And so it begins…….

What has happened to Lisa?  Is she safe?  Or at least as safe as a dead girl can be…….And Lucifer, is he actually the Devil or is he simply a devilish man in an expensive suit?
Let’s continue our long, strange trip……..
 
“What the Fuck do you think you’re doing??” Fred’s voice raised a decimal with every word. “You know she is one of mine! Damn dumb angel!”

At the word angel Lisa’s head swung toward Lucifer, only to swing back toward Momma Fred’s. From a distance she looked as though she was watching a tennis match.

“Do. Not. Call. Me. That!” Lucifer’s tan face darkened as he seemed to grow in height.

Oblivious to the apparent threat, Momma Fred’s eyes blazed. Her hair seemed to wither with power as a faint glow emanated from her form.

“You DARE!” Fred’s voice was brittle with anger. “You know what is at stake here, you know all the ramifications of this little game you’re playing. AND you know that you are about to piss me off!”

Lisa was transfixed by the exchange unfolding before her. The tension in the room seemed to twist and twirl around her only to settle in her chest. A strange tightness clenched at the muscles of her abdomen, and her arms felt heavy and leaden.

‘This must be what a heart attack feels like’, she thought, only to giggle hysterically at the thought of a dead girl having a heart attack.

Laughter bubbled and rolled in her form. Her arms began to tingle and her hands burned and itched. Then, like a light switching on, she knew. She knew what was happening and what she had to do to prevent the disaster that was about to take place.

Thoughts and fears battled in her mind as she watched, transfixed, as Momma Fred took a menacing step toward Lucifer and placed her palm against his chest. Sparks of power began to dance and sing around them, until they were blocked from her sight.

“STOP!” Her voice was so powerful and strong that every single piece of glass in the room shattered, showering them all in dangerous shards. “I have had enough!”

Lucifer and Fred both whirled to stare at her in amazement. The power that had surrounded them only seconds ago faded and winked out like a mystical firefly. Silence blanketed them like deep, soft batting.

“Momma”, Lisa said, looking toward the powerful Voodoo Priestess to whom she owed her existence, “you know that I love you, but you have to stop. Now.”
Momma Fred was stunned by the audacity of one of her own giving her an order. She puffed up, twice her normal size and prepared to wipe this little chit from the face of the Earth, plans be damned.
Before she could so much as move, Lisa threw out her hand, freezing the Voodoo Queen in place. Sighing heavily, Lisa shook her head and sighed, something that dead bodies usually aren’t capable of.

“Don’t.” Her voice was soft and soothing. “You know I’m right. You need to stop before you do something that you will regret, that I will regret. Go on home, Momma, I’ll be there directly and then you can blast me. But for now, just go.”

Without waiting for an answer, Lisa flipped her wrist and Momma Fred winked out of the room.

Lucifer watched the emotions that darted across Lisa’s face. Astonishment, fear, shock and understanding waged war in her eyes. 

Then, like a light blazing to life in a dark room, her expression relaxed and understanding took the place of the stronger, more dangerous emotions that had momentarily threated to overcome her.

“Stop staring at me.” Her voice was as soft and gentle as a kitten. “I don’t know what is going on, but I do know that I could destroy you right this instant, so stop. I won’t ask again.”

When Lisa raised her head to look at him, Lucifer felt fear for the first time he could ever remember. Her once beautiful eyes were red, flames dancing in the depths. Her skin was turning bronze and her hair was morphing to the beauty of molten gold. Power emanated from her very pores.

The door burst open and Momma Fred once again stomped in. Lisa turned and stared, confusion darkening her expression.

“Girl, you are screwing with something that you don’t understand. You need to sit down and listen for a minute before you get us all killed.” 
Momma Fred’s voice was soft and smooth as silk. She controlled her anger and fear with an iron hand, allowing nothing to be betrayed in her tone.

“You should listen to her.” Lucifer finally said. “We are all in over our heads now, thanks to you.”

He couldn’t keep shut. He realized he’d be better off if he had, but he just couldn’t help himself. Momma Fred glared at him, and Lisa looked at them both like they were misbehaving pets that had piddled on the floor.

“You low down, sneaking, piece of shit!” Momma Fred screamed as she advanced on Lucifer. “You kidnap her and keep her locked up for days. None of us knew where she was or how she was, other than Death knowing she was still alive. Worry us back into our graves.”

Momma’s voice had faded away, the strength seeming to leave as she remember the last days, worried about Lisa and wondering how badly things were going to be screwed up if and when they ever found her. She had never thought Lucifer would be behind the whole thing.

Lisa had stood silently, soaking in every word Momma Fred said. It was difficult to believe that she had been missing for days, it only seemed like a few hours. And Lucifer kidnapping her? She remembered getting into the elevator and the doors opening to reveal a very naked, very sexy man standing there, then…….nothing until she woke up earlier today.

Maybe she had been kidnapped. Maybe he had drugged her. Who the hell knew what had happened, she hadn’t even realized she had been missing that long. How long?

“Wait, you mean I’ve been gone for days?” Lisa’s voice was incredulous. She knew Momma Fred had to be mistaken. She hadn’t lost that much time. “How many days?”

Silence reigned. Lucifer and Momma Fred looked at one another, silently daring the other to break the silence that deafened them all.

“Well?” Lisa’s question was left hanging in the air, a threat that no one dared to accept.

Disgusted, she turned and walked from the room. If neither of them were going to explain, she would find Death, she knew he would at least tell her how long she’d been gone. Besides, he was kind of cute and right now she needed cute.

Momma Fred punched Lucifer on the arm, it was so unexpected that he actually flinched. It was almost impossible to cause him pain, but being startled or surprised was becoming a habit. A habit he did not appreciate.

“What the…..”, burst from his lips before he could stop himself. “Why did you do that? I’m getting damn sick of people pushing me around. I am not going to allow”

“Oh shut the fuck up!” Momma Fred swung again, this one falling short of the sculptured chin she had been aiming for. “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t of lined up that damn interview to lure her here. Dammit!! Things are so screwed up!”

“My fault?” Lucifer shouted. “I’m not the one that gave her that damnable sandwich and jump started her heart! That was you!! You brought her back to life twice now, isn’t that enough? Do you have to be tossing the blame at everyone else too?”

Pacing back and forth in front of his desk, Lucifer began muttering, his voice soft and dangerous. Momma Fred couldn’t make out exactly what he was saying, but she believed she heard her name followed by the words ‘stupid bitch’ once or twice. Her own anger began to build, although worry and fear for Lisa overshadowed it.

“We need to stop this. She needs us now, regardless of whose fault anything is.” Momma Fred flopped down into the nearest chair. “We can have our cat fight later. Right now we need”

“To figure out what the fuck to do?” Lucifer finished the question, knowing that Fred would be angry about it, but so what. “Yeah, you’re right. We do need to figure out what to do and how to do it. We don’t have time for this bullshit between us.”

Taking his seat behind the large oak desk, Lucifer popped his elbows on the desktop and cradled his head in his palms. Things were spinning out of control and he had no idea how to slow it down. And he didn’t have faith in Momma Fred having any clue, but hey, miracles happened every day.

Raising his eyes to look at her, he felt his believe in miracles wither and die. Heaving a sigh, he listened as Momma Fred began to lay out her plan to stop the apocalypse.

Stay tuned for another installment of the Nearly Departed!!