The morning after should have been awkward. Yet, even though the covers had slipped during the night and half of my body was exposed, I didn't have a care in the world. Instead I snuggled further into Lucius's side, stroking my hands across his chest. We had made love to one another – it hadn't just been sex. Just thinking about the intensity of emotion he had managed to evoke was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

"Everything okay?" Lucius asked in a sleepy grumble as his hand caressed lazily up and down the length of my spin.

"Everything is perfect." I replied, leaning up and kissing him, taking my time so that I could savour the moment.

Lucius murmured his agreement, his arm wrapping around my waist and hugging me tighter to his body.

"I know it only makes it more obvious how much older than you I am, but I wish you could have met my granddaughter. I think you would have liked each other." Lucius murmured, his lips brushing against the top of my head. "I kept my visits to her few and far between to stop her from being a target, but her gift allowed her a certain level of foresight. She would often make an impromptu visit – always without her mother's permission- to see me. Just me."

Reaching for his hand, I laced my fingers with his even as I squeezed my eyes closed. The awe in his voice, that someone would actually make the effort to visit him, was enough to cause an ache in my chest. It never ceased to amaze me how insecure he could be. Lucius was the devil. He was a powerful fallen angel who had spent millennia ruling over the underworld, playing around with the lives of mortals at his own whim, and yet he had just as many issues as the rest of us.

"She was a fighter. She was a painter when she wasn't consumed with her visions. And she had a good heart."

I turned my head and pressed a soothing kiss to Lucius' chest. "I'm sure we would have gotten along."

Opening my eyes, I lifted my head. Lucius was looking down at me, his blue eyes clouded over as he lost himself in his memories. His eyes shimmered as tears gathered, one lone drop breaking free and carving a path down his cheek. It hurt too much to see his pain – the loss he would forever feel.

Closing the distance between us, I took his lips in mine. Gently, I coaxed him back from the memories with gentle kisses. It took a moment, but then his lips felt less like stone and his hand tangled in my hair as he pulled me tighter to his body. Hungrily, his devoured my lips. My lips ached from the bruising kisses the night before, but I didn't care. I parted my lips even as I draped myself over his body so I could get closer. So I could feel more of him. So I could taste more of him.

A knock sounded on the door.

Groaning, I pulled my lips away from his and leant my forehead against his chest. My breath came out in uneven pants but I made no effort to move off of him. Our time alone was always fleeting and a part of me hoped that, if we remained quiet enough, our visitor would leave.

Another loud thump echoed throughout the room.

"I'll be there in a minute." Lucius shouted, lifting his hands and rubbing his face tiredly. "I guess we should return to reality."

"Yes, we should. But I don't want to." I admitted, rolling off of him and snuggling into the duvet. I noted with embarrassment that, due to our activities during the night, all of the pillows had been knocked on to the floor.

"Well, you could stay here all day and wait for me. We can continue where we left off when I am done?"

Reaching out blindly, I slapped Lucius on the chest and climbed from the bed. "That's not going to happen. There is too much to be done. I'm a very important person don't you know."

"I know. You're a very important person to me." Lucius growled, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me back down on to the bed. He pressed a kiss to my bare skin and when I glanced over my shoulder, his smouldering gaze was centred on me.

Another knock sounded on the door, louder this time and much more urgent. I glanced towards the closed door as Lucius reluctantly dropped his arms and pulled away.

"Sometimes I really hate being me."

I laughed and shook my head. "You don't mean that. Now come on, your adoring public awaits." Reaching down on to the floor, I picked up Lucius's shirt which had been discarded the night before and slipped it on over my body to hide my nudity.

Slipping out of the other side of the bed, Lucius pulled a robe from his closet and walked leisurely to the door. I hurried over to his en-suite bathroom just before he pulled open the door. Safely inside, I closed the door behind me but not before hearing Castiel's familiar voice. I almost stepped back out to see what was so urgent but it could wait for a few minutes.

Catching sight of myself in the mirror, I couldn't stop the goofy smile as it made its way on to my kiss swollen lips. I looked like I had been thoroughly debauched. My hair was a tangled and knotted mass around my head, there were rashes from Lucius's stubble on various parts of my body and there was love bites on either side of my neck. I stroked my finger across the tender skin and sighed as vivid images from the night before flooded through my mind.

With a shake of my head, I forced myself into the shower. Even though I enjoyed being surrounded by Lucius's scent, the dried sweat on my skin felt dirty and uncomfortable. Still, I made quick work of cleaning my hair and body, letting the water wash away the scent of sex and sweat. I used Lucius's soap so when I finally stepped out of the spray, I could still smell Lucius's scent on me.

I blinked as I noted the set of clean clothes which had been laid out for me beside the sink. I hadn't even heart Lucius coming in. Still, I didn't hesitate to slip into the high necked top which conveniently hid the marks on my neck and the long flowing skirt. There was even a pair of boots set out beside the door for me.

Pressing a hand to my chest, I smiled. He really thought of everything. I was sure he would have sent someone for my clothes but that he was thoughtful enough to remember it was enough. When I stepped out into the bedroom, Lucius was nowhere to be seen. The room was still and remained in a state of disarray. I made a feeble attempt to make the bed and I picked up all of the discarded clothes before I headed for the door.

Danny had already woken when I arrived in his room but was perfectly content playing with the Lego blocks on the floor. Greta knelt by his side, holding out bricks to him so that he could continue to build his masterpiece. Guilt welled up within me. While I had been having a lay in with Lucius, someone else had been taking care of my son.

I stood by the door, watching them together but unwilling to ruin the happy moment. It didn't matter because a moment later Danny lifted his head and beamed at me. He lifted his hand and waved happily. I waved back a grin on my lips. Despite training with the Angels, he still had the ability to be a child.

"Mummy, we're building our house." He said loudly, pointing down at the multi-coloured, wonky construction sitting on the carpet.

"That's great sweetheart." I replied, making no move to encroach on to the space.

"Can my friends come to play today? I want to show Leo my toys." Danny asked, abandoning his construction so that he was standing before me.

"I'll have to check with Lucius honey. I'm not too sure what we're doing today." I replied though in the back of my mind I knew plans were being made. We would have to venture back to Tartarus. I was not enthused about that but I wanted to know what had happened to Lucius.

My son stuck out his bottom lip into a pout. Shaking my head, I pulled him into a hug and pressed my lips together to stop a laugh to escape my lips.

"Even if they can't come over today, we'll find something fun to do. Okay?" I stated, stroking my fingers through his hair. "I've missed you and I want to spend the entire day with you."

"You can see me now." He mumbled smartly into my midsection.

"I know." I chuckled, hugging him to my body. "But I want us to do something fun together. Does that sound okay?"

Danny didn't give a verbal response. He just nodded his head.

"Good. And then tonight we'll be having a big dinner with the doctor the guards this evening so we'll have to play dress up again."

Danny pulled his head away from my body and stared up at me. his nose was wrinkled and he had an adorable from on his face. "I don't want to. Can I go like this?"

Looking down the jeans and dinosaur t-shirt combo, I shook my head. "Sorry sweetheart. As much as I love your t-shirt, we can't wear things like that posh dinners." I ruffled his hair affectionately when he dropped his gaze down to his trainer clad feet. "I promise, as soon as the dinner is over we can come back here and you can change into normal clothes."

"Promise?"

Crouching down, I met his gaze. He looked so much like his father. As he grew older and grew into his features, there was denying who had contributed to his making. It made my heart hurt to think that no matter what we tried to do Gabriel would still be missing out on a lot of Danny's life.

"I promise."

Little arms wrapped around my neck as my son hugged me properly, his chin resting on my shoulder as he did so. I breathed in deep before releasing the breath in a happy sigh. This was what I had been missing. No one could give hugs as good as Danny could. He held on tight as if I was going to vanish before his very eyes.

"Come on, let's go." I stated, nodding my head towards Greta and giving her a small smile before I retreated from the room with Danny nestled firmly within my arms.

Together we walked through the palace, stopping by the kitchens to gather a small picnic before we returned to the small hidden garden they had been in the day before. I loved it. It felt like a little piece of heaven in the midst of all of the chaos. All of the chatter and noise from the city which could so often be heard within certain parts of the palace, was blocked out by the soothing rustle of the leaves and the pleasant chirping of the odd little birds perched on the branches.

We didn't plan much of anything. First we explored, hunting through the trees and shrubbery for new and exciting things. I left Danny to continue exploring as I laid out the blanket and pulled out various meats, fruits, and snacks. Lucius arrived just as I was pulling out the cutlery. He leant down and placed a kiss on my lips before he lay down beside me, his hand playing with my hair as he watched my work.

"Everything okay?" I asked, glancing to the bushes where I knew a certain little boy was still searching for new and interesting things. "What did Castiel want?"

"Nothing much." Lucius stated.

I pinned him with a stern look. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not. He's just been pulling out some old tomes to see if there are any clues in them." Lucius said, looking out at the gardens, a frown upon his face. "Unfortunately Castiel's not great on ancient dialects so I have been attempting to translate the scrolls and tomes but they're old - much older than I am. With Phil gone, there is no one here to check my translations so we're a little bit lost."

We lapsed into silence. Phil, full name Mephistopheles, had betrayed Lucius what felt an age ago but in reality had only been a few months ago. Or was a years? I had lost all sense of time. Phil had gone against Lucius for his son and though Lucius didn't blame him for that, the betrayal still stung. And there was no way to rebuild the relationship to what it had been. Phil was dead and with him vanished all of the knowledge that he had accumulated over his lifetime. The loss was felt twofold as a result.

"We'll figure it out. For now we just need to focus on keeping your people calm and safe." I stated firmly before turning around so that I could peck his cheek. "Have you seen the healer today?"

Lucius nodded stiffly. "Yes. Damn woman keeps insisting on lots of check-ups."

"Is everything is okay?"

"Yes, she's just worried about a potential relapse. As there is nothing on record for a case like mine she is just being over protective."

I nodded my head in approval. "I'm glad. You really worried us."

Lucius groaned and leant his head on my shoulder. "Not you too. I can't deal with two fussing women."

"You should be so lucky." I snorted with a shake of my head.

Before anything else could be said, Danny came barrelling out of the trees, running as fast as his little legs could carry him. I sat up straight, heart beating wildly as my sword formed within my hand. My eyes immediately searched for danger but I quickly noted the excited gleam in my son's gaze as he stared down large lump within his arms.

"What in hell is that?" I asked, allowing my sword to flash out of existence as Danny bounced in front of me.

"Mummy, look what I found. He was alone in the bush."

Lucius sat up behind me, peering past my shoulder to look at the precious cargo. A little head lifted its black head, its ears lifting as it gave a pitiful snicker.

"Is that a horse?" I asked in disbelief. "I didn't know any of your horses were due pregnant."

"No. That foal does not belong to any of mine." Lucius muttered, crawling closer to get a better look.

The small creature wiggled and shook within Danny's arms so that he was forced to place him down on to the floor. The poor foal staggered to the side, tripping and stumbling over the plates. Small wings unfurled from its back and started flapping as the poor creature fought to remain upright. Danny rushed over and wrapping its arms around the small beast's and gently pulled it away from the picnic blanket. Then when they were safely away from any further obstacles, my son gently pressed a kiss to the horse's nose, laughing when the beast snorted in response and attempted to eat his hair.

Wide eyed, I turned to the man beside me. "Is that what I think it is? Is that a Pegasus?"

Lucius nodded mutely, his face becoming incredibly blank except for his lips which had pressed into a thin line.

"What's wrong? Is it dangerous?"

"No, the beast is not dangerous." He replied, his eyes looking away as he scratched his jaw. "It's more what he symbolises. The Pegasus has chosen Danny. I can feel their bond forming already." Lucius paused and shook his head.

"Surely that's not a bad thing?"

"The arrival of the Pegasus is not an accident. It has been gifted to Danny which means -."

"It means what?"

"It means that Danny has a great trial in his future." Lucius finished, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close. "The only time a Pegasus is gifted like this, the recipient is usually fated for something great. Hercules, Perseus, and the few others scattered throughout history were all bestowed with a Pegasus in their childhood to assist them on the trials to come."

I shook my head in denial. "No."

"There is nothing you can do." Lucius consoled. "Some things are so woven into the fabrics that there is nothing you or I can do to change them. He is to be the next great hero. All we can do is try out best to make sure he is prepared for what is to come. He has years yet to prepare but it will happen. We cannot hide him from this."

My heart felt like it was breaking at the thought of what my little boy would have to face. And yet, despite that, there was awe that the little person I had given life to had such a big destiny ahead of him. I smiled as I watched the winged horse and my son bond with one another. And then a giggle escaped my lips as another thought occurred to me.

"What is it?" Lucius asked, squeezing me tighter.

"I just had a thought. If we're keeping the Pegasus, where are we supposed to keep it when we return to London?"

Lucius just shrugged behind me. "It's fine. I'll buy us a new house."

I rolled my eyes and occasionally giggling at the thought of trying to explain the beautiful creature to the neighbours. The future would arrive when I least wanted it to but, for now, I would just enjoy the fact that my son was happy and had a new companion to be by his side. I could worry about his future later. If only it was that easy.