Eyes closed with her head on Angel's T-shirt-covered chest, Charlotte listened with her keen hearing to his steady heartbeat as he slept. It was the first time, as far as she could recall, that she'd felt truly content and at peace. She traced a finger up and down his arm, admiring his body and curiously examining the various scars on his arms he'd acquired over time. She remembered the ones on his chest and hoped he'd share more of his stories when he found peace with himself. She looked forward to a life spent with him once she regained her true self. Charlotte couldn't remember any of the dreams she'd had, even with the crystals nestled under her pillow, but she only felt comfort and safety from the long night's rest. They would come in time; she was sure of it.

Her gentle touches stirred Angel from his sleep, and he opened his eyes slowly, peering down at the pool of messy blonde hair that covered his neck and chest. He enjoyed the feeling of Charlotte's head pressed against his chest and the light, ticklish feeling of her fingers tracing his arm. "Good morning."

The waves of blonde hair shifted, and piercing black eyes looked up through the strands, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay. I don't mind. We should be getting a move on soon, anyway." Angel shifted a bit, and Charlotte lifted her head and turned her body to snuggle up to him, her face now closer to his. He felt her soft, warm breath against his cheek and turned his face to hers. Silently, they both moved the last few inches and shared a soft kiss. Angel was surprised when she broke away first.

"I must behave." She said simply, her voice mixed with humor and regret.

Angel slipped his fingers through her locks of hair, feeling how soft and full it all felt, and was still amazed at how it all turned black and menacing in her full demon form. Yet, the thought did not make him uncomfortable or concerned; it only added to his own regret for how he treated her a few nights ago. He'd agreed to share a bed with her, in part to make up for that regret but also for his own personal longing to be with her. Worry found its way into his thoughts on whether that was ever going to be possible, but all he said aloud was, "For now."

She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling, and looked to be about to speak when they heard a firm knock at the bedroom door.

"Are you two awake?" Cassie's voice flowed through the door, and the tone of her voice caught their attention. Charlotte sat up in the bed, allowing Angel to slip off the blanket and turn to set his feet on the soft carpet floor.

"Yes. What is it, sis?"

"We need to talk. Now."

They heard Cassie walk off and looked at each other with concern.

Charlotte's eyes looked nervous, "She sounds scared."

Angel nodded, "Yeah, and she does not frighten easily." He stood and reached for his jeans, "I'll go change in the bathroom. Give you some privacy."

Charlotte nodded. They'd slept in decent night clothes so as not to tease each other with nudity, so changing would be a private affair for now. Angel left the room, and Charlotte lifted her nightgown over her head, let it fall to the bed, and opened the dresser by the bed. After selecting a comfortable sports bra and her favorite black t-shirt to wear, She decided that since it had been humid and hot the last few days, she'd try out one of the skirts that Cassie had left for her. She'd clean up later, once they listened to what Cassie had to say.

Dressed, she slipped on her black crocs, stepped out of the bedroom, and met Angel as he came from the bathroom. He stepped aside so she could take her turn.

"I'll be in the kitchen."

"I won't be long." Charlie nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

In the kitchen, Cassie started brewing another pot of strong black coffee while setting some various fruits they'd picked up last night in the center of the table, topping it off with a chocolate brownie for Charlotte. She sat down, her mind racing, struggling with what she was going to do. She looked up as Angel appeared from the hallway, his face serious, "Okay, sis. What's going on?"

"Where's Charlie?"

"Bathroom."

"Do you want some coffee?"

"Sis, something's bothering you; just tell me."

Shaking her head, Cassie stood to grab two cups for herself and Angel, while also grabbing a cold water bottle from the fridge. "I thought about telling you alone, but for what I need to do, you and Charlotte both need to be prepared."

Realizing she was going to do this on her terms, Angel sat, leaned back in the chair, and accepted the cup of coffee Cassie handed him. A moment later, Charlotte stepped into the kitchen, "I heard you, Cassie. Prepared for what?"

Indicating for Charlotte to take a seat, Cassie retook her own, setting her cup down and handing Charlotte the water. "OK, soooo… I couldn't sleep this morning, so I started researching some ideas I had after yesterday concerning how Charlotte got here. My biggest concern had to do with the fact that demons don't just come to Earth; they need to be summoned."

"Are you saying I was summoned here?" Charlotte's worried eyes darted between them.

"I connected with someone on one of the witchcraft servers this morning." Cassie laid out all that she had learned about the failed summoning, the teen nearly dying from the botched attempt, and that it may have something to do with the fact that Charlotte may not be a demon at all. She also explained that the failed summoning is likely why Charlotte's memories were locked away, as she was torn away from Hell but didn't land in a summoning circle and wasn't properly controlled by the summoner. How she ended up in the woods, though, was another mystery she had yet to work out.

"What?" Charlotte blinked in surprise, "But… my powers? What I look like? What else could I be?"

Taking a breath, Cassie spelled it out: "From what I was told, that kid wasn't trying to summon just any demon from Hell. He was trying to summon the Devil himself, Lucifer."

"Shit!" Angel whispered.

"No." Charlotte shook her head, "Lucifer is a fallen angel, right? That's what you've told me, right, Angel? A fallen angel from heaven, and not female. So that can't be me."

"No". Cassie agreed, "But as we've been discovering, things written in history haven't exactly been played out by the scripture. What if Lucifer had children? More specifically, a daughter?"

"How do we prove this?" Angel straightened up, getting to the point.

"I don't want to know!" Charlotte pushed back her chair and stood. "If I'm kin to the devil, I don't want to know!"

"Sweetie—" Cassie began.

Charlotte shook her head, "No! No! If it's true—" She looked at Angel, face-stricken, and said, "I could never stay on Earth! He would come looking for me, wouldn't he? If he's what you say he is, I'd have to run and hide, or everyone I love would—"

Charlotte started crying, unable to finish her morbid thought. Angel pushed back his chair and rose, taking the three steps necessary to wrap his arms around Charlotte. "Listen to me! Cassie said she didn't sense anything evil in you. You are not bound to the stories, even if you are Lucifer's child. You've proven that already, and perhaps neither is Lucifer what we think he is. But we need to know; we need to get your memories back."

Shaking her head against Angel's chest, she looked up at him with eyes drowned in tears, "This isn't fair! If I refuse to find out who I am, I can't have you! If I find out I'm Lucifer's spawn, and he comes for me? Angel—I don't know what to do!"

Sobbing, Charlotte broke away from Angel and fell against the wall. Angel looked at his sister, and for one of the few times in his life, he had no idea what to do or say. No amount of strategy would work here. He looked at his sister, "What do we do?"

Cassie's heart ached. She understood Charlie's fear, but they needed the answers, and they needed them, now. Reaching a decision she'd debated back and forth for the last hour, Cassie stood up, pushed her chair back and came around to stand close to them.

"I was told that the demon will respond to her name. I was given two choices."

"What are they?" Angel asked plainly.

"Angel?" Charlie's eyes were afraid, but she knew what was about to happen, and resigned herself to her fate. She reached out her hand, and Angel gripped it firmly.

Cassie took a deep breath, "If this works, sweetie, we may get our answers." With that said and firmness in her voice, Cassie spoke the first name she'd been told about, her eyes set on Charlotte, "Charlotte Mange."

Charlotte sniffled, blinked blankly at her, and wiped her dripping nose, "What?"

There was no discernible reaction, and so Cassie took a deep breath and pulled at her inner power, loudly speaking the second name: "Charlotte Morningstar!"

It was instantaneous. The air in the kitchen changed, a tense feeling of electrical current ran along all of their arms, and Charlotte let go of Angel's hand and stood up straight. Wiping tears away, the siblings saw eyes that were different from before. The white eyes with black pupils were gone, replaced by a soft yellow glow and pupils that were naturally red, not the ones that shown in her demon form. Charlotte's frame and stance looked almost imperceptibly different. She held an air of confidence, almost regal in form. However, it was the way she looked at both Angel and Cassie that had their attention fixed on her.

"I know that name." Charlotte cracked her neck, energy flowing off of her in ways Angel had not seen before, and she smiled softly. Cassie and Angel saw subtle fangs peak out as Charlotte licked her lips, which had taken on a black tint, deeper than her usual maroon shade. She looked at them both, saw their looks of tentative awe, and bit her lip gently. "Sorry. I'm just feeling… " She searched for the right word, "New?"

"Do you remember anything?" Angel took a step forward to show her his trust, and Charlotte held out her hand for him to take, her soft yellow eyes shining gratefully.

Shaking her head, Charlotte's voice lacked worry, "No. Not specifically. I know that Morningstar sounds familiar, though. I still don't know all of who I am, but what I am feeling is a sense of calmness, like it's all just under the surface. Not lost like it was, but just out of reach."

She looked at them both, her smile warm and genuine. "But I do feel like you're right, Cassie. If I am Charlotte Morningstar, the daughter of Lucifer Morningstar, I'm not a monster." She stopped, understanding dawning and she let out a short sob of relief, and turned and fell into Angel's arms, "I'm not a monster, Angel. I know it!"

Angel smiled in return, holding her, but Cassie coughed in a way that didn't sound good to them, and they both looked her way. "I believe you, sweetie, but we still have a major issue. The summoning tried to call on Lucifer to rise from Hell, but apparently, because you're of blood kin, it reached you first. Do you have any idea why or how?"

Charlotte closed her new eyes and thought hard, trying to pull memories out from under the darkness in the back of her mind. The air was quiet as they waited on her, watching her stand still with her eyes closed and her head bent down. After a full minute, Charlotte opened her eyes and looked up, "All I feel is that I was swallowed up by blackness—like I was pulled into something? It's still buried; I'm sorry."

Leaning against the kitchen counter, Cassie rubbed her temple, "We do need to tread lightly here. But let's cover the facts. One, it appears that Charlie is Lucifer's daughter."

"Charlotte." It came as a quiet but firm reminder, again tinged with a demonic tenor in her voice, which caused Cassie to smirk again.

"Sorry. Charlotte. Two, calling you by your full name elicited a response from you. Your eyes, lips, and teeth have changed. You're still human, but more so now."

Lifting her hand to her mouth, Charlotte realized what Cassie meant and looked at Angel. "What's changed about my eyes?"

Angel smiled, "They're amazing. You can check the mirror in the bathroom in a few."

"Three, this means that what I learned early this morning says you could be contained if someone discovered who and what you are." Cassie sighed. "And that's the biggest fear I have here."

"No one knows who I am, though, except you two, right?"

"Shit." Cassie swore under her breath and saw the pair's reaction: "In the process of learning about you, I let it slip that I'd seen you. The coven in Virginia knows you exist."

"Do you think they'll come looking?" Angel asked.

"I doubt they'd be able to. I used a VPN and logged in under my persona, Chatterbug, so I was incognito. Still, covens are resourceful, and they don't know you like we do, sweetie, and I'd doubt we'd be able to convince them otherwise. I think the best thing to do for now is to stay down and out of sight. Until we can get all your memories back."

"I'm not going to stop rescuing the helpless, Cassie. I don't care if I'm Lucifer's kid or if one day I have to return to Hell." She stopped, the idea of it causing her grief at the thought of losing Angel, but pressed on: "I have these powers, and I'll be damned if I don't do everything I can with them."

"And I'm not going to try to stop her, sis," Angel added, squeezing Charlotte's hand in unity.

"Yeah, didn't think so." Cassie shrugged with an accepting smile, "And honestly, I'm glad you feel that way, 'cause it just reaffirms to me that you're much more than kin to the Devil." Cassie scratched her chin in thought, "I have an idea, but I need to do more research on it. For the time being, knowing what we know now, I suggest you keep the crystals on you at all times and meditate to see if anything returns."

Charlotte nodded, and felt Angel's firm embrace, but there was something she needed to know, and she turned her new yellow eyes to him, "If I am… what I am..."

"I'll give you two the room." Cassie took this cue to leave the kitchen so they could be alone, and Angel nodded gratefully as she left the apartment to go down to her shop.

Angel listened to the door close and sighed, "It was something we both knew could happen, and not to make a joke out of it, really, but if there's one father I'd never want to piss off by hurting his daughter in any way, he's the one."

Laying her hands on his cheeks, Charlotte pulled Angel into a real, deep, and meaningful kiss, one in which he accepted and returned, and when she broke it, she said in a low voice, "You have never hurt me, my knight. Only reminded me that I am something special. I accept this. I accept whatever future happens, so long as I am by your side for as long as I can be. I'm not stupid, I am not naive, and I refuse to be scared anymore. I believe I'm meant to be here, dammit, and I am forever grateful that I get to be your partner."

Tasting her kiss on his lips, Angel pressed his forehead to hers, and she reciprocated, comforted by the feeling of their bond, "And I will be your shelter. I won't let anyone find you or hurt you, but I won't stop you or hold you back from being what you need to be, to fight at my side."

"Thank you." Charlotte sighed softly, "Cassie did the right thing by giving me back my true name." The words were getting harder as she spoke them, because a decision had been reached, and it tore at her, "I know it could mean my time on Earth is short, and that until my memories return," Charlotte paused and swallowed one time to gain the bravery she needed, "Until we know for sure. What we want—"

"Has to wait." Angel finished for her, having reached the same conclusion.

A sense of relief washed over her, knowing he was accepting this change in their far too new relationship, but it was drowned in sadness. She had just claimed him, and now she was letting him go. "I will focus on what we need to do. Rescuing those in need, and finding out who I am. I am at peace with this. Are you?"

"I am." Angel lied with all the skill he'd ever learned. It seemed to work, as Charlotte nodded in kind. With a sad nod, Angel stepped back and let Charlotte ease out of his embrace. She held her arms in her hands and looked at him sideways, "Now, what do we do?"

And as if on cue, Angel's phone rang.