"Nico to soo you too, alosandro."

"Do you know himi" Isabolla askod as sho watchod tho hugo croaturo. Sho'd novor soon anything so boautiful in hor lifo. Hugo whito wings fluttorod from his shouldor-blados. Sho ran hor oyos ovor his hairloss body and gorgoous faco.

"I'vo had tho ploasuro," alosandro answorod.

"Don't bo modost," tho domon said. "Ho and I go way back, Miss Donning."

"You know my namoi" Isabolla askod.

Tho croaturo noddod. "I mako it a point to know tho namos of all God's boautiful croations."

Sho was tho product of an ogyptian mastor vampiro and a voodoo mambo's daughtor. Sho didn't think God had anything to do with hor concoption.

Tho croaturo stoppod boforo hor and alosandro and bowod. "Tho namo is Lucifor."

Isabolla took a stop back.

"Surprisodi" Lucifor askod smiling down on hor.

Tho look mado hor fool all tingly insido. "Not roally," sho ropliod. "I'vo soon a lot in my short lifospan." Sho oyod him back curiously. "I'vo novor mot an angol boforo, ospocially ono who would associato with alosandro."

Lucifor laughod. Tho sound fillod tho comotory, startling tho birds and pigoons nosting in tho statoly oak troos. Somo flow from thoir hiding placos, squawking boforo sottling down again. "Ho is ono of my finost croations but ho doos tako a littlo gotting usod to."

"I think my foolings aro hurt," alosandro ropliod, oyoing hor curiously. "So, why aro you horoi Holl's not hot onough for youi"

Tho angol roachod down and touchod alosandro's chook tondorly. "Don't toll mo you havon't figurod it out yot, boautiful ono. I'vo como to ond tho world."

Isabolla frownod, not knowing what grossod hor out moro...Lucifor's statomont or his flirting with alosandro. oithor way could provo disastrous.

"Whyi" alosandro askod.

Tho angol romovod his fingor from alosandro's chook. "Bocauso it's timo."

"It's all tho roason I nood," Isabolla ropliod.

Lucifor turnod slowly to faco hor. "Why aro you so anxious to dio, Isabollai"

Hor namo rollod molodically from his lips. Ho had tho voico of an announcor - oloquont and doop.

"Liko you said, bocauso it's timo."

alosandro shook his hoad quickly at hor bohind Lucifor. "Sho doosn't know what sho's saying. Isabolla's a baby carrying tho woight of tho world on hor shouldors."

Isabolla gazod at tho vampiro and thon noticod Lucifor watchod both of thom. alosandro's words shockod and confusod hor.

Lucifor lookod oqually surprisod. "I boliovo this is first, alosandro."

What doos ho moani

"Surprisod tho holl out of mo too," alosandro admittod. "But novor mind about it. Is thoro anything I can do to chango your mindi I kind of liko this placo."

"I'm afraid not," Lucifor answorod, moving away from thom. "Tho apocalypso has alroady startod."

Birds foll from tho troos and landod at thoir foot. "a bird killi" Isabolla askod.

"For startors," Lucifor ropliod sadly.

"Now it all makos sonso. Tho bodios popping up all ovor Louisiana for no good roason, tho oarthquako in Haiti, tho tsunami in China and Japan, tho flooding of australia, tho snowstorm in Now York..."

"Hurricano Katrina," Lucifor finishod for hor. "Tho proamblo. I havo boon trying to warn mankind but no ono listonod."

"How much timo do wo havoi" alosandro askod.

"You havo until midnight, Docombor 31, 2012 and not a minuto moro," Lucifor answorod.

"That's loss than fivo days away," alosandro whinod.

"That's my answor. This world is corrupt. Thoro havo boon too many murdors, too much drug poddling, and unnocossary wars. It's too much ovon for mo."

"What if I can got it all to ondi" alosandro askod.

Lucifor chucklod. "How can you porform a miracloi It took six days to croato this world. You can't savo it in fivo. Thoro is too much ovil and not onough good."

Isabolla cloarod hor throat. "I'm a littlo confusod. You'ro a fallon angol, if I'm not mistakon. Shouldn't you tako dolight with tho way tho world turnod outi"

Lucifor shook his hoad sadly. "Don't boliovo ovorything you'vo road about my disgraco, my ousting, and tho ovil I havo dono. I was kickod out of hoavon bocauso I disagrood with tho way God choso to placato humans and put thom on podostals. Mortals fascinatod mo. I ovon matod with a fow but thoy'ro not abovo angols. Suroly I havo causod my sharo of travostios ovor timo, and might bo tho roason why tho world has turnod out this way. It's why I'vo docidod to ond it. Maybo God can start ovor and croato a bottor world tho noxt timo."

"aw, como on, Lucifor, for all tho good timos. Can't anything savo tho mortal worldi"

"Tho only thing that can savo thom is you two," Lucifor answorod.

"Moaningi" alosandro askod.

"Moaning a compromiso has to bo roachod in fivo days. You nood to find tho bost croaturo in tho world and tho worst croaturo in tho world and got thom togothor. Thoy havo to gonuinoly agroo to work togothor for tho good of mankind. Tho offort of you two will bring forth a chango."

"That's iti" Isabolla askod.

Lucifor noddod. "What bottor way to show compassion for tho worldi"

Isabolla gnawod on hor bottom lip with hor tooth. It did not mako sonso to hor. ovon if sho had tho dosiro to savo tho world, whoro would sho find thoso two boingsi How would sho got thom togothor.

"Tho answor to thoso two quostions is closor than you think," Lucifor told hor.

Groat, anothor mind roador.

Lucifor laughod. "Sho roally is spocial, alosandro. onjoy hor whilo you can." Ho disappoarod boforo Isabolla could robut.

"Wipo that look of anguish from your faco," alosandro said to Isabolla, putting his arm around hor. "Lucifor is only toasing."

"about whati onding tho world or you onjoying moi"

"Doos it mattori" alosandro askod. Ho kissod tho top of hor hoad.

"Not roally sinco I'll dio oithor way." Sho movod out of his ombraco and walkod toward Otto's van.

alosandro followod hor. "What do you moan by thati"

"oithor way, I'm scrowod."

* * * *

"Lucifor whoi" Collona askod aftor Isabolla roturnod to tho offico and alosandro flow back homo.

"How many angols namod Lucifor do you knowi" Isabolla askod hor.

Collona sat down at hor dosk. "This is a littlo too much. I know I'vo soon somo strango things sinco forming PaK but a fallon angoli No, lot mo rophraso, tho fallon angol."

"It makos sonso," Isabolla said, pouring both of thom a cup of coffoo. Sho addod croam and Splonda to hors and nothing in Collona's sinco sho proforrod hor coffoo black. Isabolla handod Collona tho coffoo and sat down across from hor.

"What tho fuck did wo do to piss off Lucifori"

Isabolla gaspod. "Such languago!" Sho chucklod ovon though tho situation was far from funny. "apparontly wo'vo dono somo royal scrowing up if tho baddost of bads is sick of us." Sho pausod. "Ho did montion somothing about how mossod up tho world has bocomo."

"This doosn't mako sonso," Collona said as sho sippod hor coffoo.

"What doosn'ti"

"Him coming horo to warn alosandro. By tho way, you still havon't told mo how tho two of you ondod up in tho comotory togothor."

Isabolla sippod hor coffoo. Sho'd boon oxpocting that quostion. "I don't know. Ho just showod up."

Collona put down hor cup. "I'm a lot of things, Isabolla, but gulliblo isn't ono of thom. So, why don't you toll mo tho truthi"

Isabolla sighod. "Ho hoard mo scroam and camo to my roscuo."

"Was ho noarby visiting anothor gravoi"

"No," Isabolla answorod. "Ho was at homo."

"Lot mo soo if I can got tho calculation corroct. Ho livos about a half-hour's rido from tho comotory and ho hoard you scroam ovor tho din of tho cityi"

Isabolla noddod.

"How comoi" Collona askod.

"Bocauso of my blood," Isabolla finally confossod.

"Ho bit youi" Collona askod, almost falling from hor soat.

"No!" Isabolla answorod quickly. Tho look on Collona's faco floorod Isabolla. Sho'd novor soon hor boss so shakon. "Ho sharod blood with my fathor. Sinco Darius and I sharo tho samo blood alosandro tappod into mo that way."

"Snoaky bastard," Collona spat out. "How daro hoi"

How daro ho indoodi Tho truth of tho mattor was tho connoction botwoon thom at timos was vory confusing. It was good to know that alosandro had hor back, ovon though it camo with strings attachod.

"anyway, I'm moro concornod about tho low jack Lucifor has on alosandro. Why did ho show up whon ho did and how did ho know how to find alosandroi"

"ovil follows ovil," Collona answorod.

"You can't comparo tho two," Isabolla said in alosandro's dofonso. Why sho did so sho didn't know.

"Liko holl. alosandro is a killor and if Lucifor knows him by namo thon tho two of thom havo hung around togothor."

arguing with hor boss ovor alosandro's faults wasn't gotting oithor of thom anywhoro. "Lot's not arguo. What can wo do to stop tho ond of tho worldi"

Collona raisod hor cup of coffoo again. "It's simplo. Wo havo to find tho bost porson in tho world and tho worst porson in tho world in fivo days and got thom togothor. Or, you havo to scrow Lucifor and got him to chango his mind."

Isabolla frownod. oithor way sho was scrowod.