Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Lucifer the TV show; I'm just borrowing them for a while.

A/N: Lucifer takes a sudden turn for the worst when complications arise from his injuries. God intervenes and saves his son in the nick of time.

Lucifer tells Amenadiel the truth about what happened between Asherah and him.

Asherah's interference with his psyche materializes, as he heads towards a mental breakdown. Haunted by hallucinations from his past, Lucifer finds that some have frighteningly real consequences.

Making a memorable entrance flying back to Lux, he heads straight to the bar for a drink. Maze appears and forbids him to smoke.

As he enters the ruins of the bedroom, everything comes down to bear on him. Asherah appears to him and puts him over the edge.

Lucifer takes off again, for parts unknown—as he slowly descends into madness.

Sorry, I missed last week, but I was under the weather. This chapter was so long that I had to cut it in half.

As always, I appreciate your feedback and reviews.

Chapter 12: Refuge

"Amenadiel! Help…me…I…can't…breathe." Scrambling to his feet, the angel rushes over to Lucifer's side to see that his face has now turned ghostly ashen and his lips are tinged blue. Lucifer, staring up at his brother, clutches at his chest in agony; he's barely able to breathe, without great difficulty and pain. Awful wheezing and gurgling sounds come from his throat, causing him to cough up blood that trickles down the side of his mouth. When Lucifer notices that his fingertips have taken on a deathly bluish cast, confirming that he cannot get enough air into his lungs; his anguished expression gives way to confusion, and anxiety, and, finally, to shock.

In desperation, Lucifer grabs onto Amenadiel's arm, "brother, pray for me." He whispers.

Tears stream down the dark angel's face, his voice falters, he tries his best to keep his brother conscious: "Luci, stay with me."

Amenadiel closes his eyes and clasps his hands together in prayer: "Father, please, don't let him die. Don't send him back to hell now. His time here is not over. I abandoned him when he needed me the most. He was unprepared to go against Asherah. Please heal him. I will never forgive myself if he dies now."

Sensing that the end is near, Lucifer clutches Amenadiel's hand and presses it over his heart. His chest heaves, while his breaths decrease to near absence. His oxygen deprived lungs are failing. He's lightheaded from trying to breathe and exhausted from the effort. Darkness wells up at the periphery of his vision. The light is fading from his eyes—he can't keep them open.

Lucifer summons the last bit of strength that he has to turn his eyes heavenward: He calls upon his Father, "don't let her win." He murmurs.

The effect is immediate: God answers the prayers of his sons and returns Lucifer to the living. The ethereal voice of his Father utters a single word, Lucifer's given name: "Samael." His breath fills the lungs of his son with air while He touches his chest with a warm, golden, glow. The light grows to envelop both of the angels until it dims and disappears. It only lasts a few seconds, but the warmth and love that radiates from it, leaves the two brothers rejoicing. Eternities had come and gone since Lucifer last heard his Father or felt His touch, yet, it was still as familiar as if the last time it happened; had been but yesterday.

With a wan smile that curls at the corners of his mouth, Lucifer says, "Amenadiel, thank you for your prayers, I think I'm going to be fine. But…I am so exhausted…I'm sorry…so tired." He passes out and falls into a fitful sleep.

With a new sense of spiritual invigoration, Amenadiel bends over his sleeping brother and continues to pray for his speedy recovery.

Remembrance of Things Past

Lucifer slept a deep, dreamless sleep, enveloped in the soft warmth of his wings. He had already slept through an entire day and night. The sheer trauma he'd suffered to his body had left him in a state of utter exhaustion, so much so, that every time he tried to open his eyes, his lids felt so heavy that he hadn't the strength to lift them. Amenadiel's soft, comfortable bed had lulled him into a much-needed respite.

Off in the corner of the room, near a sunny, south-facing window, Amenadiel, sat on the floor reading a book while his brother slept. Savoring the moments of quiet, before Lucifer would awake and submit him to his exuberant chattiness, Amenadiel found himself looking forward to his brother's talkativeness—even if it did annoy him at times. He was so happy to have him back.

As he is climbing back up from the depths of his slumber, Lucifer's breathing begins to quicken. His head moves side to side and his face flushes. The peaceful, dreamless sleep that he has been enjoying begins to break down as long repressed memories filter back up through his mind.

Images of one of the most unspeakable acts ever committed on him begin to flash behind his closed eyes. Starting to breathe hard and fast, he thrashes around and starts to moan. He seems to be having a bad dream, but this is not a dream; Lucifer is relieving the violent assault of his rape.

Whimpers build into desperate cries, Lucifer pleads: "Asherah, please—don't. No, please stop. No…no!" Taking a sharp breath, he sits straight up, his eyes open wide with terror, his hands clutching at his temples. Now fully awake, the devil attempts to push the bad memory back down to where it resides, where he can bury it deep inside of himself.

Placing a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder, Amenadiel chuckles, "Whoa, there Luci, having a rough start coming back to the world of the living?"

Looking up at his brother, Lucifer answers him with a beaming smile, "well, good morning to you too—Mr. Sunshine. I have to admit I did sleep like a rock on your very comfy bed."

"I'll say you did; you slept for almost two days. It seems to have done you a lot of good. Most of the bruising and swelling have gone down, and your face is recognizable again."

Unfurling his wings, Lucifer yawns and stretches out, "I could go for a smoke right about now…"

"After what you've just been through, don't you think you should give your lungs a bit more rest before starting to smoke again?"

"You needn't worry brother I'm going to be just fine. You've already kept such good care of me. Besides, I have an awful headache. Maybe, I'm going through withdrawal?"

Lucifer downplayed his headache; it was quite more intensely painful than he'd let on. The images of his rape still occupy his mind; he cannot seem to repress them. He wonders if Asherah did mess with his head by forcing her way in, to take what she wanted and wring out what remained. The devil feels as if she's opened his mind up like a can of worms.

Sitting up against the headboard with his arms crossed behind his head, Lucifer takes in the room and says with a small smile, "I love what you've done to the place."

"You've never been here," Amenadiel laughs,

Continuing the brotherly banter, Lucifer observes, "it's so bright and light and pure—like you brother." He continues, "it's a touch spare, a bit on the monastic side what with your divine sword and armor piled in the corner."

"Hmm, what about this big comfy four post bed in the middle of the room, and all of those candles on the mantle—do I detect a woman's touch?"

"Or, more to the point," he laughs naughtily, "a demon's touch?"

Amenadiel doesn't answer his brother's inquiries with words—just with a very broad smile.

"So how long have you had this place?" Lucifer continues his interrogation.

"Since Father sent me to L.A. to bring you back to hell—a little over five years."

"Ah, and did you have this bed then," Lucifer asks mischievously.

"No."

"Of course not," Lucifer continues, "nor did you have the candles."

"That's right."

"So you slept on the floor, brother."

"Yes, yes, I did. (growing a bit impatient) I'm a warrior Luci; you know that I don't need creature comforts."

"Like me, you mean."

"Well, yes "Amenadiel continues, "but living the luxurious life is one of your traits, just as living the spartan life is one of mine."

"I'm not judging you, little bro, I'm just observing," Lucifer says with a grin. "I do appreciate you bringing me here. I think the peace and quiet of this place are just what I need at the moment."

Amenadiel takes his leave of his brother and returns to his book. Lucifer lies back on the bed and tries to deal with his escaping memories by trying to lull himself back to sleep.

Breaking the silence, Amenadiel says, "Luci, I sense bad blood between you and mom. Maze says it goes way back, but she won't tell me anything about how it came to be."

"Oh, what did Maze say about it?" Lucifer asks.

"She said that it was personal and that you'd tell me when you wanted to."

Lucifer wondered how Maze found out about his assault since he'd never told her. His head was splitting, he tried rubbing his temples, but that brought no relief. Every time he shut his eyes, the entire act played itself out over and over again; causing him to relive the pain and anguish. He turned over to face away from his brother so that Amenadiel couldn't see how much it hurt him to dredge all of this up again. On the other hand, perhaps letting it out after being burdened by it for such a long, time might help him to deal with the painful memory he was experiencing.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"Was there any truth to all of the rumors that you'd seduced mom? The Bible says you did, and the consensus within the family, thinks that you did."

"I'm so glad that everybody seems to know all of these intimate details about our relationship," he said, with a strong note of sarcasm.

"It wouldn't be the first time that you'd seduced one of Father's most prized creations; you thought that Eve was fair game to stick it to him."

No regrets there, brother. I freely admit to tempting her—she couldn't resist me. After that incident, Father blamed me for bringing sin into the world—when it was Him who brought it upon the world. All I did was show him how fallible his human creations were.

Yeah, you showed him. So, was Asherah another notch in your belt? Was she another affront to Father?

"You want the truth Amenadiel? I'll give you the truth. For over three thousand years, only three beings have known what happened at the Temple of Babylon on that day: Dad, mom and me."

Amenadiel is skeptical about accepting God's role in all of this. Casting a questioning glare over to his brother, he accuses, "are you saying that Father knew about it?"

"He not only knew about it; he was the one who sent Gabriel down to announce that a meeting had been set up between Asherah and me at the old temple. My presence was commanded, not requested."

"I went there at the appointed time and met up with her. She pitched the cult to me; she wanted me to become her consort and co-deity. You know being worshiped is not my thing, and I told her that. But all of the ritualized prostitution and wanton sex she proposed was pretty tempting."

"The next thing I know, her hands are all over me. She was the one who was trying to seduce me. Believe it or not, I turned her down. I was, quite mortified and I flat out refused. There are some lines that even the devil won't cross. I couldn't afford to piss Father off more by having sex with his former wife—no matter how much she turned me on. It was not easy to resist her charms."

"Apparently, no one had ever turned her down, so she lost her temper and had her way with me. She was so self-absorbed and obsessed with getting back at dear old Dad that she decided to rape his favorite son."

"But Luci, how could she have forced you over your free-will?"

Lucifer was shaking now; he was having difficulty finding the words.

"She morphed into a giant black viper and came at me with such speed that I didn't have time to react or to protect myself. The serpent climbed my body, sinking its fangs into me as it crawled along. Within minutes, I was crumpled to the ground—paralyzed by the snake's venom. I didn't know what hit me."

"She picked me up by the neck like a rag doll and tossed me across the temple chamber onto the sacrificial altar. She tethered my hands and ripped my clothes (swallows hard). Then…she mounted me and…"

Lucifer hyperventilates now; tears are streaming down his face.

"I prayed to Father to make her stop, I begged and pleaded with him—but he turned his back on me and let her defile me—while he watched. As if he hadn't punished me enough; I didn't deserve it. They both used me as a pawn in their tug of war."

"On that day, I gave her complete power over the worship aspect of the cult. After I stumbled out of the temple, I never wanted to see her or the cult ever again. A few months later, I heard that she twisted the story about who seduced who and that she had begun to condone human sacrifices and the sacrifice of children—all under my name. She was completely out of control."

"I was so traumatized by what she'd done to me, that it took hundreds of years for me to push it all down so far into myself, that I could forget about what she'd done to me, and get on with my life. That is until today when she entered my mind a few days ago; she did something to me—to my psyche. I think she's unleashed my darkest secrets and I fear what that will do to the state of my sanity."

"Luci, I didn't know she was capable of something like this. I was always under the impression that you were the aggressor. It's hard to imagine mother as a violent rapist, who takes pleasure in defiling her son."

"Well, now you know the truth, Amenadiel. Sorry to burst your bubble regarding our mother's morals. Unfortunately, that's not the story you'll find in the Bible. They did not get it right, and once again the devil gets a bad rap for seducing his mother, and running a sex cult out of the ancient temple of Babylon."

"Mother knew how to push Dad's buttons—she still does. She used me to that end at my expense, and He let her do it. Just like He did a few days ago."

Brother, she doesn't want a war, she wants to end me: to wipe me from existence—permanently. My death is her endgame; it's her ultimate act of revenge on Father.

"Hmm, I hadn't thought that your relationship with Father was so complex," Amenadiel murmured. "I thought it was more about the wayward son who wanted his throne, and who sought out worship over and above him. You led a rebellion, and you lost. And then he kicked you out of the house. I thought that was all there was to it. You know how Father is so rigid when it comes to these issues."

"Ah, brother," like I've always said," you are a bit simple."

"Narrowing his eyes, "Amenadiel frowns at Lucifer, "Oh really, I am simple—well…"

"Now, now," Lucifer interrupts, "Don't let that angelic ego of yours get the better of you. All of the family thinks they know the whole story of my falling out with Father, but they don't. When it comes to emotions, Dad has but a single speed. He loves you, or he hates you—forever. He doesn't forgive, and he doesn't forget. You would think our half-brother Jesus would have sent him the memo regarding the whole forgiveness bit…"

"It's funny, that His two most so-called prized creations—Mother and I, turned out so bad. Neither one of us started out that way. Mother never did anything but be the loving wife he had created her to be. And I only wanted to serve him. Father was very quick to judge both of us before he threw us out of heaven. Forever is a very, very long time, especially if you are immortal."

'Well, Luci, it's been intriguing to hear your side of the story," Amenadiel says to his brother with new found respect. "It makes me realize that everything isn't always so black and white. We are all flawed, even our Father is flawed, and even He makes decisions that He may come to regret. I also understand, a bit more about your fascination with humans and their messy little existences. We divine beings could stand to learn a lot about life and humanity from them. It helps us on our eternal path."

Lucifer, lets out a protracted sigh, "Yes, well, I'm glad to have gotten that off of my chest, but I'm afraid I'm in need of a drink right now. What do you have around?"

Looking a bit sheepish, Amenadiel admits, "Sorry Luci, Maze and I finished the last bottle yesterday."

"What? That is completely uncivilized," Lucifer admonishes, "I'm going to fly back to Lux and pick up a few bottles."

Looking over at his banged-up brother, Amenadiel becomes concerned, "um, Luci, do you think you are well enough to fly. You looked like death warmed over just short while ago. Why don't you just stay here and recuperate and I'll fly back to Lux? Besides, I'm wondering why Maze hasn't shown up here yet."

"Lucifer getting that stubbornly determined look, grits his teeth and assures Amenadiel, "really, I'm feeling much better, almost as good as new."

Before Amenadiel can stop him, Lucifer manages to wrench himself off of the bed and onto his feet. While unfurling his wings, he becomes dizzy and passes out in a tangle of limbs and feathers onto the floor.

Shaking his head, and rolling his eyes, Amenadiel smiles at his impulsive brother, and mutters under his breath, good as new." As he gathers the gangly angel off of the floor and plops him back on the bed, he orders: "There, now stay put!"

Lucifer is clearly exhausted and still very weak, he couldn't even stand up under the weight of his wings, let alone think he was going to fly somewhere. Amenadiel figures he's probably out for the count, so he won't be trying to fly away just yet—he hopes. In the next second, the angel is off to Lux, to find Maze and to pick up some booze. Up in the air, high over L.A. Amenadiel chuckles, "Ah, big brother, you truly are one of a kind…"

Devil's Delusions

A while later, when Lucifer regains consciousness, he experiences his first hallucination standing before him. It is the Family Killer, from thousands of years ago, who's punishers—Lucifer and Maze—gleefully put him to torture on the rack and subsequent burning off of his flesh.

Standing before Lucifer, with his palms, out in supplication, the damned soul says in a raspy whisper: "It was a mercy killing. We were all starving to death. I left my family after I'd murdered them, and then I killed myself."

The tortured soul, closed in on Lucifer, getting into his face—the burned-out holes where his eyes had once been, fixed upon the deuce. The cold stench of burnt flesh fills his nostrils; is the devil losing his taste for torture? Lucifer was horrified, that the punished soul had come back to disparage him.

"You deserved your punishment. You killed your entire family." The devil said.

"Yes, I did," the tortured soul admitted, "but not for the inconvenience of it, as you put it. I loved them all. We couldn't survive our poverty. Your judgment of me was wrong!" He screams.

What? No, this is impossible; the devil shakily admits to himself. Shutting his eyes tightly, he opens them back up to find that the damned soul is gone. His head felt like it was about to split, and his heart was pounding. "What's happening to me?" He whispers.

In an attempt to calm himself, Lucifer keeps his eyes shut, while he tries to slow his breathing. Once he returns to a normal rate of breaths, he cautiously blinks his eyes open only to see a column of light shimmering next to him. Strangely curious about it, he notices a form materializing within the glow. A woman's body appears, and the devil recognizes her immediately: it is Eve. As the light falls away from her, she comes to life. With her arms extended to embrace him, she gazes deeply into Lucifer's eyes. Tears trickle down her face; she has an aura of sadness that emanates from her.

"Samael" Why? Why did you tarnish me? What had I ever done to you to deserve this fate? Did you unleash sin into the world just to avenge your Father?"

All of a sudden, her face twists into a snarl: "you brought all the evil of the world upon us, because of you, we would know suffering and death." Lunging at Lucifer, she grabs him by the neck and starts to choke him. "Now, you will know…death!"

Fighting her off, Lucifer shuts her out by closing his eyes to make her vanish. The devil rubs at the painful red welts and bruises that appear on his throat; they are evidence: proof of an actual physical attack on him. But, how can that be? Lucifer wonders.

Eve was dead and buried; she was in purgatory awaiting the end of time, to enter heaven. Would she risk that to come back down to earth to kill him?

As Eve disappears, a single pomegranate materializes from thin air, and drops down, unceremoniously, upon the head of the devil—it is her parting shot to him.

The offending pomegranate startles Lucifer, who is now afraid to open his eyes again, for fear of who or what, will appear to him. The breaching of the floodgates to his mind has unleashed a deluge of unwanted memories: the devil is now coming face to face with the consequences of his actions; he is not as infallible as he believes himself to be.

Sinking back into the pillow, Lucifer's heart pounds in his chest, he can hear it in his head. Hyperventilating has caused him to feel dizzy, and he's broken out into a cold sweat. Reliving the burning, searing pain of Asherah invading his psyche and spirit; he believes that she has surely flipped a switch in his mind to make all of this happen now. Thankfully, his head flops to the side, and he passes out.

Back over at Lux, Maze is meeting with contractors to repair and restore the penthouse. The stonemason wants to know about the huge holes in the solid stone wall.

Maze tells him, "they happened during an epic fight between two brothers."

"Well, ma'am, those two brothers must have been superheroes to cause the kind of damage we have here."

A chuckle escapes the demon's mouth, "Yeah, you could call them superheroes, or something like that. So, when can you start?"

"It will take a few days to find the same stone that matches up with what's already here, but we can start on the rest of it in a couple of days. Can I ask you something?"

Sizing-up the strapping young Mason, Maze glares at him like he's a piece of meat, "sure, ask on."

The Mason, feeling a bit uncomfortable under her salacious glare, asks sheepishly, "what's the language chiseled on all of these stones? It looks like ancient hieroglyphics or something like that."

"Yeah, it's something like that. The language is Celestial," she said, licking her lips.

"You mean like what God and the angels speak in heaven?" The young man asked in wonderment.

Oh, what a buzzkill—the thrill is gone, the demon huffs to herself, "yes, it's like that," she snaps, "now, if you don't mind, I've got more contractors to meet with."

Sorry ma'am, the bemused Mason answered, I'll see you in a couple of days.

Feeling a bit guilty about snapping at the poor contractor, Maze softens her expression, hey, what's your name again?

"It's Thomas," he says with a half-smile, "have a good one."

The elevator arrives on the floor just as the Mason takes his leave before he enters it, the sole passenger hurriedly pushes by him.

A distracted, and determined, woman, barely acknowledges an apology for jostling the big guy, "oh, sorry," Chloe mumbled as she bounds into the penthouse.

Maze, thinking Chloe was another contractor, has her back to her.

"Why haven't you called me?" Chloe demands.

Maze's scorn is apparent, as she whirls around to meet her accuser, she says, "I told you; I would call if we needed to take him to the hospital. We didn't have to do that.

"Does that mean Lucifer is going to be okay?" Chloe asked pleadingly.

Recalling how panicked she was when she thought she might lose her master only a few days ago, Maze decides to relent—a little, towards his pet human.

The demoness, letting out an exasperated huff, says to Chloe, "We were worried for a little while that he might not pull through, but he did. Now he is recuperating and getting better and stronger each day."

"Oh, thank God. He looked like he was hanging on by a thread when I last saw him." Her voice hitched with emotion.

Maze chuckles, "well, you can thank God for making it possible for him to cheat death."

Sounding more relieved, Chloe asks, when do you think he'll be coming back here?

Returning to her all-business attitude, Maze looks around the wrecked apartment and says, "not until he has healed from all of the injuries he sustained. And not until the restoration of this place is complete. I'd say, realistically, in about a month or so."

Chloe finds it disheartening that she won't see her partner for such a long time, but given the severity of his injuries and the scope of work needed to restore the penthouse, Maze's time estimate was probably spot on. Still, Chloe found herself missing Lucifer on different level—her feelings for him were growing.

"Thanks for the update Maze. Would you mind if I called you once in a while to check on his progress?"

Hearing the concern in Chloe's voice, Maze gives in, "sure."

Now that she knows Lucifer is alive and convalescing, a greatly relieved Chloe lets herself out.

Crash Landing

The devil comes to with a start. He's soaked in sweat, and his heart is pounding. His eyes flutter open and widen with terror as he finds the bed surrounded by the wailing souls of the damned. "Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer," they scream at him.

Lucifer shuts his eyes tight and covers his face with his palms to shut them out. His body shudders as he starts to hyperventilate again. His thoughts race out of control: I can't stay here. I'm going to jump out of my skin…

Enough! He screams while pushing himself off of the bed and leaping onto the floor. His legs, still weak, buckle under his slender body. Grabbing at one of the bedposts for support, he attempts to stand up. The raging light-headedness he's experiencing makes the room spin. His attempts to stand up on his own are futile; soaked in sweat from the effort, he feels like he's about to retch. If only he can stand still until the dizziness subsides, and he can take a step—one foot in front of the other. He will be okay.

His wild black eyes dart around the apartment, while Lucifer ponders over flying with his new wings for the first time. It's been awhile he thought, but bloody hell: I've got to get out of here now. Instinctively, his wings unfurl and are ready for flight.

"Now or never," Lucifer throws fate to the wind as he launches out of Amenadiel's apartment and flies high over smoggy L.A. Within seconds, he arrives back at Lux to make a crash landing through one of the remaining intact glass panels of the penthouse—shattering it into thousands of shards. Brushing the glass out of his hair, he chuckles: "well, that was some entrance."

"And now for the business at hand," he says with conviction. The devil makes a bee line for the decimated bar where he opens a cupboard that still holds few unbroken bottles of whiskey. His hands shake as he pours himself a triple and nearly swallows it down in a single gulp.

Closing his eyes, Lucifer says, "now that's so much better," and quickly pours himself another. Out of the blue, he gets the distinct feeling that someone is watching him.

Turning away from the bar with another glass of whiskey in his hand, Lucifer lets out a long low sigh as he surveys the damage wreaked upon his house. His wandering gaze fixes on Maze, who is scowling at him from the top of the stairs to his bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" She hisses, "you are supposed to be recovering, not flying around, or crashing through windows."

"Amenadiel is torturing me. He refuses to let me smoke or drink—I got desperate, so I flew away." Pouring himself another triple shot, he raises his glass to Maze, "Cheers," he toasts.

"So you flew over here naked as a jailbird…"

"Why should that bother you? It's not like any humans can see me flying overhead."

Maze descends the stairs, bellies up to the bar, and pours herself a generous glassful: "Cheers," she toasts her master.

"You just missed your pet detective. Too bad she didn't see you make your grand entrance through the window—flying buck naked with your angel wings. Somehow I don't think she's quite ready for that image yet.

Raising a single eyebrow, Lucifer seemed concerned, "What did the detective want, Maze,"

"She wanted an update on your condition, so I told her that you weren't dead and that you were recuperating nicely."

Laughing softly about the latest Chloe and Maze snit-fest, Lucifer, casually removes a cigarette from a carved wooden box on the bar, and attempts to light it. But before he could get it lit, Maze swipes it away from his hand.

"I'll let you have some booze but not the cigarettes—not until your lungs heal," she orders him.

"But" The devil complains, "but why not let me smoke?"

"You almost died when you couldn't breathe. The answer is—no. End of story, don't ask again until you are feeling better."

"Maze, I command you to hand over that cigarette, or I'll…"

"You'll what? Do you wanna fight me for one? No? I didn't think so. She says defiantly. Now, why don't you go upstairs and put some clothes on?"

The Last Nerve

Lucifer glares at Maze in a sulk while on the way up the stairs to his bedroom. As he reaches the entrance, he stops, dead in his tracks. The room is a horrifying scene of bloody towels and sheets, puddles of blood on the mattress, and coagulated blood on the floor, arching sprays of blood on the walls, and trails of blood all over the room. His inner sanctum lay in ruin.

A few errant, lifeless, bloodied wing feathers lay on the floor: proof of the terrible violent assault that he'd suffered at the hands of Asherah. The image of him crawling away from her on all fours plays itself in his mind, over and over again.

Lucifer covers his face with his hands to make the images stop, but as soon as he opens his eyes again, he is face to face with Asherah in her demon hell form.

Asherah pushes him up against a wall and traces his jaw with her clawed hand, "I see that your wings have nearly completely healed and your other injuries are on the mend, all except for your mind. That's not doing too well…is it? You're not sure whether I'm real or hallucination."

"I can assure you, son, that I am real. Need I remind you that I have unfinished business with you. I'm still going to take away everybody, and everything, you hold dear, before I end you."

Steeling himself, Lucifer pushes Asherah away, sending her flying up against one of the stone walls of his bedroom. "Get out," he screams, "Leave me alone!" He's left standing in the room, holding his head in his hands and crying in pain. Terrified of opening his eyes and finding her still there, he peeks out from behind his hands to see that Asherah is gone.

A strong wave of nausea comes over him, causing him to retch where he stands. Steadying himself against the wall, Lucifer begins to hyperventilate again—he fears he's going mad. Lurching toward his dresser, he pulls on the first things he finds in the drawers: a pair of black jeans and a black tee shirt. He is so out of sorts that he doesn't bother with socks and shoes. Looking back at the devastation of what was once his most intimate refuge, he knows that he can longer stay: he must leave—now.

Unfurling his wings, Lucifer takes to the skies of L.A.

Maze comes back into his bedroom, "Lucifer," she calls out. "Lucifer? Where are you?"

Only the curtains are still lightly blowing; Lucifer is nowhere to be found.

"Where did he go now? He's so damned unpredictable," Maze spits out under her breath, "he shouldn't be flying so soon after injuring his wings. That wound, the one with all of those stitches, could be in danger of reopening and he would bleed out all over again."

Maze worries about her master, Lucifer is so stubborn, there's no telling him what to do. I fear that he's lost control of himself.