The Good Life (Book 11, The Life Series, Supernatural)

LOTUS

A priest, latest vessel of Lucifer, had been found dead, and Sam, Dean, Castiel and Crowley had checked it out while acting as FBI.

Sam and Dean came back to the bunker with me and Amara, drinking beer.

I was researching on my laptop.

"So, find anything?" Amara asked. "Anyone powerful or respectable who suddenly changed...or exploded?"

"Well, this is pretty interesting," I told them, showing them a news article with the headline ‘Record Donation to Dioceses’. I clicked on a picture, turning the laptop around so they could see. "This is the Archbishop of St. Louis with Wallace Parker."

The picture showed a man in a suit holding a check and shaking hands with the priest in the red robe with a large cross around his neck.

"So?" Amara asked.

"So, that was him three days ago," I answered, scrolling through a few pictures. "And this...is him last night at the opening of a food kitchen. Notice anything missing?"

Dean scrolled back and forth through the pictures. "Yeah, the big mother of a cross around his neck."

"Exactly," I told them. "And this morning, his office canceled all further public appearances without comment."

"Okay, so you're thinking that, uh, Lucifer blasted out of Parker and into his buddy the Archbishop here?" Sam asked.

I nodded. "Worth a shot."

Amara shrugged. "Yeah."

***********

Sam and Dean had found priest and nun bodies galore.

Castiel was here with me and Amara in the library.

Castiel was looking at pictures of the carnage at the archbishop’s house on a cell phone, zooming in and out. "Ugh. These pictures... The level of violence, it's completely unnecessary."

"Lucifer doesn't like to get messed with," I told them. "I guess when the Archbishop's priests figured out he was possessed, they tried to keep it quiet, do an exorcism. I mean, not that it would've worked. Lucifer blew town, but not before he slaughtered the entire staff."

"So, we were on the right trail," Amara told us. "Where's it go now?"

Sam and Dean walked in with food for us and Aiden.

"I don't know," Dean told us. "Who won the Nobel Peace Prize? Why don't we start there?"

Sam scoffed softly.

***********

I was still researching on a laptop.

Castiel was reading a newspaper.

Amara was eating.

Sam and Dean walked in.

"Just put Aiden in bed," Dean told us. "Little guy is down for the count."

"Did the bunker's warding fail?" Castiel asked.

"We just powered it down," Sam told us. "Crowley called, said he had some big news about Lucifer, whatever the hell that means."

Amara looked up. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait a second. So--so now Crowley can just...what, drop in whenever he feels like it?"

"I--I prefer keeping Crowley at a distance," I told them. "Long distance."

Crowley appeared. "Not very charitable, Vanessa..." Amara rolled her eyes. I shook my head in frustration. "Particularly since, once again, I'm saving your family's asses. Nice to see Amara while she is not possessed by the Darkness."