"Do you want some tea?"

Lifting my eyes from the stack of papers in my lap, I blinked up at Lucius. His dark hair was still mussed from sleep but his eyes were alert and there was a twinkle in those beautiful blues. I sat up straighter in my chair and stretched. A small dining table had been brought into the throne room and it now served a secondary function as my work desk.

"Sorry, I was miles away." I murmured, tilting my head and accepting the chaste kiss as Lucius lowered his lips to mine in greeting. He lingered for a moment, nuzzling my nose with his before he pulled away.

"Good morning."

"Good morning." I replied, smiling up at him. "And yes, I would love some tea."

Taking the papers from my hands, he set them on the table before stealing another kiss. He was doing it all of the time now. Ever since we had taken that step together into a relationship, he would always find some way to brush his hand against mine, steal kisses or just be near to me. I thought I would find it irritating after spending so much of my life alone but instead I cherished the small gestures. He cared for me – it was what mattered.

"I want you to have dinner with me tonight." Lucius stated as he handing me a steaming cup of tea.

Holding the cup in both hands, I inhaled the comforting scent and sighed. Instantly I felt some of the tension ebb from my body. Sometimes the best remedy for life's troubles was just a steaming cup of strong tea.

"I thought we were having dinner together anyway." I replied finally, peeking over the rim of the cup in time to his lips press together and his nostrils to flare briefly. I snorted into my cup. Taking a noisy slurp of the hot tea, I looked anywhere but that the man before me.

"Yes, but I wanted tonight to just be us." Lucius clarified. "I meant know just you, me, and Danny. You know – family time. None of the riff raff."

Rolling my eyes, I nudged my shoulder into his as he took the seat beside me. "That sounds good to me. I think we need some quiet time."

Lucius wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. Both of us had been on edge since the scene in the throne room but three weeks had passed and still Terran had not made a move. The anticipation was almost worse than actual fighting. It left me restless. There had not been a single night where I had slept the entire night through.

"I'm proud of you, Savannah."

I frowned. "For what?"

"For being you. You've taken all of this responsibility in your stride. I don't think many people could do what you have done." Lucius stated. There was no hint of his smirk. No teasing glints in his eyes. He was serious.

I swallowed to get past the lump which had formed in my throat. "Thank you."

"Now, eat something or I won't give you back the paper. Don't think I missed you skipping lunch yesterday."

I dropped my head and felt my cheeks heat up under his stern gaze. I had become consumed in the affairs of demons ever since the audience had been held. It was fascinating how similar their grievances were to humans. There were squabbles over land, livestock, and house feuds. It appeared that even when humanity began to fade, some traits would forever remain ingrained into their souls.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to take better care of myself."

Lucius kissed my temple and then slid a plate of steaming food before me. Inhaling deeply, I drew in the tantalising aroma of freshly cooked pastries; mini croissants, pain au chocolat, and pain aux raisins beckoned. My hunger gnawed at me as my stomach grumbled loudly. It felt like I hadn't eaten for days but in reality it had only been twelve hours.

"These are good," I groaned as bit into the chocolate filled pastry first.

"I knew you'd like them." Lucius murmured before settling into his own breakfast.

The pair of us sat side by side in companionable silence for a while longer. Danny had still been sleeping when I had last checked in on him. Although he was no longer with his biological father, it had been decided that he would still need to be taught to protect himself. The training session yesterday had left him exhausted.

I gulped a large mouthful of hot tea and set down my cup on the table with a loud bang. It hurt my heart to even consider the measures necessary but it appeared there would always be a target on my back. Danny was in the crosshairs just by being my son and the son of an archangel; an unfortunate accident of his birth which meant he would never have a normal human life. It wouldn't stop me from trying to give him some normalcy.

"Everything okay?"

Lifting my gaze, I smiled sadly. "Everything is fine. I was just thinking about the life Danny will have."

Reaching out a hand, Lucius cupped my cheek and forced me to look up at him. "He will have a good life. We will make sure of it. We will protect him and love him. We will make sure he is happy. That is the best any parent can do. And if anyone tries to harm him, they will have the wrath of the Devil to contend with."

Reaching out my own hand, I smoothed out the frown lines on his forehead and then stroked a finger along his jaw until Lucius relaxed. In moments like this, I knew I had made the right decision. "Thank you."

Lucius turned his head and kissed my fingers. And then with reluctance, the two of us turned out attention back to the stack of paperwork on the table.

I soon found myself completely absorbed in the petty demon squabbles once more and time passed quickly. I was vaguely away of people entering and leaving the room but Lucius remained at my side. I didn't have to be looking at him to know that he was there.

Warm lips brushed across my cheek causing warm tingles to course across my skin. I jumped and lifting my gaze up to Lucius who was now standing over me.

"Hey," I murmured, my eyes roving over his face. He was smiling at me, in that special way that only he could, but something felt off. His shoulders were tense and his jaw was clenched tightly. I stiffened. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

Lucius didn't immediately answer; instead he pressed a light kiss to my forehead before giving me a fake smile. One of those smiles which didn't reach his eyes.

And then he lied to me.

"Nothing, it's just a minor disturbance."

"Don't give me that. You forget that I know you." I retorted, folding my arms across my chest. "Don't try and protect me Lucius. It will only end up with someone getting hurt and that someone is you."

Before I could so much as utter a word of protest, Lucius' lips were on mine. It was a distraction but even as I fought to keep my mind clear, I was overwhelmed by sensation. My eyes closed on instinct as I became ensnared by the feelings only he could ignite within me. Delicious fire spread out from my where our lips met and spread out to every part of my body. It felt like passion, fire, and at the same time it felt like home. I longed to deepen the kiss, to draw in more of the fire to warm both my heart and soul but Lucius was already pulling away.

"There's nothing to worry about. I'll be back in a few hours and then we can have dinner just the three of us; you, me, and Danny." He stated breathlessly, pressing his lips to my hair.

I closed my eyes briefly and revelled in the gesture of comfort. And then I tried to regain some equilibrium. It was difficult. His hands, which bore calluses from millennia of sword fighting, were still stroking over my skin. The small circles he was drawing on my skin were almost as drugging as his kisses.

When he pulled away, I peered up at his face. I didn't like what I saw. His mask was on – the one he usually reserved for strangers. He was trying to hide something. My stomach lurched uncomfortably. I could try to force it out of him but the way his lips were pressed together I knew it would yield no results.

Finally I smiled, "Okay, but I get to choose where we eat this time. "

"Deal," he murmured. His thumb stroked over my cheek before Lucius allowed his hands to drop to his sides. "I've got to go, Castiel is waiting for me."

"Duty calls." I stated, nodding my head.

Before I could give into the urge to say anything further, I turned my gaze back to the stack of paperwork. I skimmed my gaze over the page as I waited him to leave but I couldn't focus on the words. His stare burned into the side of my face almost like a physical caress. It lasted for a few more seconds but finally he turned and strode away.

Each slap of his shoes on the stone floor caused the knot in my stomach to coil tighter and tighter. Dragging my gaze upwards, I watched as he exited the room without a backward glance.

Setting the papers back down on the table, I bowed my head and drew in a steadying breath. My heart throbbed painfully in my chest. Where was he going? Was it Terran? It wouldn't be difficult to believe the demon was the cause of whatever trouble was brewing. He had been in the city for days and had yet to make any move despite his threat. It had left us both a little jumpy, just waiting for the demon to strike.

Running a hand down my face, I tried to clear away the tiredness which suddenly consumed me. I was alone. It felt strange to be in the throne room my without Lucius by my side. Glancing around at the vast space, I tried to remember what I was supposed to be doing. My mind refused. Instead I kept drifting back to Lucius.

Sighing loudly, I pushed the papers into a neat pile before standing from the table. Distraction was what I needed. It was the only way I would get through the next few hours without standing at the doors to the castle waiting for Lucius's return.

Danny was still asleep when I entered his room. Laid in a giant four poster bed all by himself, he looked so peaceful. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I stretched out my right hand and then ever so gently stroked my index finger down the bridge of his nose. Danny muttered a protest, his hand swiping my hand away from his face.

"Come on sleepy head, It's time to wake up." I cooed, smoothing the back of my fingers over his chubby cheek.

"No, mummy." Danny grumbled before rolling away from me.

With a laugh I placed a hand under each of his arms and pulled him in close so that I could snuggle him into my body. He groaned in protest but I kissed his forehead and proceeded to rub his back soothingly.

"Time to wake up, Danny. I thought we'd go into the city and get some treats? Do you want to do that?"

My son nodded his head against my shoulder even as I stroked his hair. "Well, you need to get dressed or we can't go. I think you might look a bit silly if you're wearing your pyjamas outside."

Lifting his head, Danny rubbed the sleep from his eyes and asked through a yawn, "Sweeties?"

Lucius had started him in on the sweet tooth, corrupting my son with sweets at Hades' wedding. I hated that he was already hooked on confectionary. Yet looking at his hopeful face for a few moments, I felt myself caving in. He was a different little boy to the one who had gone to stay with his father. He was older. At times it felt like I was looking into the soul of an adult. It was in those moments I felt like a failure as a mother. In trying to keep my son safe, I had to constantly leave him in the care of others. I had sworn to myself I wouldn't do that to him.

"Okay, just one though. Too many sweets are bad for your teeth." I tapped him playfully on the end of his nose.

Danny nodded his head obediently but his grin was wide with childish glee. I knew in that moment I had made the right decision by giving in. I wouldn't do it often. I didn't want to turn him into a little nightmare. But my little boy needed to experience things like this – eating sweets, play dates, and other childish activities. He needed to have a childhood before reality came knocking and took it all away.

Decision made the pair of us got ready and headed into the city. It was the best way to while away the hours and when Lucius returned, we could finally have the family time we so desperately needed.

A/N: If you head on over to the #WattpadBlockParty Summer Edition II, (I'll post the links in the comments), you will find my exclusive Lucius POV post. It will give you a sneak peek at what is happening between the chapter three and the upcoming chapter four while poor Savannah remains in the dark.

If you do check it out, please let me know what you think! As always, thank you for reading, voting, and commenting. I am forever grateful for your continued support. You are what makes this all worthwhile.