Author's Note: I went back and rewrote a significant portion of the last chapter. Ever the perfectionist I just needed to do it. I think it reads better personally. So if you are reading this and slightly confused about things...sorry…not sorry.

The black corvette roared down the road. The wind blew my hair in every direction. The warmth from the sun felt nice after sitting in the precinct. For a while we didn't say anything to each other. I looked up at the sky. I murmured a short prayer.

My father looked over at me. His brow narrowed. "Does He ever answer?"

"All of the time."

He scoffed. "He doesn't talk to me."

"Well, have you ever tried talking to Him?"

He shook his head. "Like He would listen."

Sighing I looked out at the passing buildings and cars. I returned my gaze to my father. "He doesn't hate you."

"How would you know?"

"He told me."

"Really." He scoffed again. "He talks to you but not a word to me."

"Dad, why did you leave Hell?"

His hands tightened around the steering wheel. He kept his eyes on the road. For a while he didn't say anything. He glanced at me. "I was tired of it. I wanted to do something else with my life."

"I can understand that."

"You can?"

"Yeah, nothing like having your Father try and dictate how you should live your life. Trying to get you to be something you don't want to be."

He shook his head. "I see where you are going with this."

"Do you?"

"The difference between me and Him." He said Him with a bit of disgust and anger. "I never forced you to do anything."

"Right."

We fell silent for a while. I decided not to push the subject. My father and grandfather needed to work on their issues themselves. There was no way I was going to get into the middle of it. My husband argued a lot with his father. Must be a male thing.

"Thank you though." I said to him.

"For what?"

"Helping. I know it was hard for you to see those photos."

He smiled slightly. "Look, I know you think there was something I could have done. Unfortunately, I didn't know until it was too late. I was too late."

I placed my hand on his arm. "It's okay Dad."

"There are things that even the Devil can't do. But we are going to make things right."

The car stopped into front of a studio. The outside was modern. Nicely manicured lawn. Big windows facing towards the ocean. I paused to look for a moment. Then followed my father into the building.

Stu was sitting behind a sound board as we walked in. Two other men sat next to him. A young woman was in the booth. She looked around eighteen. She was singing into a microphone. Stu was leaning back in is chair. He jumped as we approached.

"Ah. Oh Lucifer. Persephone."

My father glared at him but didn't say anything.

"You come to take me up on my offer." Stu said to me. He shot a weird look at my father.

"No. I came here to ask why you killed my mother."

His eyes winded. The men sitting at the board both looked up and at us. Stu looked over at my father. "Is she serious?"

My father glared at the man. "Very." His voice was like venom. He sounded very Devil at the moment.

Stu looked at me. "I didn't do anything to your mother." He sat down again.

"I saw you."

He ignored me.

"I saw you. I heard her screaming. I heard her choking. You were the only other person in the house."

"Sure you didn't imagine it." He scoffed. "Now, I have work to do."

Internally I was fuming. I wanted to strangle the life out of him. I wanted to slam that ugly bald head into the board. "I am very sure."

He shook his head and stood up. He walked into the booth. I followed him with my father close behind.

Stu glared at us. "You two need to leave."

The young woman was standing there looking confused and a little frightened. I approached the ugly fat man. I looked into his eyes. "What is it you desire, Stu?"

My father was standing next to me. "No, no that's not how you do it." He said. He leaned down closer to my ear and whispered. "Now look him in the eye. Can you sense his desires brewing below the surface? Can you sense the hidden truths?"

I nodded. I could feel Stu's mind resisting my attempts to manipulate it.

"Now, draw them out." My father whispered.

"Come on Stu. Tell me. What is it you desire?" I said to him. My father stood there. A huge grin on his face.

"I- uh…I" He shook his head and closed his eyes. "Stop that." He backed up. I just kept my gaze fixed on him. The young woman had snuck out of the booth. "You two just get out. Get out I say." His voice rose.

"Oh come on Stu. I can feel the truth just trying to get out. Its eating at you. Tell me."

He glared at me. He tried resisting. He shook. I could feel the internal conflict. "I gave that bitch everything. She wanted to leave me."

"There that wasn't so hard now was it." My father said.

"You covered up the truth didn't you?" I said to the short fat man. I kept my voice calm and even. Like the Devil. "How much money did you pay the coroner?" I felt his inner conflict. I felt him trying to resist.

"I made her what she was. But she wanted to give it all up. For." He spits at me. I dodged it. "You."

"I am so proud of her." My father said. "Oh, Stuart. You have been a very naughty little man." He took a step towards Stu.

Stu backed up. "Stay away from me, you lunatic." He looked at the window. The men at the board were gone. The woman was gone. "Stay away from me. I am going to call the cops."

"No you need to be punished for what you did. You took Joanie from us." My father stepped towards the man. "You need to feel the pain that she did."

I should have stopped my father. The cop in me was screaming to stop him. Revenge was never the answer. This was wrong. But I let my father do what he did best.

"Get away from me." He turned to me. "I will confess. Just get him away from me."

My father shoved Stu against the wall. His hand around the man's neck. I could hear him choking for life. Then I saw my father's nastier side. It was something I had seen only once. His handsome face was replaced by a red face with glowing eyes. It should have scared me. I should have run screaming from the building but I just stood there.

Stu began screaming hysterically. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" My father tightened his grip around the man's neck. He choked. He looked at me. The desperation in his eyes. He began to turn purple. "Help me."

I took a step towards them. I placed my hand on my father's arm. "Dad, stop."

"NO!"

"Dad!"

My father turned his gaze to me. His face had turned back to normal. But his eyes were filled with fire. Again I should have been scared. Here I was trying to talk the Devil down. "He needs to suffer. He needs to feel the pain." My father said with such anger. Such venom.

"I know. But this isn't the place. This isn't the way to do it." I said gently. My hand still on my father's arm. "Dad, please." I felt him relax slightly. The fire in his eyes receded. He released his grip on Stu. The man fell to the floor and gasped for breath.

Just then the doors burst open. "LAPD." Chloe shouted while entering the room. My husband was right behind her. They glanced at Stu on the ground gasping for breath.

"Get these lunatics away from me!" Stu managed to get out. "I'll confess to everything. Just get them away from me."

I could see Bryan was upset. "I'm sorry Bryan."

His blue eyes glared at me. "You had me really scared Persi." His voice held more concern than anger.

"She's fine." My father said calmly.

"What did you do to him?" Chloe said to my father.

"Old Stu just needed to confess his sins." He looked down at the other man. "Didn't you Stu?"

I swear I saw the fire flash in my father's eyes again. I smiled.

Chloe shook her head and got on the phone. She was calling in more units.

Two uniformed officers arrived to take Stu into custody. He was ranting and raving. I stood next to my father. He was glaring at the man.

"Lucifer." Chloe said to him. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Okay."

She whisked him away from me. I watched as they argued for a moment. Bryan was on the other side of me. His muscular, tattooed arms folded against his chest. I sighed. "Look, I know I should have said something to you."

He nodded. "I should be used to it. You get your mind on something and you don't stop. You don't back down. That is one of the things I love about you. But," He paused and placed his hand on my belly. "You have to think about the baby. I know you aren't like other women. But please slow down."

I wrapped my arms around him. We kissed. "I'm sorry Bryan. I know I need to slow down. It's a good thing I have you." We kissed again.

"Get a room." I heard my father say to us.

Chloe was standing their arms folded. I pulled away from my husband. "I'm sorry Chloe. We shouldn't have done it this way."

She nodded. "You knew better."

"I did."

"Personally, I'm glad you did."

"Let's all go back to Lux for drinks." My father said.

"I'll meet you guys later." Chloe said. She drove off.

My father and I walked back to the Corvette.

"Umm Persi." Bryan said. "That's a two seater. What about me?"

"Oh right. Dad, you go on ahead. I'll take a cab with Bryan."

My father shrugged. "Okay." He said and started the car and drove off towards Lux.

We arrived back at Lux after getting something to eat. We walked hand in hand past the growing crowd. They all stared. We approached my friend Bruno guarding the entrance. He smiled and let us in. I could hear murmurs from the crowd.

My father was sitting at the bar. He turned when we approached. "What took you two so long?"

"We stopped for some food." Bryan said as he sat beside him.

"And you didn't invite me?" My father feigned mock offence.

"Sorry Dad." I said as I sat on the other side of him.

"It's alright."

The bartender brought us drinks. I had a club soda while Bryan was drinking whiskey or rum, I could never tell. He and my dad took a couple of sots together. I was relieved that they seemed to like each other. I could only imagine what would happen when the Devil met Bryan's father. I laughed at the idea.

The two men looked at me. "What are you thinking about?" My father said.

"Oh nothing. I am just sitting here enjoying the moment."

The TV over the bar was turned to the local news. Stu Mannon had been arrested for murder. We all sat there watching it for a moment. Photos of my mother flashed across the screen. She looked so beautiful. I had spent so much time resenting her. Trying to get away from being her daughter.

I felt my father's hand on my arm. "She would be proud of you." He said.

I placed my other hand on his. "Thank you Dad. For everything." I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

We returned our gaze to the TV.