Sacrifice

Part 12

"Great," you mumble. Sam chuckles.

"She keeps stabbing him in the side with the fake knife," Sam describes, "Cas though, he's in there marveling over a battery and trying to figure out how it goes into a remote."

"Well now I've gotta see it," you laugh halfheartedly. Kicking off the blanket, you head back to the kitchen. You lean against one side of the doorframe, Sam against the other. The scene was just as Sam has described. Parts for toys were piled up as Dean read the instructions on how to put them together. Belle was ceaselessly amused by attacking Dean with the fake toys, one in a while throwing one at Cas. Cas seemed to be in his own world as he tries to get the remote in his hands to work. Finally, he figures out that the batteries are in backwards.

You tense up as a cold arm slips around your waist. "Everyone we know is insane," Lucifer whispers in your ear. A smile grows across your face. Even if you were crazy, you weren't sure you cared. In your mind, the man you loved was right here next to you.

"Tell me about it," you answer.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Sam asks, looking to you. Lucifer was gone again, Sam none the wiser.

"Nothing," you say, shaking your head, "Just mumbling to myself. I, um, I think my pregnancy is making me a little sleepy. Would you mind babysitting this lot for me while I take a nap?"

"Sure," Sam says, "Anything you need."

"Thank you," you tell him, "And, about what happened earlier, we're still friends right? It didn't change anything did it?"

"No," Sam says almost sadly, "It didn't mean anything, I know that. We're still friends and we can pretend it never happened if that's what you want."

"Thanks, Sam," you say, giving him a hug. He wraps his arms around you, hugging you tight before letting you go.

"Get some rest," Sam says, nodding towards the bedroom, "I'll keep these three out of trouble."

You nod, turning towards your room. As you go, you continue to run your fingers up and down the edge of the feather clutched in your hands. "You still didn't read the letter I wrote you," Lucifer says as you lay down on the bed. You lay on your side, facing away from him.

"I need a minute," you tell the hallucination.

"Understandable," he says as he moves to lie down in front of you, "You do have the Devil in your head after all." He gives you crooked smile as brushes your hair back behind your ear. You shiver as the cold fingers caress your skin.

"I don't understand how you're here," you say. Right now, you weren't sure you even cared.

"I tried to explain in the letter, but I'm not sure I understand it either," Lucifer says.

"I want to hear you tell me," you ask of him. His cold hand cups your cheek, his thumb running along your cheekbone.

"I'm not really here," he begins, "Well, I am, but I'm in your head. Only you can see, feel, and hear me."

"So basically I'm not crazy, but everyone will think I am," you surmise.

Lucifer laughs before continuing, "When I bonded to you, there was a sort of string formed between my grace and your soul. I've been trying to reach you through that bond ever since you left ... I read your letter. I know you think I'm angry with you, but I'm not. You had to leave to protect Belle, I understand that."

"So you don't hate me?" you ask.

"No," he answers, "In the beginning, I was angry, but I could never hate you. After you left, I wanted to see you and tell you that I wasn't mad. I knew I couldn't visit you, so I tried something else. I tried sending messages to you, sort of like a prayer, but it didn't work. You had this sort of wall up around your mind that kept me out. Eventually, I figured out that if I left my vessel, I could follow the string between us in order to find you."