Fear ran through my veins like ice cold water. My mouth went dry and it was impossible to swallow.

He was like Jack’s shadow but worse. A million times worse.

“Alex go.” Jack coughed from the ground.
“Oh you know he’s not going to leave you.” Lucifer’s lips curled into a twisted smile as he spoke.

“What do you want.” I said in a monotone voice, forcing my words out.
“I need you.” He replied, Jack tried to stand up but failed. “Well not really ‘you’ per se, I need your grace.”
“My what?” I asked, feeling and hearing my heart pounding in my chest.
“I need your wings, your power, your strength. I basically need the thing that makes you an angel.” He answered.

Jack succeed in getting to his feet, but he was very unsteady.

“A-and if I say no?” I challenged nervously.
“Hm,” He laughed, “Let’s presume that this is a negotiation and that you actually have a choice, in which case I’d say that if you don’t cooperate, I’ll kill… Well everyone. You, Eliza, poor little Eli down in the basement.”
“How-“
“I know about everything.” He snapped, he took a step forward.
“Alex run.” Jack rasped, stumbling forward.
“He’ll kill them, Jack.” I protested.
“I’ll kill them, Jack.” He taunted in a happy voice.
“Okay how do I give you make grace or whatever?” I asked.
“Alex no, you won’t be able to cope without it.” Jack pressed, looking frantic.
“Jack do you need me to remove your tongue?” Lucifer asked making Jack glare at him. “All you need to do Alex,” He said, stalking over, “Is hold still.”

He pulled a long needle out from his jacket pocket. I gulped when he held it close to my neck, above my carotid artery. I felt a piercing in my skin, then agony swept over me like a crashing wave. I cried out and flinched away and Lucifer reached out at grabbed me in a rock hard grasp. I froze. The feeling of his touch almost made me completely forget about my neck. His clammy skin felt as cold as ice and empty as space. He was like a shell, like someone who used to be filled with life and love, but it was slowly, agonizingly strangled out of them. Every fiber of my being was demanding that I get far, far away from him because he was contagious. His emptiness, the void in his eyes seemed like it was reaching out to me, trying to pull me in. He was nothing now. Nothing but dark, twisted hate. I could see that. Anyone could. I fell to the ground and watched him kneel over me.

“You know it’s a shame.” He hummed, looking at the needle filled with a white, glowing, flowing liquid. “You had a lot of spirit. I could’ve used you.” Then suddenly he disappeared.

---

“Alex? Alex talk to me baby.” I pleaded, dragging myself over to him.

He just blankly stared at the sky, not responding. I could only imagine what he was feeling right now.

Every ounce of pain that his grace had shielded him from, was crashing down upon him. All the pain from the concentration camp, from the death of his parents and Grace, and all the pain that I’d caused him. Every shitty thing that had happened, was now raining down on him.

“Lex.” I whispered, moving to pick him up when he sprung to life.
“D-don’t n-n-no.” He stammered, shuffling away from me.

I could already see the tears in his eyes.

“Baby please come back with me.” I begged.
“St-stay over th-there.” He stammered with wide eyes.

It broke my heart to know that he was feeling all the hurt and anger and sadness from every time I hit him, yelled at him, raped him, and abused him.

“I’m sorry Alex, I truly am.” I sighed sadly.
He nodded, his eyes filling with tears.

I tried to move forward again but he backed away even more, keeping his eyes on me the whole time. Alex was having a nervous breakdown and I had to get him inside because god knows who else could show up.

I suddenly had a thought as to who could help.

Eliza

I didn’t want to leave him alone, but I had no choice. I had to get him back to the house and he wasn’t letting me touch him.

“ELIZA!” I called, tearing off into the backyard.

I continued to scream her name until she jumped down the stairs.

“God, what?” She asked irritated.
“It’s Alex.” I rushed, her expression changed drastically.

I explained everything that had happened as we ran back to the forest.

Alex was sat before us in the ground in the fetal position.

“Hey lex.” Eliza cooed.

I stood back and watched her slowly approach him. His head raised slightly and his arms tightened but other than that he didn’t react.

“What’s up?” She asked without an answer. “Honey is it okay if we go back up to the house?”

He stared at her.

“It’ll be a lot safer there and nothing will be able to hurt you.” She coaxed.

He nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off her.

“Okay can you stand?”
“He’ll be extremely weak for the next few hours,” Alex flinched at my voice, “He scarcely has the strength to breath.”

Knowing how weak he was made his actions hurt so much more. Because like I’d told Liza, Alex barely had the strength to breath. Yet despite this, he’d wasted some of his precious strength just to move away from me.

“Okay he’s too heavy for me so that means you’ll have to carry him.” Eliza said uncertainly and by the way Alex trembled when she said that, it wasn’t going to be an easy feat.
“Lex.” I hummed, kneeling on the ground. “I have to carry you up to the house but Liza will be right there okay? And she’ll make sure nothing bad happens.”

He shook his head, glancing frantically at her.

“You trust me don’t you?” She asked to which Alex nodded slowly. “Then trust me to make sure nothing happens. I’ll be right there beside you the whole time, I’ll hold your hand and everything.” She smiled warmly.

His lips twitched but he still looked uncertain.

“Please Lex, I know you don’t want to, but we have to get you out of here.” I pleaded.

He didn’t have time to respond before he toppled over unconscious.

“Oh my god.” Eliza whispered, rolling him over.
“He’s fine, he’s just exhausted. Getting half of your soul ripped away is draining.” I sighed, moving over and lifting him up.

We walked up to the yard in silence before Eliza broke it.

“Why does Lucifer want his… Grace?”
“I have absolutely no idea.” I sighed.
“Is he gonna be okay?” She whispered.
“Being an angel helps you cope with both physical and emotional pain. It’s kind of like taking advil. It doesn’t take away the pain entirely, but it helps. Well now that that was stripped away from him, he’s feeling everything his grace was protecting him from. All the hurt and anger and confusion from his life is now pummeling him in a sea of emotion and I have no idea on how he’s going to react.”
“So you’re saying when he wakes up, he could be an emotional wreak?” She asked, holding the door for me as my arms were full.
“Or be in a violent rage.” I confirmed, stepping through, nodding a thanks to her.

I placed him on the couch gently and played a blanket over him.

“How did lucifer even get out?” She asked breathlessly.
“Someone must’ve let him out.” I replied breathlessly, “But I can’t imagine anyone stupid enough to do that.”

Notes

title cred: Fat Face - Awolnation