This was either a brilliant idea or it was going to go to hell very fast and very badly. He was banking on the first option personally, not just for Roses sake but for everyones. He hardly wanted anyone to get hurt or, God forbid, die. Not even the apparent 'lucifer'. Who, despite tormenting people, seemed pretty alright when they'd spoken.

"As ready as we'll ever be," John remarked with a small shrug of his shoulders, trying his very best not to try and take charge. He was so used to playing leader and showing off to humans that it took all his strength not to. This was Roses plan, not his.

He was here to help her and perhaps make up for being a bit of a div with Lucifer in the first place.

"You sure about this, Rose? Last chance to back out, if you want to or if you're having doubts."

As she made her way into the room, Rose instinctively reached for John's hand. Nerveracking as it was, this scheme was going to be their first adventure together. For a split second, things felt like before... until the girl remembered it was Lucifer they were dealing with. She glanced toward the door, thinking of Sam.

"Absolutely." She winked. Rose gave John's fingers a reassuring squeeze. Putting on her leader face, she turned her attention toward the others. "Any ideas as t' where Lucifer migh' be while 'is consciousness goes on 'oliday?" Specifically, she wondered what Eric thought- he was the Devil's roommate, after all.

When Rose had come to him asking about Lucifer, Eric had immediately agreed. It would be far more convenient for him to be able to stay in his own room, and ridding the house of the 'devil' would be beneficial for everyone. He knew that the others didn't have any intention of causing violence if none was necessary, but the vampire was almost hoping for some. Killing him would be a much more permanent solution.

"I would assume he'd be in our room. The only other who has a key to the room is myself, and I am purposely never there," he said, his expression impassive. "Though, I've never seen him unconscious, so it is hard to say."

"Can we just take a moment to get over the fact that we're dealing with Satan right now?" Max looked around the room at the three others. "I mean, that's pretty..." He trailed off as his need to speak up and share his nervousness began to dwindle. "Okay. Yeah. Maybe it's just me."

He thought he could use a Cone of Silence really quick just to get his inner-freaking-out-self out of his system, but instead, he sat back in the chair he was in and put on the most professional face he could muster. CONTROL protocol: go.

Gripping Rose hand back, he grinned in an oddly joyful manner before sparing Max a look of amusement. "For me its more of a case of 'been there, done that'. Though the one I met was much more... wellllll, grr-ish? Big beast thing, very interesting to meet. A lot more intimidating than this one."

This one was a bit of a let down, not because he wasn't a big growl beast, more because he hadn't done anything big and awe inspiring yet.

"And I defeated him, sort of, so I'm sure we'll be fine with this one," John remarked, even though that wasn't him but his Time Lord counter part. Same thing, really. "Do we have to sit around and wait for you to fall asleep?"

"We defeated 'im," Rose corrected with a nudge. The memory gave her confidence.

She rolled her eyes when John became impatient. "No, nobody 'as t' do any waitin'." Sometimes, she could easily confuse the Human Doctor with a human toddler. It was fine, though. There was no way she could sleep with 3 blokes standing over her, anyway.

Letting go of John, Rose crossed the room to sit down on his bed. "Are all of ya goin'? Or do I get the honor of a royal bodyguard?"

Eric looked at the other members of the group, and quickly came to the conclusion that none would be dependable in a fight. Just because they wished for some sort of peaceful resolution didn't mean that one was possible.

"I will accompany whoever wishes to speak with Lucifer," he said. "I highly doubt either of you have more combat experience that I. Especially without weapons."

Max was quick to raise his hand, wiggling slightly in his chair. "Well, I, for one, will volunteer to take one for the team and give up my totally manly right to go off to battle." He made as much of a show of sighing as he could. The more convincing he was, the better. Yes, he had field experience, but this was something entirely different. He'd rather not be sent into a fiery realm of doom if he could avoid it. Could Lucifer even do that? He didn't know. But he decided against taking his chances.

"I only hope I can maintain my dignity after this."

Combat experience? Oh he had plenty, just not hand to hand. He was much better with weapons or technology orrrr when it came down to wars, he was usually good in them. Sparing Eric a small look, he shrugged his shoulders. He would of mentioned that his first act in this world was actually to commit mass genocide of an entire race so he was hardly a wuss, but he decided not to spill that part out in front of Rose. That'd lead to another lecture.

"I've spoken to Lucifer before, I suppose I could try again. Its better than jumping right in and attacking, that'd make us the villains," Or so thats how it worked in Johns head. He would like a peaceful alternative but he wouldn't shy away from a fight.

"So we're settled, then," Rose nodded. Actually, she was surprised at how easily the agreement had gone. Maybe this arrangement of people wasn't so mad after all...

"The two o' ya should prolly get goin'," she explained. "The less stallin' I gotta do, the better." Rose fully expected Lucifer to catch on to them. They needed to time her sleep with his discovery as evenly as possible.

Eric gave Rose a single nod before turning to the Doctor. He gave him a steady look before he moved to the door, pulling it open in a swift motion. He held it in his hand purposefully, waiting for John to step through.

He glanced at Rose then once more. She looked so tired, and he owed her. He would make sure this ended well for her. It was the least he could do.

When Eric opened the door, Max waved at both him and John. And then he saluted. Because it seemed like the right thing to do. "Go get 'im, guys. Fight, fight, fight. Etcetera. Save a piece for me." Max made a gesture as though he were punching something, but then let it go. "I mean - not really. That's not mandatory. At all."

John nodded his head in agreement and offered Rose a final look before saving. No doubt if anything went wrong, Maxwell would be there. Seemed like a solid enough set up thus far. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he slipped through the door and waited for Eric to follow him.

Cause, honestly, he had no idea where they were going exactly.

Rose smiled genuinely as Eric and John left. She was lucky to be so cared for. Though they couldn't replace her family and friends back home, these people were definitely making a niche for themselves in her heart.

"Jus' you an' me," she said to Max. "Guess I should lie down, eh?" She reclined, resting her blonde head on a pillow that smelled like John. Rose hoped she'd be able to fall asleep. All the excitement was making it difficult to relax.

She closed her eyes, but continued to talk. "Thanks, Max. For 'elpin', I mean. I know ya recently lost a friend- Ninety-Nine, was it?- an' the fact tha' you're still 'ere for my... it's really..."

The sentence was never completed. Sleep found Rose, and swiftly pulled her under. The Companion was apparently more exhausted than she'd realized.

"I mean, yeah it sucks not having Ninety-Nine, but - her job -" And that's when Max realized that Rose was fast asleep. He cut off mid-sentence, just as she had, and then looked at her with a blank expression. "Okay. Cool, I guess."

And then Max felt weird about staring at her, so he turned away, scratching awkwardly at his head. "So, what, do I call for help if you start levitating or something? Are we pulling some Exorcist stuff, or what?" He knew that no one was around to listen to him, but he felt better when he thought out loud.

[If you don’t mind him there :3]

Nicki had no idea of course, about any plans about any devil, which he had already concluded didn’t exist. He was, however, looking for Eric. He’d went to find him on his floor, but instead was distracted by hopping around between ‘time zones’ in the halls, and ironically, Lucifer. He’d tracked Eric down to the second floor by his scent, and started knocking at whatever door he knew he was on the other side of “Hello? I am looking for Eric please” he called

Eric and John stepped out into the hallways moments after Nicki knocked on the door. The Viking paused for a moment, nearly startled at the other vampire's sudden arrival.

He had horrible timing. Eric was already on edge - any deviations from the plan made him anxious.

"This is a bad time, Nicki," he said, glancing over his shoulder at John. Perhaps the Doctor could explain more politely than he was about to.

John looked over at Eric, trying to work out what on Earth he was staring at -- till it finally dawned on him and his mouth made a small 'o' of understanding. Turning his head to the other man, he offered a polite smile.

"We need to find Lucifer and apprehend him so we don't exactly have time to stop and chat. Finding him is crucial right now."

“You mean that man downstairs that doesn’t exist?” he sounded incredulous, but followed with them, it was the most interesting thing that had happened all day “Well I imagine that will be difficult, with him not existing. I’m Nicki, Monsieur” He added to John, and whooshed in front of him for the usual cheek kisses, and whooshed back to his spot by Eric

"I assure you, he exists." Eric sounded rather bitter about that fact, though his expression remained still and cold. He started walking toward the stairs, glancing at the other vampire as he rushed up beside him.

"Downstairs?" he inquired. "As in, he is downstairs at this very moment?" That would make finding him much easier.

"Er, right, hello. I'm John," Oh, how friendly and European of the odd man. Grinning, John nodded his head as a hello instead before tilting his head to the side and peering down the hallway. He was downstairs? That was easier than he thought, he was expecting something more... dramatic.

"Where exactly is he downstairs? Anything we should know about?"

“Well as I said before, he doesn’t exist. But if he were too, he would have looked angry, with big wings. Then he sort of evaporated when I told him he wasn’t really there. I assumed it was sort of like Tinkerbell” Nicki moved around them, and headed toward the stairs casually “I can show you where he wasn’t when I saw him. Are you trying to kill him or something?”

Eric began to walk slightly faster - he didn't really want to waste any time. "It's just a name," he said, feigning composure. "It doesn't necessarily make him the real thing, but stranger things have happened." That much was true.

Eric then shook his head. "We just want to talk to him," he said steadily. "If that doesn't work, then we'll just have to see."

John hurried along after Eric and frowned, wondering if Lucifer was like a nickname or something? It seemed more logical. "I think its safe to say he isn't Lucifer, especially not of the standard Christian theological view or that would defy the universe in many ways."

Alternative and parallel universes gave him head aches.

Nicki blinked at the both of them "Or he just doesn’t exist" he smiled, his way of thinking was much easier, it always was for a crazy. He opened doors when they got to them politely "He did have wings though. Have you tried bread?"

"He exists enough to torment Rose's dreams," he said as they made their way down the stairs. "I do not believe in God, nor the Devil, but he is something." He said the word with clear intent. "That is enough for me."

Eric glanced over his shoulder at the Doctor, urging him forward. "We should hurry. Time in dreams moves faster than reality. She could be suffering."

"Its clear that he's something power, maybe just a bit delusion," John said, jogging after Eric and gesturing for Nicki to lead the way. It was probably best to find Lucifer before he seriously hurt Rose. He had no idea what effect dreams could have to the outer realities.

"Agreed, we have to move much faster. Though what do we do when we find him?"

“Well that’s up to you, I don’t believe in him” Nicki said with a nod, that said he really thought he had a grasp on reality. “Fifth floor, then” he hopped down the stairs, skipping some altogether “Whos Rose? Is she in Wonderland? I just read that, nasty Queen there” he rambled on the rest of the way, hopping stairs

"We talk to him," Eric said to John, glancing at him over his shoulder. "If that doesn't work, then we hurt him. Severely."

"Rose is a...friend," he said as they hurried down the stairs. "She was in the room we just left. And no, she's not in Wonderland. She's asleep." Wonderland might have been better, though this place was an awful lot like Wonderland, wasn't it?

The group hurried through the house, finally finding Lucifer laying quite conspicuously on a bench. Eric couldn't decide if his 'hiding' place was particularly clever or idiotic.

"I'd like to go on record saying that I strongly oppose the use of violence here. Not that it might not be necessary, I'd just prefer it as a last resort if possible?"

He just wanted to make sure Eric wasn't charging into this with the intention to do arm, he couldn't support that.

Unless he had to. If Rose was in danger, he wouldn't hesitate.

Lucifer had been waiting such a very long time for this final opportunity to take over Rose's mind, tightened his grasp around her thoughts and turn them for the worse. She was a puppet in an overall, much larger scheme of his, of course. He wasn't so minute and precises that he absolutely had to ruin everyone who lived in the House, no, everyone had a specific role to play if he had done so much as to single them out. Even if it was just to gain information, or allies. They were still there for a purpose.

And Rose's purpose was so simple, so utterly whimsical, that it almost seemed to not be a purpose at all. She was the key to everything, to breaking Sam Winchester in the long run. But as he poked and prodded around about her mind, it seemed more and more of a useless task. He would destroy her, then. Devastate her mind so completely that Sam would have to notice and, as the strange thing that he was, come barreling to Lucifer, demanding things be put right. And it could take eternity, for all he cared. Rose could resist him with every last ounce of her strength, but from what he could tell so far, there was no way out of this place.

And he was a very, very patient monster.

He was sitting outside when he felt the small tug on his mind, signaling that she had decided to go to sleep. A grin played at the edges of his lips and let his body go slack as he pushed through the void and into Rose's subconscious, wriggling through the barriers and creating a dream world for them to speak in. Of course, the easiest dream world was constructed of what was already around them and that was more than enough to suit his purposes for tonight.

"Hello, Rose." He said from the foot of her bed, where he stood quite serenely. "I've missed you."

Rose's eyes opened into the dream environment. Though Lucifer's presence was expected- even desired- his figure at the foot of the bed still put a pit in her stomach. She quickly reminded herself that this was what she wanted.

Then, Rose realized where they were. The room created by Lucifer wasn't John and Max's; it was Rose's own. Lucifer thought she was in the same old place, waiting to be taken in the same old way... but she wasn't. Not this time. He was making assumptions. The plan was working.

Rose hid the giddy flutter in her chest. With things in motion, she had to respond naturally. Lucifer couldn't suspect that he was being hunted in the physical world. So, she reacted as she always did, sitting up with a sudden scowl and rushing to the opposite end of the bed.

"Been busy. Still busy, in fact, so per'aps we could reschedule this meetin'."

"Oh yeah?" He said with an arch of his brow, taking very careful note of her exact emotions and words. He crossed his arms over his chest, cocked his hips very slightly to one side and assessed her. He was very good at that. Very good at knowing what people were thinking, even without invading their mind and dragging things from it so forcibly. He was good at just finding things out all on his own, letting people tell him those things and using them to his own advantage. And Rose was giving him the tiniest of signs.

And Rose was giving all sorts of tiny little signs. Little things that meant something, that meant nothing, all at the same time.

"Well, I'm sorry for taking time out of your busy dream schedule. Maybe we should change this, then?" He said with a soft smile. "I don't blame you."

"You've never been tha' generous," She replied, tilting her head. He couldn't suspect something already, could he?

Rose quickly changed the subject from any sort of departure. Instead, she would be a distraction. "Been wonderin', Lucifer. Since it is my busy dream schedule, as ya say, wha' would 'appen if I started... usin' my imagination?" It would be a very different dream if the girl could conjure up her own arsenal.

"I would take your imagination away, that's all." He said with a soft smile, glad at the rebellion. Finally, something other than the thing in the basement to keep him amused. "And if you'd like to test that lovely theory of yours, by all means do so if you'd like your brain oozing out of your ears."

That smile grew a bit more as he said, very gently. "I can show you such horrible things."

"I see," Rose replied, trying to not be intimidated. She'd only have to deal with Lucifer this one, last time. She could handle it. "I'm lookin' at a pretty 'orrible thing righ' now, I think."

Her fingernails sank into the sheets. She wondered how far she could safely push Lucifer. The Doctor and Eric needed time.

"...I don't believe ya."

"Oh?" He said softly as he approached her with the look a snake might have, had it human features. He moved slowly about, closer to her, his eyes never once leaving her as he barraged her mind with the same images of Sam, him turning into these violent things, his eyes black as he squeezed the life out of Lilith, his body bogged and weighed down as demons swarmed him, eager to drag him into hell.

And, bored with these images, he flicked his hand and they changed to humanity. Crowds of people as the earth opened up and swallowed them whole, first born babies being held upside down by their ankles, fat little necks being sliced open as was God's command to the archangels. Thousands of murders, death camps, horrible barracks, wars, human misery and suffering to the tenfold of anything any normal human might have witnessed.

And all of this with just a flick of his hand.

At first, the barrage was bearable. Rose had already seen Lucifer's entire litany of Sam-o-vision. Yes, it hurt. Lucifer filled her with fearful questions and doubt. Still, Rose could assure herself that she knew Sam. The younger Winchester could help her understand the images... if and when she got the courage to ask.

The defensive walls she built, however, quickly became insufficient. Rose discovered too late that she was in over her head. Immediately after this realization, she lost her sense of reality to the onslaught. She wasn't dreaming Lucifer's images anymore- she was living them.

Crimson poured from her baby brother's throat, his tortured cries sputtering with blood. There was her father, riddled with bullets on a burning battlefield. The enemy approached to mutilate his still-living body as he cried for Jackie. Everyone Rose had ever known- WOULD ever know- sat starving in a prison camp. An ice-cold rain earned a helpless chorus of wails from the barely-clothed masses. People of every color and creed were robbed, raped, tortured.

Rose's ears were deafened with screams, her nose ignited with the scent of gunpowder and burned flesh. Worst of all was the guilt. Every bit of this was somehow her fault. She fell from the bed, into a sobbing heap on the ground at Lucifer's feet. She could not see the Devil, however. Her overwhelmed senses knew only the whole of humanity as it was plunged into the scorched planet.

Beside Maxwell Smart, Rose's real body remained peaceful and still.

Lucifer's lips tipped into the faintest of smiles at the wordless surrender and he waved his hand again, pulling back the images from what would have been an endless loop, had she not collapsed so pitifully at his feet. He smiled as he crouched down to her, lightly taking her face within his hands as he gazed down at the poor, despicable human. To him, she was nothing. And yet, at the same time, she represented all of the human race and he hated her for that.

"These things have happened, of course..." He whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face before releasing it from his touch, still crouching in front of her. He rocked back on the balls of his heels, that tiny smile so innocent, so knowing, so aware of how devastatingly evil he could really be. "They will happen. And they will continue to happen, as long as there is evil in this world."

The smile stretched a bit more as he corrected himself softly. "As long as there are humans in this world, there will always be evil and violence and torment. And it's all at my fingertips. Shall we continue?"

It took Rose several long moments to remember where she was. Lucifer's icy hands pulled her back to the bedroom, their sharp cold threatening to freeze the tears on her cheeks. Half of her heard his words. The other half sat open-mouthed, stunned, not yet free from the sorrowful fog.

She hadn't been prepared. The House had weakened everyone, and Rose had wrongly assumed that Lucifer was incapable of such torment. As he let go of her, the blonde's head fell to the side. It was then that she saw it, scrawled across the wall behind Lucifer's head:

BAD WOLF

Months prior, the Shifter had unearthed the repressed memory of those two words. Now, they were painted in her nightmare. Was Lucifer seeing this? Rose returned her eyes to the Devil's. The corner of her mouth twitched upward in morbid curiosity. He had rattled the bars that caged something horrid.

"...Yea," The girl's voice sounded hollow as she got herself to her knees. His imagery, her threat on the wall- either one could shatter Rose. Until John and Eric gave some kind of signal, though, she would keep saying yes.

The Devil sighed as he straightened himself up a bit more, staring down at her with what might have been remorse for her decision, maybe it was just curiosity for her stubbornness. Either way, he had seen the tiny flare of something inside of her and was curious enough as to what that thing was. He wasn't one for poking and prodding at big, dangerous things (all right, maybe he was, maybe he loved pushing the limits until something too big for him to handle overcame him).

He turned, eyes catching the words, even more intrigued now. There was a tumble of thoughts, each coming more rapidly than the other before he rounded upon her, suddenly very interested in this Rose human. "You poor thing." He whispered as he looked back down to her, brow furrowing as he fell back into a crouched, staring at her quite intently, debating whether or not to dip his hand inside of her and see what her soul was hiding from him.

"What kind of monster do you have in there?" He asked quietly, almost with a note of concern before he reached for her, settling his fingers very lightly against her cheek. Now he was very, very interested. And attention from the Devil was probably a very undesirable thing.

He was so cold. Everything inside of Rose wanted to pull back. Seeing Lucifer's intrigue, though, she inhaled deeply and stayed put. For Sam, but moreso for herself, she'd submit to his question.

The explanation wasn't an easy one. The Bad Wolf was Rose, but also pure energy from the time vortex. She'd obliterated a Dalek fleet. Even average humans could sense the Wolf inside of her- both before and after the goddess was extracted by The Doctor. Honestly, Rose didn't know what remained. Were there remnants in her body? Or were the words on the wall just the same as in any other dream she'd have?

The Shifter had forced her to remember the experience, but there were lots of unanswered questions.

Against her better judgment, Rose gave the Devil a challenging look. "The powerful kind. The kind tha' could tear an entire species t' atoms," she offered. "Also the kind tha' no longer exists, but..." Slowly, she backed away, lifting herself onto the bed, increasing the space between them. "Where d' the dead live on? In dreams, yea?"

Honestly, Rose had no idea where she was going with this, but it was the truth, and it was buying good time.

Lucifer tipped his head somewhat, his interest peaking as she described the type of things that this monster that was a part of her was capable of. It was curious, no doubt about that, but at what point did curiosity simply become a morbid obsession to rip her apart and see exactly what was hiding away in the crevices and folds of her soul? He could arrange that.

He crept forward, very slowly, like some sick predator eyeing up its prey, searching for the perfect way to attack and bring it down. There were already so many wonderful ways to crack open Rose Tyler running through his mind, listing themselves off neatly and politely, like little soldiers ready for battle.

"The dead live on in memories, in dreams, if you'd like to get sentimental." He said, frowning a bit and tilting his head off to the other side as he sat himself at the foot of her bed, still watching her very closely. "This isn't entirely true, though, most of them get eaten up by hellfire, get turned into horrible monsters. Hell's doors are always open, you know... No lights for our 'No Vacancies' and we're always ushering in new guests, even on Christmas... Heaven, on the other hand..." He pulled a face, but shrugged.

"We're here to talk about you though, Rose... About the lovely monster inside of you and why I haven't been able to see it before now."

"The Bad Wolf is s'posed t' be dead. Migh' not be inside o' me at all. ...Migh' jus' be dreamin'," Rose responded honestly. She felt her back hit the wall at the head of the bed. There was nowhere else to move. "Ya ever dream abou' things you've lost?"

She could see the wicked, hungry look in Lucifer's eyes. The very room he'd created for her felt smaller. Rose swallowed hard. She could be torn apart over goddess fragments that more than likely weren't even there.

Yet, she didn't stop. Even with a look on her face that had clearly begun to regret its choices, Rose remained steadfast.

"If I am dreamin', I can dream tha' she destroys ya."

"I doubt that." The Devil replied as he crawled closer to her, that smile growing across his lips as he held up his hand for the last time to her. "You see, whatever that thing is... I'm going to drag it out of you and destroy it..." He thought for a moment. "Of course, this might kill and or shatter your soul a bit, but we'll see how that works..."

He brushed his hand so sweetly across her cheek before the other reached up and, though it was only a dream, plunged through the center of her chest and inside, digging around, searching for what was left of whatever that thing might be.

What he was finding was no good, at least not for him. There would be no possible way to contain this, no easy way out to destroy whatever it was that was still lurking somewhere. Even if this was a dream, it was representative enough that Lucifer didn't want to test any theories. He dragged his hand back out of her, pulling the other away as well and staring down at her with a strange sort of terror, maybe respect, for whatever was hiding inside.

"Interesting." He whispered. "Rose, you're proving to be more interesting and useful to me alive..."

With Lucifer mere inches from her, Rose could only wonder about her own stubbornness. It had gotten her into trouble countless times before. Now, here she was again, staring down one of the most evil things in the universe- and for what? Sam? Not The Doctor, not her family, just someone she'd met in the house. In that context, it all seemed stupid. Rose was filled with insurmountable dread. Sam Winchester was not worth this.

This was the last thought Rose could recall with any clarity. Lucifer's hand dove beneath her rib cage. Though she was dreaming, the pain seemed blindingly real. Each movement of his hand sent another shockwave through her, like her insides were melting and her exterior was falling apart at the joints. The Devil made no attempt at gentleness. The blonde cried out in agony, her head slamming into the wall behind her.

The look on his face when he was through would have made her proud. Rose had shown Satan himself what she was capable of. Unfortunately, the girl was too busy gasping for breath, trying to convince herself that she hadn't just died.

Lucifer stared down at the girl, his fingers clenching and unclenching themselves. No one said that searching for a soul would be painless. It was one of the most enduringly painful things that an angel could do to a human being, reach inside of them and drag their soul about like a rag doll. But it allowed him to see with so much more clarity how severe this situation could become.

So he leaned back down to her, pressed that one hand against her cheek again and stared directly into her eyes. "Everything will be better now." The Devil whispered, nodding a very tiny bit and raising his lips up to press a kiss to her brow, with it extracting all memories of him from her fragile psyche, pulling them out and destroying them one by one until there was nothing left but what was happening now. And so very carefully, so very lovingly and painstakingly, he built up whatever had deteriorated on the inside of her, so very careful to restore it to its proper form. And who said that he wasn't a real angel? Look at him, working miracles and treating her like she was his creation.

He stared down at the girl, the faintest of smiles curling across his face now as he whispered. "Sleep." There was a shuffle of wings and Lucifer was gone.