doesn't matter who drives, seriously. It's basically the same distance as it is to the cabin. I can manage it, but if you really want to…"

Lucifer returned the huff with equal enthusiasm, tilting my face up so he could run his thumbs across the new sun-freckles I earned while gardening. He claimed to have counted all the ones that were there in winter and that he could tell which ones came and went with the warmer seasons.

He also claimed to know how many grey hairs he'd given me via shenanigan-induced stress. My response of, "All of them you mean?" was not appreciated, but also was not denied.

"I am just trying…" he said with mock irritation, "to be a good boyfriend on your birthday week, and not make you do everything when I am perfectly capable."

"And you're doing a great job Luce. But stop fussing, okay? I want to do some things."

"But-"

"Hey! Who's the birthday-person here? Who is it?"

At last he relented, not without grumbling and pouting, and the two of us slid into Cloud's front seat side-by-side. We thought the drive to Myrtle Beach would be a peaceful one, as the ones to Sleepy Hollow, Disney World, New Orleans, Tybee Island, and D.C. had been. Several CDs rested in the case at his feet, waiting to fill the silence when the radio only registered static. We had snacks and drinks to tide us over until we stopped for lunch. My camera was within arm's reach if we spotted any noteworthy scenery.

But our life is far from simple; moments of quiet are few and far between.

Just as the tires passed over the South Carolina-Georgia border, his expression shifted from cheerful to concerned like he'd pulled off a mask. Something was terribly wrong, "It's Gabriel. He says it's something urgent...it's..." his face drained until it was white as the car's hood, "I have to go. Get to the beach house and I'll catch up."

Lucifer vanished before I could ask what was going on.

My solo ride was little more than a blur after that. I didn't even change the music for the rest of the trip, even though the same songs were on repeat the whole time. I didn't really hear them anyway. My mind jumped back and forth from trying to get in touch with any of the angels - I even reached out to Crowley - to trying to stay focused on the road. What could possibly be so urgent that he'd fly off without even saying goodbye? Why wasn't anyone answering me?

I tried not to remember the last time I couldn't get any of them to respond…

The Winchesters and Rowena were the next on my call list; if I couldn't get a prayer answered maybe a phone would work. Rowena's rang for several minutes until I lost service. Mary's went straight to voicemail. It sounded like Dean picked up, probably by accident, and hung up without saying anything. Sam answered on the fourth ring, and I swear I could've kissed him through the speaker, "Sam, what's happening? Where are the angels?"

"We're not really sure, Grace..." he admitted, the roar of Baby's engine almost drowning him out, "Cas and Gabe took off without saying anything. Haven't heard from them since this morning."

"Are you out looking for them?"

"We're on a case, we think it's what they're chasing after...I'll call you when we know more, okay?" Sam paused, letting a sigh crackle over the speaker, "They'll be fine. I'm sure-"

The line went dead.

"Sam? Sam!"

Half an hour later, I parked my Impala in front of the little rental cottage Lucifer had found for us; it sat off by itself on the far end of the beach, with a front porch that led down to the sand. Not a soul was in sight as far as I could see. Alone was not a good place for me to be right now, but I was too tired to wander around town until Sam called back or Lucifer returned. I took the house key out of the little envelope it came in, stuck it in the lock with numb fingers wrapped around it, and shuffled inside. Inside was akin to stepping into a crypt; a thin layer of dust coated the floor, the air was still and too warm, and dead silence fell as soon as the door clicked shut.

But not for long.

"Surprise!"

My soul left my body that time Michael killed me, back when I first met all these other morons that were hiding behind the furniture. It wasn't fun then, and it damn sure wasn't this time either. Crossing my arms over my chest was the only means to keep me from strangling whichever one got close enough to grab.

Lucifer, having lived with me for almost a decade and after dating me for six months, knew to stand well back until he could explain, "Okay so before you throw anybody through the sliding glass door, there actually was an emergency and we had to handle it first-"

"Your present almost didn't make it on time." Gabriel interjected, holding up a blue gift bag full of sparkly tissue paper. Apparently, it was rescued from an incredibly slow UPS truck.

"And the cake kept trying to melt..." Cas indicated an Oreo ice cream cake on the table behind him. He also mentioned that it was an uphill battle keeping Dean's fingers out of the icing, and he was sorry if he failed.

Crowley pitched with Lucifer, whom he claimed had assisted him in rounding everyone and their luggage up and flying them here before I arrived. Baby, much to Dean's chagrin, was parked down the road at the beach and would be retrieved that night after we got settled in.

I forgave them quickly solely because I was starving, and Rowena's present was a bottle of apple wine. Under any other circumstances every one of them would be sleeping on the porch.

After a toast from my fellow witch, the Winchester boys gifted some grimoires they found in the Bunker I'd find more useful than they would. Similarly, Crowley gave me some ancient goblets encrusted with black opals, "Mostly for decoration love, but useful if needed." Mary contributed to my already overflowing wardrobe of silky, flowing skirts and floral blouses, because the endless closet at home didn't spoil me enough in her opinion. Cas got me packets of my favorite flower seeds; he loved our garden as much as we did. Gabriel said his gift, a protective amulet, was also from Chuck and Amara, who might pop in later if they could. Chuck's still worried I might pay Him another visit if He's not careful...

Last but not least, Lucifer finally came toward me with the bag Gabriel had been holding, "Took forever to make up my mind on this one...hope you like it, or I drove myself batty for a month for nothin'." judging by his sheepish smile he was pretty proud of his gift, so I couldn't help but get excited.

"What have you been up to?" my hand fished through the tissue until it closed on what felt like a book's spine. It turned out to be a photo album of our lives, all of our friends, of me when I wasn't looking, of the Bunker and the cabin... with plenty of space for more.

As I threw my arms around him, Lucifer pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head, running his fingers through my hair and whispering, "Happy birthday Gracie."

I pulled back and stood on tiptoe, kissing him with the wine's chill still on my lips. Judging by his thunderstruck expression, he enjoyed his present as much as I did mine, "The happiest I've had so far."