Five-year-old Katerina pilled building blocks into the tallest tower she would create. She sat on an antique rug that had a Mexican pattern designed on it. She steadily placed another block on the building tower, grinning with glee.

Ricky was holding a Darth Vader toy in his hand, looking at his mom with his twelve years old pleading eyes, “Can Demetrius and I please go to the new Star War movie! We just go watch it and come right back home in time for dinner,” he promised.

His mother put her hand on her hip, and the other one wiggled her finger at him, shaking her head, “No.”

Her Russian accent was thick, but Ricky understood it perfectly, “Why not?”

Grace shook her head again and turned to Kate, “It’s your sister’s birthday. You can go tomorrow, I promise,” she said, “And bring her along. I trust you enough.” She saw in the corner of her eyes, that Demetrius frowned slightly. He was making sure the tower was holding up steadily.

Ricky said, trying to cheer himself and his brother, “Yeah, tomorrow.” He sat down next to Kate, “Happy birthday, sis,” he ruffled her hair and elbowed the tower, knocking it down. “Oh shit—”

Grace glared at him.

“Oh, drats!” exclaimed Ricky, grimacing at Kate’s blank expression as she looked, “Sorry.”

“Ricky!” Kate pouted.

“I said I was sorry!” replied Ricky, trying to grab all the fallen blocks and quickly building a messy tower back up again.

This time Kate knocked it over, “It’s ugly and unbalanced! You can’t rush things.”

“Hey!” snapped Ricky. He stared at the fallen, colorful blocks again and huffed, “Fine, build it yourself. I was trying to help.”

Grace sighed, “Ricky, it’s your sister’s birthday, and fix that attitude.”

The doorbell rang.

Ricky muttered, “Sorry, Kate.”

Kate giggled, “I can’t hear you!” She started poking him.

Ricky felt his temper going down and grinned, “I’m sorry.” He tickled her neck and she let out a scream of laughter and excitement. Kate threw herself over him, trying to find a place where he was ticklish.

Demetrius grabbed Kate’s barefoot, taking one toe, making Kate scream delight He said, “This little piggy went to the market,” he took the next toe, “This piggy stayed home…”

Grace had a smile crossing her face, “Shhh, lower down your voice,” but Kate laughed hard now that the siblings couldn’t hear what their mom had ordered.

The doorbell rung again.

“This little piggy had roast beef,” Demetrius continued.

Grace shook her head with a huge smile on her face. She was glad to see her children getting along now.

Ricky was joining the tale now, “This piggy had none.”

The mother crossed the room, “Coming,” she said.

“And this little piggy went…” Demetrius tickled her foot up to her ankles and then her legs, “weeeeee, all the way home!”

Kate burst out giggles, her face pink and she fell to the floor, rolling over, “I’m going to get you for that, Demetrius!”

Grace wished that her husband was here to see their children playing together. She wondered where he was. He should’ve been home now from work. She saw a man's figure in the glossy oval decorated window. She opened the door, expecting to see a deliverer bringing mail for her for Kate’s birthday.

Grace went white as she stared at the man and she stumbled back. It wasn’t the deliverer. She could barely muster out the words from her mouth, feeling her throat constrict as she gasped, “Lucifer.”

Lucifer grinned wickedly back at her, a knife twirling in his hand, “Hello, Grace Kate Dixon, how are you today?” A box was in his other hand. It was from Amazon and there was already blood on the knife. He killed the mailman.

Grace then screamed at the top of her voice, “Demetrius, Ricky,” she backed away, “get the portable port, no question asked, and get your sister and yourself into the Heroes’ Headquart—”

Lucifer tossed the Amazon box sideways, his sidekicks behind him, “Not a welcoming answer.” He flickered his eyes as Ricky ran next to his mother. “Oh, hello there,” he said, smoothly. “You must be, Ricky. The younger of the brother.”

Grace locked her jaw, and said between her teeth, “Get into the portable port now.”

“But mom, what about you,” responded Ricky, grabbing her arm as his words shook. His eyes shone in a frighting tone.

Grace barked, “Find the port and get in! Now! No questions asked, we went over this.”

Ricky dashed away from her, “Demetrius, get Kate!”

Lucifer nudged his head in the direction of the children, “Get them. I deal with this one.”

Caliber, Elena, and Jackson nodded and they walked into the cozy house, going to where the children ran.

Lucifer saw Grace back into the room, her voice mouth quivering. She grabbed out her gun from the drawer next to her and pointed it at Lucifer, “Get out! You are not welcome here.”

Lucifer stopped a few feet from her, “Where’s your husband, Grace? Mr. Dixon?”

Grace turned off the safety, “I will shoot you,” she hissed.

Lucifer scoffed, “You think a bullet is going to hurt me?” He took a deep breath in, “I have been waiting all this time and here I am. You thought you could hide from me?” he smiled lavishly and took a step forward, “You think I would let you go free after what you did.” Lucifer tapped his knife on his chin, “Creating that Demonic Disease. Clever really.” He narrowed his eyes, “But you thought you could control how a virus works.” The Devil snarled, his chocolate eyes shining with hate “You were deadly wrong. In which that killed my sister.”

Grace stared hard at Lucifer, her hazel eyes shimmering with much afraid but boldness to fight for her children, “I guess your sister was just like every other demon then,” growled Grace.

Lucifer stopped short, his breath short and raspy, “She was different. She never hurt anyone before. She wasn’t evil.”

Grace took this opportunity to pull the trigger.

Lucifer flung the dagger at a great speed and Grace was too slow in moving out of the way. Grace's shaking hands made her miss Lucifer, the bullet hit the door frame. The knife didn’t. It slammed home.

Grace gasped and fell to the floor, seeing the knife hit right between the lower part of her breasts. Blood streamed warmly down her torso and onto the oak flooring. Her heart pounded as pain exploded through her nerves and she screamed, “You won’t get away from this!” Tears ran down her face. She gingerly touched the knife, knowing she couldn’t yank it out of her body, or the damage would be worse. She felt the sticky blood all over her. She groaned and saw Lucifer loom over her.

His teeth bared at her, his voice masked with fury, "You did this to yourself.” He yanked out the knife, ignoring her thrashing and screams. “This is considered a mercy.” He walked away from her, not even looking back at her terror expression.

Kate squirmed against Jackson’s tight gripped, and so were her brothers. Elena tossed Ricky on the floor where their dying mother was and Demetrius was white from shock.

“Mom!” Ricky shouted, his voice and heart breaking into a million pieces. He fell to the floor, seeing blood spilled everywhere. A perfect murder scene. His mother’s eyes glimmered at them, death closing her.

Grace said in a whisper, her body breathing hard from pain and trying to get enough oxygen in her body, as she was choking on her blood, “I love you all.” She stared at each one of them with a pained smile on her face, her love showering on all of them. “Don’t forget who you are.” Her head collapsed to the side as she finished her last words, her eyes opened in a forever trace and her body got stiffer by the second.

“MOM!” cried Kate. She saw her mom’s life taken away. Her soul was gone. She felt rage build inside of her like nothing before. Angry boiled through her blood and coarse through her veins like poison, “Mom,” her voice croaked. Her lung already were burning and she glared at Lucifer, “I’m going to kill you!”

Lucifer smirked, “I like to see you try.” He advanced to Kate with a snare, holding the knife that dripped with the Dixon's blood, “Your mom and father were awful people. And I would like to kill their children because you are no better like them.”

A car vehicle sounded as it drove into the driving lot. Mr. Dixon flung open the door, seeingGrace’s dead body slumped on the floor against the wall, right through the doorway. “No,” his eyes said everything. Terror filled inside them and his knees buckled, “No, Grace!” He saw his children held down, “Let them go, Morning-star! This is between you and me!”

Lucifer looked down at the children and then turned to Mr. Dixon, “No, it’s your whole family. You destroyed my life. I’ll destroy yours.” He grabbed a gun from Caliber’s belt and shoot Mr. Dixon, a bullet slammed against his shoulder, “You should be careful next time. Don’t underestimate me.”

Mr. Dixon stumbled back and went behind the car, “Demetrius, Kate, and Ricky, I will be right there.” He bite down hard and looked at his badly torn shoulder. He yanked out his phone and quickly found Michael’s phone number. He couldn’t believe Lucifer found them. They were safe. Michael said so.

He heard Lucifer’s footsteps come closer, “No one can help you now,” he purred.

“I trusted you, Michael,” muttered Mr. Dixon, hearing the phone ring, “Lucifer, you piece of shit. You deserve to burn and your sister deserved to die!”

The footsteps were silent for a second beat, “How could you say that?”

“Hello?” Michael’s smooth voice rang out in the air. Mr. Dixon had accidentally put him on speaker.

Mr. Dixon continued with a small voice of fear, “Lucifer is here, We need help.”

The phone was knocked out of his hand in the next second's beat and Lucifer was on him now and yanked off his arm. Mr. Dixon screamed in agony and kicked underneath the Devil, “You will burn!”

Lucifer snapped his neck. He slammed his foot on the phone and spat on it. “Kill them.” He stormed into the house and saw Ricky banging the side of Jackson's head with a glass, heavy vase.

Kate was crying and Demetrius was trying to get her away from the sidekicks.

Lucifer barked out a laugh and grabbed Demetrius’s shoulder and threw him across the room. Demetrius slammed down and let out a horrific scream, but not from pain but would come next. He stared back at Lucifer, “Leave us alone!’

Lucifer held his knife tightly out and sliced it across Demetrius' chest, “Your parents ruined everything. And I will not allow their children to ruin everything else!”

Demetrius cried in hurt and collapsed on the ground, wrapping his arm around him, trying to pressure the bleeding.

Lucifer was about to throw another deep cut but there stood Michael, standing there in horror and slammed Lucifer against the wall, the plaster cracking. Lucifer let out a wild laugh. He looked like a mad man who lost everything and willing to have anyone pay the price.

Michael glared at him in disbelief, “Lucifer, I can’t believe you.”

“Believe what?” snarled Lucifer, “I believe in killing every one of these Dixon.”

He flung himself up and knocked Michael to the floor.

“Demetrius!” Kate shouted to him, seeing thick blood oozing down. She would not lose her brothers. She stared up at Lucifer, her tiny figure hot with anger. “You hurt my brother!”

She ran to Lucifer and snapped a look at him, but she felt herself freeze. Lucifer was intimidating as he glared back at her with his black clothing and cold stare.

“Kate, no!” Ricky said, reaching out, but Caliber kicked his legs out.

Kate swallowed her terror down. She would not let his bully kill her entire family. “You monster! You leave me, family, alone!” She already felt hot tears running down her face as she pictured her dead mom lying on the floor motionless. Saving them before her own. Even through extreme trepidation, their father tried to save them. Kate smelled blood everywhere and could almost hear her parents' souls crying out.

Lucifer said with a grin, the knife tight in his grasp, “I will forever hunt your family down.” He gave a swap of the knife, trying to cut across her delicate neck. Kate yelped and backed down, barely missing the knife. She didn't even have time to think as she ran to him, wanting to push him to the floor. She slammed her hand against Lucifer's chest, having flames press against his chest.

He let out a howl of surprise.

His sidekicks glanced up at him, and Elena and Caliber ran to him, Jackson still unconscious.

Michael groaned in confusion. He pushed Lucifer to the floor with a hard shove. He grabbed Demetrius up as gently as he could and heaved him over his broad shoulders, ignoring the stench of blood and sweat. The Archangel grabbed Kate’s hand and dodged Elena’s dagger thrown across the room. He ran next to Ricky and grabbed a portable port from his pocket.

Michael looked up, locking eyes at Lucifer’s pissed-off face. He saw the black shirt burn through and a horrible burn mark ingrained into his skin, revealing raw flesh and tissue. Michael slammed down the portable port and a portal whirled into life on the ground. He pushed Ricky in without another word and jumped in, holding scared Kate tightly around his arms.

***

Kate stormed into her bedroom, still trying to shake herself from the afternoon training. She was going over in her head where she made her mistakes. She unlaced her sneakers and kicked them off. She saw Michael’s lightened face when he greeted her and said she did well.

Katerina wanted to do better than well. She wanted to do excellent. Amazing, jaw-dropping—like Sara. “You can’t be like her. You’re your person. Be yourself,” Kate muttered under her breath as she used the bathroom and gave herself a look in the mirror. “But Sara is so pretty and everyone looks at her.”

She was so done trying so hard to be better than Sara. They were great friends, best friends, but the jealousy would not go away. Sara could easily do things that she couldn’t. At least you don’t hallucinate a guy.

She raised her hand and let sparks flow through her fingertips. She never understood how her family got these powers. Her brothers had powers, immortality, and resilience to fire, but didn’t have the powers to wield fire like her.

She never felt so lost before and desperately wanted to know her place. She wanted Michael to acknowledge her, but all his focus was on Sara. Kate thought Michael was her father too. It pained her to see him look at Sara differently, but Kate tried to understand.

She missed her parents terribly. She didn’t know how to move on. She stared at the broken girl in the mirror. She was going to fix this broken girl. She had to move forward. She was Michael’s sidekick, she was going to save the world from Lucifer’s hellish monsters. She had to make herself be known not as the girl who put a stupid mark on Lucifer, but as Michael’s sidekick who was always faithfully by his side and the one that never faltered.

She glared at herself. She was going to be the best hero known to man. This idea was not made in one day, however. She always dreamed of being the best sidekick and hero. Michael told her she could be the best if she tried. Now, it was time for the dream to become a reality. To live up to the Dixon name.

Put it together, Kate. It’s okay not to be the best warrior here, your talent doesn't lie in that path. Although Kate couldn’t bear to face the disappointed heroes and angels. She knew they were expecting nothing less but greatness from her.

She wondered if Michael trained her too, and how she would improve. She knew Michael didn’t have time to train Kate also. Jealously flickered inside her soul like a candle.

When Michael saved them from Lucifer and his sidekicks, he put them at the Heroes Headquarters and healed them, calmed them, and comforted them. He raised Katerina as his own and that is how she met Sara, who was always playing around the Heroes Headquarters as if it was her playground. Kate remembered seeing their smiling face of Sara. They became close friends fast, for they needed each other. Kate smiled, remembering the time at the beach with Michael, as Sara and her swam in the Pacific Ocean and Michael watched them, sitting in the sand with a grand smile as if he won the lottery.

Kate had to get the jealousy and the bad thoughts under control She knew where to go to calm herself and her mind. She threw her socks off and tossed them in the laundry basket. She put on flip-flops on her feet and unhooked her gun from her belt, putting in fresh bullets and back into the hustler. She put her loose shirt over the gun to conceal it and quickly put her burnt caramel hair into a ponytail.

She left her room and went down the hallways quietly. Some heroes gave her judgmental looks, while others waved at her and one even said, “You did amazing. Eventually, you’ll beat her!”

Kate muttered her thanks and let out a breath of relief as she came outside of the Heroes Headquarters. She walked down into a tunnel, hearing her only footsteps bouncing against the walls.

The ground rumbled and the door opened. A bright light came forward and she stepped out into an alley in San Francisco. She saw angels disguised as gangsters giving her a nod. These angels were always protecting this alleyway, making sure the mortals would hurry their way as they saw them or no villains try to find their haven and attack it.

Kate stepped out into the bright day of San Francisco, feeling a wave of a barrier press gently against her, prickling her skin. This barrier was a protection spell to the doorway of the Heroes’ Headquarters, and when heroes appeared in the alley like magic, no mortal eyes could see them, just some gangsters, and the protection spell hid angelic powers from monsters sensing them.

Of course, when the heroes stepped out into the daylight as Kate did, the humans did see her. But most humans ignored this alley and just see some people stepping out an alley like any others, although brave from passing these gangsters.

Kate started into a jog. She jogged across the Golden Gate Bridge, nodding to an officer who roamed the bridge on the lookout for any suicidal attempts. He nodded back, his eyes flickering back and forth with caution.

Katerina let the breeze refresh her mind and body. She inhaled the scent of the ocean and knew she was close to the beach. She let her legs go a little faster and when she felt sand grain against her feet, she let her mind open and see the open sea laid out before her.

She pictured that day playing with Sara in the cool sea, shrieking with delight as they splashed at each other. Kate remembered glancing at Michael who smiled broadly at them and looked up to the heavens and closed his eyes as the sun beamed down on him.

Kate recollected seeing the sun reflecting on him as his body glowed with a heavenly shimmer. She had never seen someone so whole and beautiful. Inside and out.

She dug her fingers into the warm sand and let the sand slip through her fingers. She breathed the salt and heard people laughing, seeing couples admiring the sea, and her, trying to control her emotions.

She started to let her mind say everything was going to be okay. At that moment, she felt a strange sensation surrounding her and she let her eyes come to focus. The sensation was increasing ever so fast, growing stronger. Kate whirled around, knowing she was sensing someone powerful near her.

The aroma felt so wrong. Not a good sensation. As if someone meant harm directly to her and she didn’t know how she knew this for a fact, something in her gut told her wise. She could feel her powers zipping at her bloodstream, ready to be used.

“It’s been a long time, Katerina,” a low voice hissed softly.

Kate turned on her heel and faced Thomas Pitch, his eyes sparkling with interest as he gazed down at her. Two bodyguards were standing by his side, their bodies covered in black and black helmets hiding their faces. They looked like modern S.W.A.T police.

Katerina heard her heart pound against her chest and she could feel her breath get knocked out of her. She took a step back and grimaced at herself coward at this monster, “You are supposed to be dead! Michael killed you. I saw it in my own eyes.” Her voice rasped. She kept letting her eyes adjust to the image she was seeing before her. She wasn’t sure if she bumped her head or if she had gone mad. She moved her hand to her gun hustle, “What the hell are you doing here, Pitch?”

Pitch glided his eyes to where her hand moved, “I’m surprised you are still alive.” He started to walk slowly around her, checking her out. He wore all black clothing, and his sneakers were a dark pitch black “I thought you would be dead by now.”

“And you are supposed to be dead! Dead!” she exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. Michael wouldn’t make such a mistake like this. Unless this was a joke, a prank, “This isn’t real. You are some shapeshifter.” She felt silly for her mind jumping to conclusions. She gestured her other free hand to him, “You think this is some kind of sick joke? What do you want, shapeshifter?”

Pitch snickered at her, “You think I’m a shapeshifter?” He clicked his tongue and grinned, facing her again. He waved his hands, and sparks of lavender color came out of his fingertips. His eyes glowed with a memorizing daunting color and he laughed, “Shapeshifter? That’s cute.” He thrust his hands out and Kate felt a force of magic blasted against her. Her body flung across the air and she bellowed in trepidation as she landed into the grittiness of the sand.

Kate let out a whimper of pain as she felt electrifying magical currents shocking through her body. She shivered and gritted down her teeth, “It is you. Why are you here?” She glared at him, her eyes demanding an answer. She saw people gasping at them and some couples pointing at them. She let her powers intense throughout her body and could feel her power linger in her fingers tips. Her voice was a low growl as she hissed, “Why are you here?”

As she slowly got up, watching his movements, she saw him laugh as if she was the butt of a joke, “Dear, Katerina,” he said. He darkened his eyes, “You haven’t changed at all.”

Before Kate could blast fire at him, Pitch slammed his clutched hand up and Kate let out a screech as her body shoot up like a cannon blast. He then motioned his fingers to bring her closer with a grin on his face.

Kate was hovering close to his face now. She glared at him, her eyes sparkling with rage, “You fucking monster.” She tried to restrain his hard magic grip, but couldn’t get loosen herself, “When Michael finds out you are alive, he will tear you from limb to limb.”

Pitch grinned even bolder.

“The death he showed you was merciful. This time—”

Pitch collapsed his arm to his side and cocked his head at her as she screamed as she came tumbling down, “You talk too much.”

Kate winced as she hit the sand again, grateful that the impact was softer, but the sand prickled at her skin like sharp tiny needles, “I’m going to murder you!” She stood up, yanking her gun from her belt, turning her safety off in one fast succession.

Pitch rolled his eyes and flung his hand sideways as if he was batting a fly. Kate smacked against a palm tree with a grunt. She held her gun steadily and aimed a shoot. She didn't miss. She wouldn’t miss. The bullet rocketed to Pitch, who looked at the bullet with interest.

The bullet zoomed closer in and was inches close to hitting directly to his heart, but Pitch vanished in proof of lavender watery smoke and appeared right in front of Kate. He grabbed her throat and yanked her gun from her hand, “Tell Michael I said hi.”

For once, Kate wished Sara was here to protect her. Kate stared back into his mincing eyes, ignoring the squeezing of his hands. She spat on his face, “Fuck you.”

The warlock chuckled, “I’m flattered, but no thanks.” He flung Kate sideways and rolled his shoulders back, “I’ll be back.”

Kate grabbed her gun and looked up to aim, but he was gone. She whirled around to see his bodyguards, but they were also gone. She dropped her arms and her body cried from pain and she was shocked at not having a broken bone.

She slowly got up, flinching from her tight muscles, and knew she was going to have dark purple and blue bruises the next day. She saw people looking at them. She glanced around if any one of them had their phones out in which they recorded the whole thing, but they didn’t.

Good, Michael always kept monsters, angels, and heroes a secret from the humans. Kate was still gasping for breath from the fast-paced fight she just had. She smelled the scent of her blood, bleeding from her nose, snuffing her.

She hurt from top to bottom. As she walked back to the Heroes’ Headquarters, barely able to comprehend what happened, her brain whirling about how Pitch was still alive, her heart pounded in how she was going to tell Michael that Pitch was alive. She quickly turned to the people gawking at her. She said, flatly, “Ignore that.”

Sweat rolled down her forehead as she started to begin how to approach Michael with this.

What the hell is happening? How is he still alive?

She wanted to start running, but her body was still appalled by what just occurred. Everything is going to be fine, Kate. What could happen? In the back of Kate's mind, she knew this was barely the tip of the iceberg.