Chapter sixteen

         Alex’s body twitched and she squirmed in her sleep, a pained look on her face. On the right side of her chest, in between her collarbone and breast, a circle began to burn itself into her skin. Inside of this circle, a weirdly shaped symbol also burned into her.

         Alex gasped and woke up, panting. What the hell happened?!

         They tried to take you away from me.

         Dan? Alex moved her shirt down and saw Dan’s seal was there again. It burned, and was throbbing badly.

         Are you okay? Where are you?

         I don’t know…. Alex looked around the small bedroom. It was boring, all dull colors. It also had lots of books scattered everywhere, some in bookshelves, others carelessly tossed onto the floor. I think Gabriel said it was a psychic’s house.

         You’re with him?! Why!?

         I don’t know! Calm down! I’m leaving now. Alex stood up from the bed and instantly felt dizzy.

         “A little lightheaded, are we?” Alex heard Lucifer comment.

         “Why are you still here.” Alex grumbled. “Fuck off…”

         “Hey, you should be grateful, I let you sleep.”

         “Shut up.” Alex muttered.

         You better get here quickly. We still have time to kill Lucifer.

         Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Alex hoped killing Lucifer would make the hallucinations stop too.

         And you better do whatever it takes to get here. Whatever it takes.

         Gotcha. Alex felt around her clothing, looking for her angel blade. Finding it wasn’t there, she looked around the room, but still found nothing. Damn.

         “Looking for this?” Lucifer asked, twirling her angel blade in his hands.

         “Give it back. I don’t have time for this.” Alex ordered. “Now.”

         “Why should I?”

         “Because I said so.” Alex glared at Lucifer.

         “Hm. Not a very convincing argument.” He continued to twirl the blade.

       Alex sighed dramatically, “Just hand it over.” She walked up to Lucifer and tried to grab the blade from his hands, but it disappeared right as she touched it. “Hey!”

         “What?” Lucifer smirked.

         Alex looked around the room again and found the angel blade lying on the end of the bed. Angrily, she stomped over to it and grabbed it. “Douchebag.” She muttered, and left the bedroom, Lucifer following closely behind.

         “So, you’re going to fight Gabriel, huh?” Lucifer asked.

         “I never said that.” Alex shoved the angel blade into her boot.

         “You’re thinking it. And that demon’s got a leash on you.” Lucifer pointed out.

         “Shut up.” Alex growled.

         “You sure you want to kill Gabe? I thought you guys had a thing?”

         “Are you trying to stop me?” Alex stopped walking, not like she knew where she was going anyway.

         “How could I? I’m not real.” Lucifer teased.

        “My God you’re annoying.” Alex rolled her eyes and continued finding her way around the second floor of the house.

         “But really, is it worth it? You’re going to kill your love for some slimey demon?” Lucifer continued.

         “Will you shut the hell up already?!” Alex stopped walking again and yelled at him.

         “Whatever. You do what you want.” Lucifer gave up, raising his hands.

        “Why are you trying to protect Gabe anyway?” Alex asked, continuing walking again.

         “Well, he is my brother.”

         “You killed him.” Alex raised an eyebrow at him.

         “Eh, who cares. He’s fine now.” Lucifer shrugged.

         “I’m pretty sure he cares.”

         “And why do you care? I thought you didn’t love him anymore?” Lucifer retorted. “Or is there still a bit of Alex left in you?” He poked her shoulder.

         “Shut the hell up.” Alex growled. “It’s not like I really want to kill him….” She grumbled. 

         “You don’t?” Lucifer seemed interested.

         “No. But Dan wants me to.”

         “So you’re going to listen?”

         Alex shrugged, and shook her head, still not really sure. She had been sure before, but now, she didn’t know. Lucifer’s words were getting to her.

         “I wonder what the downside of killing me is?” Lucifer thought out loud after a few moments of silence.

         “What do you mean?” Alex found the staircase, but stopped to hear what Lucifer had to say.

         “Well, Gabriel wouldn’t stop you if there wasn’t a downside.”

         “He thinks me being a full demon is the downside.” Alex muttered.

         “No, besides that.” Lucifer shook his head. “You read about Dantalion, right?”

         “I couldn’t find much, so no, not really.”

         “Well, the seal you have turns humans into demons-” Lucifer started.

         “No shit, Sherlock.” Alex interrupted.

         “Just listen. Dantalion can use the demons he creates for special spells, spells that  only he can do.”

         “And you’re saying that’s why he needs my help with the spell?” Alex assumed.

         “Well sort of-”

         “And he chose me because I was already half demon and it’d take less time,” Alex thought.

         “Actually, I-”

         “I gotta get to him then.” Alex looked down the stairs. “The sooner we kill you, the sooner you stop annoying me.”

         Lucifer sighed and followed Alex down the stairs, The one time I actually try and help and she doesn’t listen!

         “Alex,” Gabriel looked surprised when she reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the kitchen.

         “You’re awake already?” Jamie stood up from the kitchen table.

         “Yeah,” Alex replied simply.

         “Are you ok? How do you feel?” Gabriel asked. Lucifer stood nearby, just waiting for everything to play out.

         “I feel fine, actually.” Alex replied.

         “Seal still gone?”

         “Yeah.” Alex lied.

         “That’s great!” Jamie smiled. “Then we can get started on the other spell.”

         “Other spell?” Alex echoed.

         “So you’re not a demon.” Gabriel vaguely explained.

       “Why? If the seal’s gone there should be no problem, right?” Alex felt a strong burning sensation where the seal was, and held back a cry.

         Gabriel and Jamie shared a look, then Gabriel turned back to Alex, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

         “I’m fine.” Alex assured, but the pained tone in her voice said differently.

         “Alex?” Jamie took a step towards her. “Are you seeing Lucifer still?”

         “I’m fine.” Alex insisted.

         “You’re still seeing him?” Gabriel asked.

         “I said I’m fine….” Alex repeated.

         “Of course you’re fine. I haven’t done anything yet.” Lucifer rolled his eyes. “Maybe I should start though….” He tapped his chin with one finger. “Hmm…”

         Alex glared at Lucifer, then sighed, getting dizzy again. “I-I think I’m going to go back to bed….”

         “Oh, ok. You need anything? Water? Food?” Gabriel offered.

         “No.” Part of Alex really didn’t want to fight him. She had a new plan, she’d just sneak out the bedroom window before they noticed.

         “Wow. There actually is a bit of human in you.” Lucifer followed her up the stairs. “But you know I’m not going to let you go that easy. I was really looking forward to a fight!” Lucifer stepped in front of her on the stairs and made Alex stop.

         “Move.” Alex growled under her breath.

         Instead, Lucifer pushed her, and she gasped, trying to grab onto the railing before she tumbled down half a flight of stairs.

         “Alex!” Jamie gasped and ran over, Gabriel following.

         “F-Fucking douchebag…” Alex glared at Lucifer who was still standing on the stairs, smirking. She held her head, that was now throbbing from slamming against the wall.

         Gabriel sighed, and offered her a hand, “C’mon.” Alex reluctantly took his hand and he pulled her up. “You alright?”

         “Can you stop asking me that!?” Alex pulled her hand away from him and brushed herself off. She noticed Lucifer was standing behind Jamie, twirling Alex’s angel blade in his hands. Alex looked in her right boot, where she had hid the blade, and found it wasn’t there. She looked back up at Lucifer and watched as he stabbed Jamie in the back, but she didn’t react at all. Alex cringed and looked away, finding Gabriel was talking to her.

         “Hey, Alex. Are you even listening?” Gabriel waved his hand in her face.

         “What? Y-Yeah…” She shook her head, as if in some attempt to shake Lucifer from her mind.

         “Alright, come on,” Gabriel waved for her to follow him up the stairs.

         “You don’t need to babysit me.” Alex crossed her arms and followed him.

        “Well, you did forget how to walk upstairs.” Gabriel pointed out.

         “I was pushed!” Alex exclaimed, then realized she sounded insane. Shit...

         “Pushed?” Gabriel turned to her at the top of the stairs.

         “Um….” Alex walked past him down the hall. “Nothing.” She entered the bedroom and looked around, making sure Lucifer hadn’t followed.

         “You didn’t think I’d leave, did you?” Lucifer sat on the end of the bed.

         Alex ignored him and walked over to the bed, flopping down on it. “Ok. You can leave now.” She lifted her head and looked at Gabriel.

         “Ok. Get some rest.” Gabriel nodded and left the room, shutting the door most of the way behind him. It felt awkward talking to Alex. She didn’t seem to notice that he felt awkward about it, and how he didn’t really know what to say. Even if she was back to normal, what about their relationship? They broke up, yeah, but was she just going to leave and they’d never talk again? He didn’t want that.

         Sure, she was giving him a hard time recently, but he kept trying to blame Dantalion for it. Gabriel wanted to believe that all of this was the demon’s fault, that Alex didn’t want to do any of this, but he knew it wasn’t all Dan’s fault. “I should’ve killed him when she first mentioned him…” Gabriel muttered to himself angrily.

         “What’d you say?” Jamie asked.

         Gabriel looked around, realizing he had wandered into the kitchen already, “Oh, nothing.”

         “You can’t blame yourself for this, Gabriel.” Jamie tried to comfort him.

         “But I should’ve done something. I knew what he was capable of.” Gabriel sighed.

         “How were you supposed to stop it if you didn’t know it was happening?” Jamie crossed her arms.

         “I don’t know…”

         “You can’t worry about what you should’ve done or what could’ve happened. What’s done is done and you can’t change that so you just have to deal with it and work with what you’ve got.”

         “Yeah.” Gabriel chucked a bit. “You’re pretty good at telling people what they want to hear.”

         Jamie smirked, “All part of the job….But really Gabe, Alex is fine now. You don’t have to worry.”

         “Yeah, I kn-” Gabriel was interrupted as the sound of glass shattering came from Jamie’s bedroom upstairs, the room Alex was in. Gabriel and Jamie shared a look then both ran for the stairs.

         “Alex?!” Jamie entered the room first, searching the room wildly for the missing antichrist. “She’s not here!”

         “Dammit.” Gabriel growled, looking out the shattered window Alex escaped from.

         “W-What do we do?!” Jamie asked, walking over to Gabriel.

         “I’ll go after her.” Gabriel decided.

         “Should I come too…?” Jamie suggested, but she wasn’t sure how much help she’d be.

         “No. Stay here. It’s too dangerous.”

         “Okay.” Jamie nodded.

~