After his "failure" to transport Michael to the better world, Kevin was… Well… he didn't really want to say. Michael was less than favorable to Kevin's failure, to say the absolute possible least. Extremely unfavorable.

The bruises and scrapes on Kevin's body spoke enough about that.

He was regulated to keeping watch over Mary as he worked. It was a pretty simple job. They kept Mary the same cage they'd kept other Lucifer in, so Kevin didn't have to do much. Random feedings. Help when she needed a bathroom break (that was his least favorite job). Ignoring her talking.

The ignoring part was the hardest.

"Hey," this was the third time in the past few hours she'd tried conversation. Usually they were one-sided. Kevin had gotten pretty good at focusing on tasks given to him, like fixing the singularity issue of interdimensional travel.

He wished he had Bobby's lore books. He'd been basing his work off of math and whatever the tablet told him. Highly experimental. Highly volatile.

However when he thought the word volatile he wasn't certain to who or what the word was meant for – Michael or interdimensional travel. For some reason, the word didn't apply to Lucifer.

Maybe he was just crazy.

"Hey." Mary said again, her voice a little firmer. Kevin glanced up to see her staring right at him, looking… Tired. Like she had no fight in her. "Where's Lucifer?" That wasn't necessarily the first time she'd asked the question, but it was getting annoying.

"Not here." That was the first time Kevin had answered her. "He's gone."

"Gone?" She seemed startled by that. "Gone where?" Kevin didn't answer, re-evaluating the math in front of him. Was it really a one person only Rift or had it actually been a time constraint that Lucifer had just barely jumped in on? Could it be shifted from a time constraint to a counter restraint, and vice-versa?

How was he going to get himself, Michael, and everyone else across?

"What do you mean gone, Kevin?" She'd heard his name when Michael had thrown him in here. Actually, Michael had kinda thrown Kevin in to Mary's cage. She'd gotten a few wounds from that. He felt bad, but at the same time… It was best not to argue with Michael. Just get the job done, and keep him pacified. "Where is Lucifer?"

That raised a curious question in Kevin's mind. How did he know for certain Lucifer had made it through alive? What if he'd actually been vaporized the second he'd gone through? That wasn't a pleasant thought. Once he had the Rift more stabilized to stay open it would be easier, but at the same time…

Once Lucifer had jumped through something had felt different, if only for a moment. It was like recoil, like the Rift hadn't just closed because somebody went through. It was as though the tension holding it open had been forced to relax.

But that was crazy. Of course that was crazy. A Rift had been opened at one point, and obviously allowed for multiple people to get through. Mary and Lucifer were proof of that. If it had been done once, it could be done again.

He just wished he'd been there at the site. Actually seeing what had happened… that could help with his work.

But Mary had been there. Mary… Mary might be useful to him.

"How did you get here?" Kevin asked, looking up at her. She seemed surprised to hear him ask her a question.

"I… I told you. I came through a Rift."

"How was it made?" Mary didn't answer, looking at him in confusion. Kevin rolled his eyes at her. "Look, I need to know how you made this interdimensional portal. You were there when it was done successfully. How was it opened and what caused it to shut?"

"I… I don't have to answer you." Kevin shook his head.

"No, you really, really do." He argued, taking a few steps towards the cage. Mary just kept staring at him with that tired look in her eyes. "So you… you're going to answer me right now, or else…" he thought, searching for a threat. He couldn't bring himself to rock her cage, but at the same time if he didn't get a new idea then he would never see…

No. He would see her again. He wouldn't allow failure to be an option.

"Or else I'll go get Michael, and make him do his mind reading thing on you." Kevin decided. His voice sounded weak as he spoke though, and he knew it. If he went to the archangel for help, he was certain that his patience would wear thin. Michael would beat him again, and Kevin… Kevin didn't need that. He just needed Mary to talk.

"Why don't we make a deal?" Mary asked. Kevin took a step away, examining the woman.

"I'm not letting you out." He stated automatically.

"I didn't think you would." Mary replied. "Why not a trade? Questions for questions, answered truthfully on both ends."

"Why would you want that?"

"Because I've been locked in this cage for at least three weeks." She replied. Her math was off. It was actually just a week and a half, but solitary confinement also used to have valid research backing up the inability to properly assess time, and Mary… Mary had been alone in this room and that cage for the better part of that week and a half. "I just want to know a few things too, and have a break from not talking to anyone. Please?" The plea came out a little flat, but still earnest. And Kevin really, really needed that information.

What was the worst that could happen?

"Fine." Kevin said. "How was the Rift created?"

"I already answered one of your questions." She argued. "It's my turn." Kevin sighed, feeling impatient.

"Fine. Ask your question."

"What did you mean when you said that Lucifer was gone?"

"I meant he's gone." Kevin said. "He…" Michael's rage was still an extremely vivid memory. Kevin could feel the heat behind his eyes. "He left. Jumped ship. Closed the door behind him."

"He went through the Rift?" Mary's eyes widened. "How?"

"No. My turn." Kevin sat down, opening his notebook to a new page. "How did you open the Rift from your side?"

"I didn't."

"Who did?"

"How did Lucifer get through the Rift?"

"He escaped. Who opened the Rift on your side?"

"A child." Mary was giving purposefully short and vaguely specific answers, but they seemed to be honest. Kevin would get to what he needed eventually. "Who opened a Rift from this side?"

"I did." Mary seemed absolutely stunned at that. "What kind of child?"

"A Nephilim." She admitted. Kevin wrote the word down, proud that he knew what it meant. He wasn't exactly the most religious person before all this, but he'd seen his fair share of anime and played some good D&D. He knew what a Nephilim was, and how powerful it was supposed to be. "How did you open a Rift?"

"I made a spell." Kevin said the words with a little bit of pride. Nobody else on this side of the universe could do what he did. That made him priceless to Michael. He wouldn't be killed, Michael needed him. "Who's the angel parent of the Nephilim?"

"Lucifer." Kevin almost dropped his pencil at that. He hadn't known that part. Michael hadn't told him. Did he know?

If he didn't, he would be grateful for the knowledge.

"How did you create a spell to open the Rift?" Mary asked.

"I'm…" Kevin knew the explanation would take far too long, and would probably be difficult for Mary to comprehend. It was a lot of higher-level math combined with the information from the tablet and anything on magic that he could remember (or that Michael would tell him). "I'm just very good at what I do. I was in advanced placement."

"You were?" Her voice softened a little at that.

"Yeah." Kevin nodded, still scribbling. "I was. And that was two questions, so now you have to answer two of mine. How did you maintain Rift stabilization from your side without it collapsing on after the first interdimensional disturbance?" Mary looked confused at that. "How did you keep the Rift open?"

"I didn't. None of us did." She said. "It was all the Nephilim."

"How did the Nephilim open it?"

"I don't know. He wasn't even born yet when it happened." That was a very powerful being. Michael would really appreciate all this. "Why are you working for Michael?"

"Because he's going to take me and the people I care about out of this hellhole." Kevin said smartly. "And because he's, you know, an archangel. One of the good guys. How did you close the Rift?"

"I didn't do that either. Who do you care about?" Kevin stopped at that. He needed more answers, but this question… He didn't want to answer it.

"Friends." He said evasively. "Family. Who closed the Rift?"

"A witch and a demon. How long were you married?" Kevin almost dropped his notebook at that question. He… He hadn't said that. How had she known? Mary smiled at him almost kindly, not really able to motion with her hands but looking like she wanted to. "I saw the ring on your hand." She explained. Kevin glanced down at it on impulse. It wasn't anything special, just a simple band he'd found when the two of them had looted an old mall. The ring he'd given her, however, was just a little nicer. It'd been somehow kept in not bad condition.

"Not long enough." Kevin said. "Four years, two months, and… and fifteen days." That was the truth. He'd made certain to remember the exact days that they'd been married. It was important to him. He wished he could've gotten so much longer. He knew he was lucky to have had the time he had, but still… He wished for more. He would always wish for more.

And hopefully he would get it, so long as he did what Lucifer asked.

"You loved her very much." Not a question, but a statement. Kevin nodded. "I was married once too. I… I understand what it feels like to lose someone you love."

"What was his name?" Not a question he needed to know, but at the same time… Kevin felt like he had to ask.

"John Winchester."

"I have a friend who used to know a guy named that." Kevin said. The guy had been a war vet. Good man. Died too soon. "They said he was a very good man."

"He wasn't perfect, but he was who he was." Mary said. "What was your wife's name?"

"Kylie Dillinger." Mary stilled at that just a little, but enough for Kevin to notice.

"She sounds nice." Mary stated.

"She was." Kevin agreed. He decided to come back to why she reacted a little towards his wife's name later. He needed to focus on his work. "Did the witch and demon survive closing the Rift?"

"One of them did, The demon. I fell back through before I could see the other one make it through. What… What was Kylie like?"

"She was smart." Kevin said. "She was… different, but kind. She was a warrior. How did the demon and the witch close the Rift?"

"They used a spell. The witch made it." That was important. Kevin felt a little more jubilant. If she existed on this side, she could be useful. Not saying that Kevin wasn't doing good on his own, but at the same time if he could access the person that closed it… Options were options, and any help would be useful. The demon, not so useful. "How did you two meet?"

"She saved my life." Kevin smiled a little. "Twice. The third time I saved hers. What was the name of the witch?" Mary didn't say anything. She looked… Confused. Concerned. Extremely so. This was the first question she hadn't answered, or at least started to, off the bat. "What was the name of the witch, Mary?"

"You don't want to know that." Mary promised. "You really don't."

"A question is a question, now answer it."

"Do you love your wife?" She asked instead.

"That's not what I asked."

"No, it's what I asked. Do you love your wife?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" He asked. "I'm doing this for her. Give me the name."

"No. If you really love your wife, you wouldn't be here and you wouldn't want this name."

"I'm here because Michael is bringing her back once I finish." Kevin seethed, standing to walk towards Mary's cage. He stood directly in front of her, feeling anger surge though him. "Then we're all going in to your wonderfully beautiful world that Michael has told me about, and we're going to live out a normal life together like she deserves. I would do anything to have her back and to give her a better life." He reached to grip one of the bars, fingers clasping around the spikes. "Now give me that name, Mary." She stared down at him, and he met her gaze evenly. This time, he was serious. This woman had tried to use his wife against him. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to get her back.

And Mary could see that, when she looked in his eyes. She could see that he was absolutely serious as he gripped the cage, ready to give it a hard push.

"The name of the witch was…" She took a deep breath. "Was Diana. Diana Nyx."

"And what is her connection to the name of my wife?" Kevin demanded. "You told me if I loved her, I wouldn't want to know. Why didn't I want to know that name?"

"I can't tell you."

"Yes, you can. And you will." The words came out like a threat, and in truth they were. "Now tell me why."

"You don't want to know." She repeated.

"TELL ME WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW!" He screeched.

"PROPHET!" Michael's voice boomed from behind him. Kevin let go of the cage immediately, turning jerkily to face the archangel. Michael strode in calmly, the usual air of power and control surrounding him. "What are you doing with our prisoner?" Michael asked.

"I… I…" Kevin stammered. "I'm trying to get information from her. About the Rift they opened on their side and how they did it."

"And what did you learn?"

"That they… They…" Kevin took a breath. "They don't know how to open one. They didn't do it, Lucifer and Mary I mean. There was a Nephilim, Lucifer's son, that opened it. But none of them closed their Rift either. Theirs didn't close on its own, too. It was purposefully forced shut. They got a… a witch and a demon to do it. The demon died, though. She doesn't know whether or not the witch is still alive on their end."

"Very good job, prophet." Kevin shirked away from Michael as he drew nearer. The angel focused his gaze on Mary, making her flinch without even having to touch her. "What was it you were yelling at her about?"

"She… She knew my wife's name." Kevin stated. "She said that I wouldn't want to know the name of the witch because of my wife. I think… I think she knows something about her, on the other world." Michael looked expectantly at Mary, as if waiting.

"Well?" He asked. "Answer the young man. What do you know?"

"Nothing you need to know." She spat at the archangel. Michael tutted a little, shaking his head.

"I guess I'll need to pull the information out for myself." He decided, reaching up to her forehead. Mary tried to flinch away, but that just knocked her head in to a dulled spike. Michael placed a hand on the side of her head, closing his eyes. Mary's whole body seized as he did. The whole process… It made Kevin feel sick. This wasn't what he wanted. He just wanted his wife back, to give her a life he deserved.

But if this was what he had to do to get there, then it was what needed to be done.

The instant Michael removed his hand, Mary visibly relaxed. Michael chuckled a little before turning to Kevin.

"You may be dead in the universe she comes from, but your wife," Kevin held his breath. This… he could almost hear the words before Michael said them. This was a possibility he hadn't even considered. "Your wife is alive on the other side."

Kevin looked from Michael to Mary, unable to quite believe what he was hearing. "She… She's alive?"

"Last time Mary saw her, she was." Michael promised. Mary took a few deep, heaving breaths. She looked… absolutely terrified. "Come along, Kevin. You've done good work at redeeming yourself. Let's get back to fixing your Rift spell."

"Kevin, there's more!" Mary promised. Michael already had a hand on his shoulder though, and was leading him towards the exit.

"Don't listen to her." Michael ordered, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "She will only seek to lie to you now."

"Kevin!" Mary shouted. The prophet kept walking with Michael though. He felt a little better, like the work he was doing was good. Still oppressive, but better. "Kevin! It's about Kylie!"

"Ignore her, prophet." Michael's voice was firmer this time, his grip on Kevin's shoulder tightening just enough. "And return to your work. You can be re-united with your wife again in the other universe."

Mary's cries faded in the back of Kevin's mind as he evaluated his notes, formatting the new information in to what he had already created. The power source to keep it open indefinitely would need to be much larger, obviously. What could they use to do that?

Kevin couldn't help but smile as he re-worked his calculations. He could see her again. She was alive in the other world. He couldn't give a damn as to whether or not he was, but Kylie… She was all that mattered. She was alive in that other universe. She probably missed him too.

He could go back to her. They could be together again.

Kevin wouldn't fail Michael this time. He wouldn't allow himself to.