4

'Tom Petty's voice and the beautiful sound of his guitar poured through the open windows of my 1964 Pontiac GTO. I spun around as the red and orange leaves fell from the tree, fall finally in the air. My boots danced in the gravel and my flannel fell down one of my shoulders, showing the tips of a tattoo I'd gotten years ago. I laughed, throwing back my head and taking another sip of the beer that was in my hand. 

"Last dance with Mary Jane." I sang clear into the sunlit sky.

I turned around to face the devil himself when he chuckled at me, that deep sultry sound was all I needed to fall for him again. I pushed my hair out of my eyes as I took him in. Lucifer sat on the black hood of my car, a beer in his hand, a crooked grin on his face, and a beautiful sparkle in his blue eyes.

"Dance with me," I said, walking over to him. He shook his head, the smile on his face growing. I took his hand and tried to pull him to me anyway.

"I don't dance, sweetheart," Lucifer said, taking a drink.

"Fine," I pouted, going back to spinning by myself in the gravel. I bent low, picked up a handful of colorful leaves, and tossed them at Lucifer. "At least turn up the radio. I want to feel like I'm at a concert again."

He pushed himself off the hood, laughing more as he leaned through the driver's window and cranked up the music until it echoed through the trees. Then he returned to the hood and continued to watch me drunkenly dance with the music as it wound through the air.

"Do you play any instruments?" I asked, tossing my now empty bottle aside. "The bible mentioned you had the gift of music."

"Did it?" Lucifer questioned, a look of interest on his face. Fuck, he was breathtaking. "I dabbled, why?"

"If you could play for me like Tom can, you'd be even sexier," I smirked.

"Really?" He asked, sliding from the hood again. The smirk grew across my lips as he came to me.

"Uh-huh," I said with a nod, stepping back slightly and pulling my flannel over my shoulder again.

"You think I need to be sexier?" His smile was deadly.

"Uh-huh," I repeated. I screamed and turned to run from him as Lucifer raced forward and snatched me up into his arms. I laughed. "Luci!"

"It should be a sin for you to be this cute while drunk." He teased, kissing my cheek before releasing me.

"Everything I do is a sin." I teased, turning back to him. He nodded in agreement as he once again returned to the hood. I walked over to him and snatched up his hand again before he was fully seated, pulling him back to me. "Dance with me," I said again.

Lucifer rolled his eyes but finally gave in. All I had to do was ask, and the devil would give me whatever I wanted. Anything at all in the world. One of his hands took my hip and the other stayed in my hand, spinning me around. I giggled. The only thing that could make this better would be if Alex were still alive. I could almost hear her teasing in my head.

-You add a whole new meaning to the phrase 'dancing with the devil', Elly-

The thought made me smile more.

"Don't you ever get tired of this music?" Lucifer asked, bringing me back as the song changed to Bob Seger and his piano.

I shook my head. "I'd sit and listen to them by myself!" I sang, now more dancing around Lucifer than with him.

I couldn't remember being this happy in a long time. And that felt so odd to me. Every day had been like this. Relaxing at the end of the day. Listening to classic rock, drinking, working off the adrenaline of a good hunt.

But I couldn't remember a hunt this time. We had been chasing a D̶̳̻̾j̸͔̀̚ḭ̴̫͋͌n̵̡͔͌̍n̷̟͊̅ and that had been somewhere in Nebraska. I looked around, and for the first time, it occurred to me that I honestly had no idea where we were. Not a single clue. I couldn't have been that drunk.

I stopped dancing and ran a hand through my long hair. This wasn't right. It couldn't have been. Where the Hell were we? And Lucifer never danced. Never. No matter how much I begged or asked. It was a constant that he would never do with me. And he didn't let me drink until I was drunk anymore. And he had stopped swearing around me anymore unless it was said in Enochain. Or I assumed that was how he swore. He only spoke it when he was pissed off or we were having sex.

"Everything alright, sweetheart?" Lucifer asked, moving to stand next to me and taking my hand. "You feeling ok?"

"What did you call me?" I asked softly, looking into his ancient g̵͙̽r̷̬͇̓͘ë̷͓̟́ŷ̸̗̠̀ ̴̥͑̚ẽ̶̬́ỷ̵̙̀ĕ̸̮͗ş̷̱̀.

"Sweetheart." He answered, "What's wrong?"

"Innocrect. You call me 'Sunbeam', not 'sweetheart'." I pulled my hand from his. I started pacing, my hands going back through my hair. "This isn't real.."

"What are you talking about?" L̸͓̃͆ủ̷͎̦̃c̵͖̲̐i̵̝̕f̵͚̖̍e̷͇̦͝r̵͖̒͗ took my wrist and pulled me back to face him. "Elly?"

I laughed a sharp nervous sound. "He doesn't call me Elly." I hissed, pushing him away from me. "It's Elizabeth."

I pulled away from him and walked to the nearest tree until I was leaning against it. I pulled a small knife from my pocket, a constant I always had, even in a D̴̼̄̽j̸̦͕̔ĩ̵̘͔͝ǹ̴̻͋n̷̯̑̋ dream it seemed. And it had to be the D̴̼̄̽j̸̦͕̔ĩ̵̘͔͝ǹ̴̻͋n̷̯̑̋, that was the only answer. How else would I not have remembered getting here? How else would I not know where I was? I placed the blade against my throat and took a deep breath.

"Ȅ̸̪̥̈́l̵̟̳̐ĺ̶͚̀y̸͓̹͂, what are you doing?" L̷̖̣̚ǘ̷̼̓c̷̻̚ͅi̵̼͐̀f̵̡̛̩̑e̷̦͈̔r̵̬̫͑ asked urgently. I could hear his footsteps over the gravel as he walked up behind me.

This was how Dean had gotten out. Killed himself. That's what I would do now. That was the only thing that would force me to wake up. And if I was so deeply wrong…then it was a life worth living.

With one smooth stroke, I pulled the blade across my neck, a burn following it through my skin. I tried to suck in the air, but my throat filled with blood and it became gargled, the knife falling from my hand as the blood began to run down my chest. It soaked my shirt.

"E̸͈͈͝l̶͎̱̈̅ĺ̷̨͝y̵̲͓͐!" Ľ̷͚̎u̸̩͋̚c̷̯̭̑i̸̭̼̅̏f̵̺̍͝ě̶̮͆r̶͙̚ shouted.

My hand took m̷͇̉y̵̺͑ ̷͈́t̴̔ͅḥ̵͌r̴̭̽ơ̵̮a̴̛̫t̶̖́ ̵͔͑a̸͔̔s̴̩͗ ̸̪̆t̸͙̀h̴̥͝ḙ̵͐ ̶̢̈́b̸̙̄l̶̼̓o̶̟̐o̸͂͜d̸̡̑ ̸̗̀filled my mouth, a warm copper taste covering my tongue. My knees gave way underneath me and I tumbled to the forest floor, m̵͈͠ÿ̴̰ ̴̻̽ḅ̶͛l̴͖͂o̶̼͝o̷͚̿d̸̻̏ ̴̟̏m̷̦̓į̷̛ẍ̸͕́i̷̺͆n̴̲̍g̵̡̈́ ̸̘͠w̷̙͋i̶͈͝t̴̼͋h̷̢̋ ̷̠̄t̸͖̍h̴̀͜ȅ̸̬ ̶̯͐l̷̳̏e̵̳͊ä̵̯́v̸̰̂ē̵̯s̶̘̃…'

"Elizabeth!" Came a familiar hiss as something patted my cheek. "Come on, Sunbeam. Wake. Up!" My eyes rolled open and I stared through the fog at the man holding me.

"Lucifer?" I asked once I was able to see him, my throat raw and scratchy.

"There you are." He sighed, his voice low and rushed. "I'm gonna untie you, ok? Can you hold yourself up?"

I tried to move my feet, but couldn't find them through the cold numbness that still held my body. I wasn't sure I could feel anything but his arms around me. Did I even still have limbs to move?

Lucifer didn't wait for my answer, and the next thing I knew I was falling forward until he caught me against his chest. My arms sang with pins and fire as blood found them again. How long had they been strung up above my head?

"Don't worry. I've got you." Lucifer said softly, scooping me into his arms.

A sharp pain ran through my head as it made contact with the floor. I wasn't sure how I had ended up there, but the world spun at the edges of my vision regardless. I tried my best to see through the darkness, but could only make out the sounds of a struggle.

"Lucifer?" I called, sitting up gingerly and trying to get to my knees.

"Run, Elizabeth!" Lucifer's voice shouted through the darkness.

I got ot my feet but stumbled, a hand going to my head. My knees shook underneath me. I looked up in time to see a knife get yanked from Lucifer's hand and clank against the cold stone floor under our feet.

Lucifer was tackled to the ground by the Djinn, the monster several sizes larger than him, with dark tattoos covering its body. I staggered to the knife and got down on my hands and knees to search for it. I scrambled for it, reaching under a disassembled car for its blade.

More shuffling came from behind me, and then gasping, struggling for air. I groaned as I got back to my feet, fighting off the sick feeling that groaned in my stomach and throat. I could barely make out in the dim light of the mechanics shop we'd found the Djinn in, the monster on top of Lucifer, the thing's hand glowing a bright blue.

I couldn't reach the knife in time. I didn't know what else to do. I scrambled for the first things my fingers could grasp and pick up, and hobbled over, raising the tire iron over my shoulder. I did my best to balance myself and swing the iron down on the Djinn's head. There was a sickening crack before the Djinn fell to the ground, the glow subsiding. 

My knees trembled under me and I dropped to the floor, all adrenaline gone from me again. The tire iron clanked to the ground next to me, echoing in the dark space. Lucifer gasped for air as he sat up, his hand loose around his neck.

"Cutting it close there, Sunbeam." He teased, his voice rusty. He coughed and moved closer to me, his hands taking my face. "Let's get you back to the motel."