The tap on the door came only once and swift, a sudden surprise to Lila as it was mid-morning and she wasn't expecting anyone. Moreover, Lucifer was at work. She turned off the vacuum cleaner and dusted her hands.
"Henry, is that you?" She asked as she advanced to the door.
There was no reply but she opened the door anyway to satisfy her curiosity. Standing in front of her was Peter, looking ruffled with a tattered beard and a black cap that barely revealed his face. At first, she seemed worried.
"Peter," She called in shock. "Where have you been? Henry and I have tried all to reach after what happened at the restaurant." She paused a little, her piercing brown eyes filled with sympathy and concern.
"Where's Henry?" Peter said in a low tone.
Lila's nose twitched at the foul smell of alcohol oozing under his breath as he spoke.
"He's gone to work," she managed to reply. "Please, come in," she opened the door wide for him to enter.
An awkward silence fell overwhelmed them the moment they walked into the living room. Peter's rigid posture and the way his small eyes stared at Lila were beginning to make her feel uncomfortable.
"Hey, I was about to make a cup of tea for myself before you walked in," she broke the silence. "Would you like some?" She offered, breaking the silence but still, there was no response from Peter except his disturbing stare.
"I'll go get some," she said finally.
Lila's concern and worry for Peter were starting to transform into panic and fear as she strode quickly to the kitchen. She didn't want to believe Peter would want to harm her but her instinct screamed at her not to take her chances. Her eyes scanned the entire kitchen for some sort of weapon she could use to defend herself should her fears be true.
She grabbed a knife and held her breath as she tried to calm her nerves and steady her hands, already preparing the worse but all was washed away in a gush of terror immediately she felt his presence in the kitchen. She gripped the knife's handle tighter.
Now, he moved closer to her.
"Peter, listen to me," Lila's effort to hide the trembling in her voice was futile yet she continued to speak. She turned around slowly to see his eyes red and inflamed in rage. "Karen was a gentle soul who loved everyone, including Henry."
"Don't you dare mention her name!"
She whimpered in startlement at the roar in his bark, holding the knife she concealed behind her tighter than ever. She was right. It was all about Karen. Peter had become so broken and blinded by her grief that he wanted his pound of flesh and that pound of flesh was her.
"Henry killed her with all his dreams." Peter continued, now only inches away from her and almost in tears. "He has to pay Lila; Henry has to be taught a lesson of what it means to lose someone you love so dearly." He sniffled.
He stretched his arm forward and the only primitive response Lila could give was to put out her knife in his direction, both hands unsteady, quivering in fright.
"Stay back!" She warned pointing the blade at his chest but it didn't seem as enough for him to retreat. "I'm warning you." She added waving the blade in a slash and cutting Peter on his palm.
He grimaced at the pain but wasn't willing to back down. He charged forcefully towards her and shook the knife off her trembling hands down to the kitchen floor. Lila struggled, throwing punches and kicks and head-butts at her attacker but she was no match for Peter's masculinity that warded her struggle off with a backhanded slap that sent her straight to the ground.
Lila groaned at the throbbing pain in her left eye. It left her a bit disoriented. She began to crawl on all fours away from him but it was futile. He snatched her from the ground like a doll and bundled both her hands with one arm.
Lila panted. She could feel his breath heavy on him as well as his chest heaved up and down.
"Peter, please. I'm beginning you,' she pleaded in tears.
"I'm sorry, Lila," Peter said before pulling out a handkerchief dipped in chloroform from his pocket and covering her nose with it. A rush of adrenaline kicked in suddenly and Lila found the strength to struggle again but her struggle became less and less as the insensibility from the toxic liquid slowly crept in.
She tried mumbling something under the napkin but Peter didn't budge. He kept the pressure just enough until she passed out.
** ** **
Much after the brewing and fermentation processes, Lucifer and Tony sat across each other on the floor as they both enjoyed their cheap lab refined liquor served out in two measuring cylinders and while Tony was nursing the third round, Lucifer was on his thirteenth.
"You keep sipping this like its water, are you sure it's not affecting you?" Tony marveled.
Lucifer nodded. "I keep taking in more to see if it would bring me to my first drunken stupor but it seems futile. Perhaps it is as a result of my nature, maybe I can't get drunk ever."
"You say it like it's a bad thing." Tony snorted. "Do you know how many men out there wish to have that kind of ability?"
"Remember Ash," Lucifer said before letting out a light belch. "It's not just about doing these things vainly, but also experiencing everything to its climax. I want to know how it feels like." Just then, he had a crazy idea. "You know, my immortality becomes vulnerable when this body has absorbed a certain amount of impact. What if I can actually get drunk?"
"What are you trying to say?" Tony wondered what idea caused the devilish smile hanging on Lucifer's face.
"I'm saying how about you make me a concoction so strong that it will knock the socks off this vessel?"
"Won't that be harmful to Dr. Bates' body?" Tony worried.
"Nah," Lucifer brushed off with a hand wave. "I can handle it, trust me."
Tony studied Lucifer's expression for a moment. He could never tell there was a lie or truth behind every word or act.
"Okay, boss." He muttered to rest the issue.
"Good," Lucifer affirmed. "Now, I must say I'm quite impressed, I never knew you had it in you."
"Well, Dr. Bates doesn't know about this, not even my mum." Tony blushed a bit.
"I have a feeling there's a story behind this," Lucifer grinned.
Tony nodded in agreement. "It was during my college days, I had always been the shy intelligent introvert who could answer almost every question there is about physics and quantum mechanics but could not walk up to a girl to get her phone number." Lucifer burst into laughter but Tony chose to ignore him. "So on the night after our final exams, I decided to live wild and adventurous with my roommates for once."
"And you couldn't just go to a bar to get a drink?" Lucifer queried.
"My family isn't rich you know," Tony reminded. "So I decided to make my own liquor and everyone loved it."
"And?"
"And then I got drunk for the first time and told my roommates I wanted a tattoo."
"You have a tattoo?" Lucifer exclaimed.
"Yeah, but in the weirdest place ever," Tony said dropping the cylinder and proceeding to pull off his left shoe as well as the sock. "I told them I wanted a tattoo on my feet."
Lucifer burst into another round of laughter as he gazed at the figure on Tony's feet- a heart and a flag with the name 'Charlie' inscribed on it. "Who's Charlie, your high school lover?" Lucifer teased.
"My cat," Tony answered and Lucifer laughed again.
"Oh Ash, I wish I had known you earlier." Lucifer exploded in amusement. "You're truly remarkable--"
Lucifer's phone rang, breaking up their conversation.
"Hold on, it's Lila," Lucifer said putting the phone to his ear. "Hey, babe,"
The reply was rather cold and not at all what or who Lucifer expected to hear.
"Lila can't get to the phone right now."
"Peter," Lucifer uttered as he sprang to his feet. Tony did the same too.
"Yes, Henry, it is me," he heard Peter say. "You should have known this was coming."
"I already told you, I don't know--"
"And I told you I don't care," Peter growled. "Karen is dead and you have to pay."
Tony, still caught in the web of confusion asked again.
"What's going on?"
Lucifer ignored him as his anger boiled.
"I swear to my father if you so much as touch a strand of her hair--"
"Calm down big guy. Come down to the construction site at main street, else your fiancée dies. Call the cops and I kill her without hesitation."
And then Peter hung up.