ELEVEN

We've Been Dreaming of this Feeling Since 1988; Mama, Things Have Got to Change - I'm Moving to LA

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Alina raised her hands. She muttered to herself, closed her eyes, concentrated on the image in her head. John's eyes went wide as he realised what was about to happen to the dark clouds starting to encircle her hands.

He blurted words so fast Nugent and Tanya had no idea what he was shouting, apparently at them. His left hand flew up and they were hurled backwards even as he shoved at Lucifer with his right. He landed on top of him.

Alina's clouds shot toward them. The two women, now out of range, rolled in the grass and gasped in horror.

The black clouds had pummelled into John's back. Lucifer's hands went out in despair. John convulsed in pain on top of him. Lucifer gripped his shoulders and wrenched. The human was tossed into the grass by his side. The clouds followed. They wrapped themselves around John and then began to tighten.

Lucifer looked back at Alina. Grinning, sheened with sweat, she was watching John writhe and gasp in agony on the cooling grass. Frost began to form on the brown scrub just inches from his pained convulsions.

Lucifer straightened up. He took a deep breath. He felt the calm of millennia flood through him for a single second. And then he crouched and plunged his hands into the clouds.

They screeched and roiled, protested at his touch - for barely a moment. Then they left John with gleeful abandon, rushing to envelop Lucifer instead. He closed his eyes and concentrated past the pain as the clouds did all they could to sear, to cut, to bite and stab and rip at him.

John flopped to the grass, panting for dear life in utter relief.

Alina laughed. She took a step toward them. Her left hand veered out and she shot a look at Tanya. "You're next." She flipped her hand around to produce another set of dark clouds.

A crack of a shot shocked everyone. Alina gasped as her arm flailed in some kind of reaction.

Nugent fired again. The clouds from around Alina's palms dissipated instantly. She fell to the grass, her right leg a bubbling mass of fresh blood.

John pushed himself round. "Her hands," he croaked. "Keep them restrained!"

Nugent moved but Tanya was quicker. She skidded toward her in the grass. Her black boot slammed down on Alina's wrist. Nugent scrambled toward her other one. She dropped to her knee. She holstered the gun as she ground Alina's wrist into the grass with her other knee.

"She's secure!" she called.

John heaved himself over to sit up. A gurgle and a cough made him look round to see Lucifer still struggling against clouds. He exploded over to his hands and knees, racing through the brown grass to reach for him.

"Don't!" Lucifer cried.

John shrank back. "How do we stop it?"

"Oh to be - in - LA!" Lucifer managed through gritted teeth. "You're - the - bloody mage! Think of - something! Now!"

John turned to look over at Alina. "She's still controlling it!"

Tanya leant over across the grass, her wide eyes still on Alina's pained expression of triumph beneath her. Tanya's fingers connected with her target and she drew it back. "I'd like to say I'm sorry," she managed. "But I'm really not." She lifted the branch. She smacked it across Alina's temple.

The clouds surrounding Lucifer wisped up toward the sky and disappeared. He gasped in relief and fell back into the grass.

John leant over him, one hand on the Devil's shoulder, the other on the shirt over his chest as if testing for a heartbeat. "You alright, mate?" he panted. "Oi!" He gripped Lucifer's head out of near-panic.

Lucifer's eyes opened. He looked up at the human and a sly smile covered his face. "I've been in worse positions."

John drew his hands back quickly. He cleared his throat and turned to look at the three women behind them. Nugent wiped a hand down her face. Tanya, her back to him, dropped the branch and wiped her hand on her t-shirt.

"Is that it?" she asked shakily. "Is it over?"

"I reckon so," John said. He turned and flumped to sit in the grass. And then he fell backwards and looked up at the night sky. "Bloody hell. What a night."

"No - it's not over yet," Lucifer sighed. He got up and staggered over to the women. "We need to restrain her until she's incarcerated."

"I heard that," Nugent said. She brought out her handcuffs.

Lucifer took them from her and then simply threw them over his shoulder. "John? Got any ribbon?"

"Believe it or not, yes," he managed. He levered himself up from the grass with a huge effort, but nevertheless did make it across the grass. He delved in his pocket and came out with a length of something that resembled silk, in a deep shade of purple. Between him and Tanya they had Alina's wrists bound.

"You two are stone-cold crazy," Nugent said. "That is not going to hold her."

Tanya searched around the grass and picked up the handcuffs. "We can add these. Just in case."

John and Lucifer looked at each other. "Can't hurt," John shrugged.

Nugent took them from Tanya and clapped them round Alina's wrists, above the ribbon. She pushed herself to her feet. "I'll find that back-up. They should have been here by now." She went back to her car, still waiting faithfully by the far kerb.

Tanya looked at John and Lucifer. "So… I don't think I can ever tell anyone what went down tonight, can I?"

"If you like," John smiled. "They'll put you in a looney bin, but it's up to you." He and Lucifer shared a glance. "Anyway," he said, turning again to Tanya, "I think we're done here."

"Finally," Lucifer sighed. He put a hand on John's shoulder nearest him, the other going to his ribs as if bruised. "Let's be off, shall we?"

Tanya looked over to Nugent. "Yeah… we'll have police and medics here soon. Are you two ok?"

"We'll walk it off," John said. He peered down at Alina. "We need to get her out of this park."

"Yeah, the medics will take her."

"Uh… not that kind of incarcerated," John said. He felt Lucifer's hand on his shoulder tighten slightly. "We need a favour, Tanya."

"What?" she asked, her face dark.

"We uh… we need to take her off your hands. And by 'your' I mean 'the police'," he said.

"You are cracked - she's being arrested and the law will take its course."

"Actually, no, it won't," Lucifer said. "There's a higher power here, darling, and it's me. I'm taking her off your hands, as John put it, to make sure she's incarcerated and punished for her behaviour. Don't worry, it'll be very humane."

Tanya blinked. "Yes, but—"

"Love, please," John said. "You've seen how dangerous she is. You've seen what she's capable of - she can't stay here."

"In the park? I agree," she said, confusion the strongest of her emotions.

"Not the park - here," Lucifer said. "Up here. You know where she belongs. And I can get her there."

"Who are you?"

Lucifer's eyes flashed red for barely a second. "Someone who can send her where she can't do any harm."

Tanya, her eyes wide, barely nodded.

Nugent began to cross the grass toward them. "Well they're minutes away," she called.

Tanya looked back at Lucifer, then John. "Then… do what I say and you'll get her."

"Thanks, pet," John nodded.

She stepped up to him and kissed him. He let her for a long moment, before leaning into it. Lucifer looked from her to him and back again. Then he rolled his eyes and looked up at the night sky.

Finally she eased him back and patted his shirt. "That's to say thank you for saving me from those clouds - and for what we could have. If you - you know - you wanted to stick around."

"I don't think I should," John said quietly. Lucifer patted his shoulder, then let go. He hobbled off and John watched him go. He turned apologetic eyes on Tanya. "Sorry, love."

"No, that's ok," she said with a smile. "At least it was a nice, clean answer."

"That's a first, I think."

She grinned. "Follow my lead," she said with a wink.

"You're all… all going on… my list," Alina hissed from the grass.

"Oh give it a rest," John tutted.

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ooOoo

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Nugent marched into the station, a face like thunder making people part in front of her and find something to do lest she find it for them.

Tanya trailed behind her with a sheepish look on her face. "How was I supposed to know it was the other hospital?" she asked. "I didn't know which they were taking her to."

"And now she's not at either," Nugent snapped. "And no sign of John or Lucifer - what are we to make of that, Tanya?"

"Um… they needed rest after what went down tonight?" she hazarded.

Nugent stopped and rounded on her. Tanya halted in fright as Nugent glared at her. "We have one high-profile case here, and those two have stolen our perp and absconded - possibly the state - with her. You know what this looks like, don't you? Like they're accessories. And as we helped them tonight, that makes us accessories. To murder. Do you get me?"

"Yes," she muttered. Nugent went to stalk away. "Or," Tanya said suddenly.

Nugent whipped back and fixed her with a stare. "Or what?"

"Or… we went there to apprehend her and those two were accessories. We tried to stop them too but there were three of them and two of us - and they got away." She felt Nugent's glare boring into her very soul. "Or… something," she added lamely.

Nugent's head tilted. She looked at the floor. Then back at Tanya. "Come with me," she snapped. "You and I are about to write a report, and learn it very well, so that when all this comes to a tribunal we have identical stories."

"Yes, Detective," Tanya said with a smile. She followed as Nugent took off down the corridor.

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ooOoo

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John unlocked the door to the mill house and turned back to Lucifer behind him. Between them they hefted an unconscious Alina through the door and along the top landing. The door, disgusted at the way they forgot about it as soon as they were through, closed itself behind them with a pointed bang.

They paused, looked back at it, and then shrugged before carrying her down the winding metal staircase to the open room. They left her a few feet from the bottom, John going straight to the kitchen sink and the cupboard below it. He opened it and withdrew a bottle, unscrewing it and swigging straight from the neck.

"Anything not made with holy water?" Lucifer asked wearily.

John turned. "Uh… No. Sorry."

"Right." He hobbled over, one hand still to his ribs, to find a glass on the drainer and help himself to tap water.

John took another giant swig of gin before setting the bottle down with a wince. "Well that was bloody awful," he said with a fake cheer.

Lucifer finished the glass of water and set it down. "Agreed." He wiped his face over. "Right. You summon Rubicante for me and we'll get rid of our unwanted house guest."

"You want me to summon Rubicante? Can't you just call her or something?"

"No. I'm kind of… cut off," Lucifer managed. John's mouth opened. "Look," he said quickly, "it's a long story. Just get her up here and she can take Alina and the Hand of God with her."

John put his hand in his pocket and withdrew the shiny lump. He raised it between them to admire the shine. "I still can't believe this came from His personal toilet."

Lucifer shrugged. "When He made man in His image, He really went for the small details."

"I thought that was your thing."

Lucifer smiled an easy, knowing relaxation of good humour that abruptly warmed John all over. The Devil took the rock from his hand and inspected it before shoving it in his own pocket. "You know me too well, John."

"Rubicante, then?" he asked.

"Rubicante, please."

"Right then." He took the bottle with him as he went back to the mill stone.

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ooOoo

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She looked up, a frown on what passed for her approximation of a face. "Oh what now?" she heaved. She raised her clawed hands and saw them begin to change to steam.

The next second she was opening her eyes to an old, dusty room. Bookshelves to her right, a strange set of sofas and a mirror over a fireplace to her left, she looked down at her claws. They were now manicured nails painted a very dark red, her hooves and scaled body replaced by what appeared to be a human woman in scruffy jeans and some kind of rock t-shirt.

She looked up - and sensed a familiar presence. "Lucifer?" she dared.

"Rubi, darling - hello," he said, a smile on his face three miles wide.

"What the Hell are you doing up here still?" she asked, surprised. "You look… pretty. —Pretty good. Considering."

"It's quite fun up here," he said, crossing the room to her. "You look well."

"Clerical keeps you young," she winked. "So what gives? I was summoned and everything. Why didn't you just ring the bell like every other manager?"

He chuckled. "My friend John here needs a woman taken Down There. I'd like her in solitary, darling. I think a number eight setting should do it."

"Understood," she nodded. "Is this just a millennia or the full Duration?"

"Oh, ah…" He looked at John. The human opened his mouth. "Duration," they said together. Lucifer winked at him, then looked back at the demon. "Yes, for the Duration, I think."

"Got it." She looked at John. "Do I know you?"

"Nope," he said immediately.

Lucifer cleared his throat. "She's bound right now but she's probably going to try to get free and cause all kinds of bother. Would you mind taking her now?"

"Where is she?" she asked.

Lucifer stepped back and waved a hand to his left. "All yours."

"Hmm," she said, going over and crouching to study her bonds. "Not bad, restraint-wise - is this your handiwork, My Lord?"

"John here is really good at magical restraints," he said casually. "Now be a good demon and run along, will you? Oh, and take this with you," he added, fishing in his pocket. He pulled out the Hand of God. "Chuck it in the furnace, for us. Make sure it's obliterated properly."

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked, taking it from him and turning it over carefully.

"I think so."

"Ew," she said, her face one of extreme disgust. "Why the Hell humans insist on keeping bits of shit-houses of the Holy I will never know."

"You've got me there," Lucifer said. He stepped aside and Rubicante pushed the stone in her jeans pocket before sliding two hands under the insensate form of Alina Harvey-Pendry.

"Wow - the guilt on this one is heavy," she said. She straightened up as if the human weighed nothing. "I can see why you want her in there for the Duration."

"Setting eight, don't forget," he said politely.

"Of course, My Lord." She turned and crossed back to her spot.

"Oh - one more thing," Lucifer added. She paused and looked at him. "Make sure no-one else is stealing Hell's cable, will you? This one seemed to have a direct line for a few centuries."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "I'll see to it."

"Good," he nodded.

"You - John, is it?" she said.

"Yes," he nodded.

"You summoned me?"

"I did."

"Then give me leave to return home and I'll be off."

John nodded. "Rubicante, demon summoned for my bidding, I release you."

"Thanks." She looked down at the carpet. "Ok Gerald - crank her open," she called. A massive black circle opened up underneath her, flames licking around the edges as she looked back at Lucifer and John, while she apparently just levitated over the gaping hole. "Until next time, My Lord," she nodded. Lucifer waved cheerfully. She looked at John. "You, human," she said.

"Yes, love?"

"Call me."

"Uh… right."

She winked, then began to sink as if on an invisible cherry-picker. They watched her descend until the hole closed over her head with an other-worldly snap.

Lucifer turned to John. "Well there we go - all done. Alina in Hell, the Hand of God about to be incinerated. What else did we have to do?"

"Sleep," John said, scrubbing his hand over his face in weary relief.

"Quite," Lucifer said softly. His eyes followed John as the human picked up his bottle of gin and walked around the mill stone.

John went to the couch across from the mirror and plonked himself down. Unscrewing the lid, he took a swig before looking over at Lucifer. "What are your plans now?"

"I need to do one more thing, and then I believe it's time I went back to LA," he said quietly.

"Bored of Atlanta already? It's not the most happening place, I'll grant you," John grinned.

Lucifer chuckled as he walked around to the coffee table in front of John's seat. He sat on the wooden surface slowly, watching the human take another drink. "This place has been absolutely fantastic," he said frankly. "However, I did kind of run from a few things that, now I think about it, I probably shouldn't. I mean… I was protecting myself, I know that now."

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" John asked. He screwed the lid back on the gin and reached forward, depositing it on the floor by his left foot.

"Well I've seen how humans do it, and… and I think I appreciate why it may be necessary. In certain scenarios."

"You can just say it," John smiled.

"What?"

"You can say 'bloody hell John, all you do is hide from the world in your little hovel of magic and demons, avoiding all real connection with people because you're damaged'." He chuckled, then scrubbed his hand through his hair. "It's true, but it's what works."

"I wasn't going to say that, John," he said gently. "I was going to say, if you get tired of this life, then you could do worse than give it all up and find someone who understands you but still wants you to stick around."

John sniffed. "Have you?"

"What?"

"Well you gave up Hell, right? For what? To see what it might be like to find someone who understands you but still wants you to stick around?"

Lucifer laced his fingers, tilting his head as he thought. "That wasn't my goal. But… I guess over time, things have happened and… Perhaps." He looked back at John. "Perhaps."

"Well whoever they are, good luck to them," he said. "I mean, I know you're not a complete wanker. Others might not, but I do."

Lucifer grinned. "Ooh, high praise indeed from the man who shags succubi in graveyards."

John put two fingers to his temple, then flicked them out at him in a mock-salute.

Lucifer looked at his feet. "Thank you, John."

"What for?"

"For trying to shield me from those clouds in the park. It was stupid, but thanks."

"Hey, that's me all over."

"Yes, I rather think it is." He stood slowly. "I also think you need some rest."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," he gruffed.

Lucifer smiled ruefully. "Perhaps." He got up and let his hands slide into his pockets. "Thanks for everything, John." He looked around the front room. "Find some company. Even if it's just a one night stand. At least the place will have two voices in it. For a little while."

John reached forward and picked up the bottle of gin. He unscrewed the cap and lifted it. "I have this. I'll be fine."

Lucifer took it from him and put the lid back on. He went around his couch and took the bottle to the far kitchen, putting it back in the cupboard under the sink. "You know," he called over, "you may need my help someday. You're always more than welcome to rock up to Lux and demand an audience. I think I could drop everything to make time for you." He turned to walk back to the couch. "I don't say that to many people. Well, any people, actually." He stopped by the end, looking down to find that John had slipped both into the corner of the couch and a deep sleep.

He smiled for a moment, then looked at his watch. He gazed at the human for a long moment. Then he shook his head and put his hands in his pockets. He turned for the metal stairs. "One quick drink at Flo's before the flight back," he said to himself. "One or two Meshuggeners before take-off." He put his hand on the railing. He paused.

He looked back at John's head, just about visible over the back of the sofa. His feet turned him and before he knew it he had stopped in front of John's sleeping form. He turned and went to another couch, picking up a blanket that had been dumped on its arm, seemingly a long time ago. He brought it back and opened it out, laying it over the human. He crouched to drape it over his shoulder, and without his command his jaw jutted out and gently pushed a kiss into the top of John's head.

He got up and shook his head sadly. And then he turned for the staircase, and all that awaited him in LA.

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FIN

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Hey hey! Thanks for reaching the end, and thanks for putting up with my erratic posting. I hope you enjoyed this. I want to thank everyone for their comments (but most of all their traffic) - I can't find an agent who wants my original work, but seeing your attention and reviews here keeps me going. THANK YOU, YOU READING READERS WHO READ!