It's Universe who notices first. Busy making sure the death of a neutron star goes right - it might make the biggest black hole yet - Universe feels a man's luck shift within themself drastically. Most people's luck shift like waves but this man's increase feels like dropping a boulder in a still lake. This has not happened in millenniums. Lady Luck has broken the rules.

Universe is over to Earth in what feels like a second but is probably hours. Even they have their limits. Universe reaches within themself for the Lady Luck, they can pick her out easier. The man, they will deal with later.

Universe touches down in a town that could be anywhere on Earth. Houses, trees, cars, roads. Universe knows that the house on top of the hill is Lady Luck's however.

Paparazzi surround the house with vans and cameras and lights. It's all a bit much for Universe: someone who takes solace in the quiet and the empty.

Universe walks right through them, they don't seem to mind. Turning their heads this way and that, avoiding directly looking right at Universe. Universe walks through the door too.

Lady Luck is already facing Universe's way.

"I'll give you your goodbyes, at least," Universe says.

"I won't leave him," Lady Luck responds.

"Then I won't even grant you that."

Lady knew Universe was coming. She had taken it too far. Gotten too cocky. Lady held Eli close when he got home. Grabbed onto him and didn't let go.

"What's wrong?" Eli said, chuckling. "Miss me that badly?"

A yes was all Lady could muster without crying.

Lady lucks into knowing that Universe will take an hour or two. Lady knows she's outmatched. In a fight she'd lose. Lady spends the time with her husband.

Before Universe arrives, Eli is out the house going to get some shopping. Lady makes sure the paparazzi won't follow him but she'll use them to buy as much time as she needs.

Lady takes a breath and Universe walks in the door.

"I'll give you your good byes at least," Universe says.

"I won't leave him," Lady says and she can feel a tear trickle down her face. For all her power, she's still so human.

"Then I won't even give you that."

Lady feels the ripples as Universe, standing in front of her, reaches their hand out and tries to take hold of Eli. By luck, Universe misses and Eli jumps; screams as a piece of road next to him explodes and crumbles into dust.

"You don't touch him," Lady says. "He did nothing wrong. Do you remember when he helped people? I made presents rich and evil kings fall. You made a universe that could support it and then you made life. What happened?"

"You know what happened," Universe says, their fists clench.

"They were the exception, too big for their fucking boots. Eli and I aren't, we're doing. Nurturing your children."

"Is that how you see it? I know how the Betrayer felt in his last moments. Right! He felt right! Betrayer thought his actions were the right ones to take and he should do the. And he had the power to just do it. To go unchallenged and it's only because the rest of us realised how dangerous he was did we stop him."

"I won't make the same mistakes."

"You're making them now."

"I'm doing good."

"For how long? What's your end goal? Five families dead? - Yeah, I know who did it. - Ten? Twenty? All of them? Where do you stop?"

"We keep the peace, we help people. Stop monsters how is that bad?"

"Because we're us! Because at the click of our fingers we can destroy humanity's whole existence. If Eli had done it-"

"Don't say his name."

"If Eli had done it without your help, I wouldn't care. Humans being humans. Blood for blood. But we have to be better that, it's why we have rules."

"Then I choose to break them."

"Then I choose to stop.giving you a second chance."

It's before Lady can even think about it that Universe kills Eli. Not a bloody mess, or dust like the road besides Eli. Eli simply disappears. A nowhere man.

"You- you didn't," Lady says. Lady can feel the luck she granted Eli slip away like a leaf on the wind. She can feel her heart being torn out too.

"Take this as a lesson," Universe says, "I will kill every friend, every lover, every human you care about if that's what it takes for you to stick to the rules. Goodbye, Lady Luck."

Universe disappears. Just gone. Gone like Eli. No trace left. Lady has nothing to bury, or to cremate. Nothing left of Eli except of the photos they've taken. But now, with nothing left of Eli, how can she proves even those are real?

She can... No... Yes. She can use her luck.

Consciousness in the void. Nothing. Nowhere. No time. No space. Just the voice. "Eli, Eli are you there?"

Yes, the thing called Eli thinks. Yes, I am, in the nowhere.

"Come towards me, Eli."

The thing called Eli doesn't feel movement or anything, really. But the voice sounds pleased.

"Yes, that's good, closer."

The thing called Eli feels something for the first time. It's excruciating. It hurts. The thing called Eli can't stand it, wants to go back to the nothingness but it can't. Something is dragging it forward.

"Don't go," the voice says and it pulls the thing called Eli forward into existence. "You don't have a choice. You do as I say. You come forward. You have no power over me."

Existence is hell.

Released in six days. Like a fly that zipped a centimeter past the spider's web, there just isn't enough evidence to pin the murders of Andria, Thomas and Derek Townsend on Eli Buckle. Not that most people mind. Even the detectives who worked the case, who were sure it was Eli and were furious when he just walked away, aren't that torn up about it. That's because the Townsends were discovered, during the investigation, to be murderers, and worse. Everyone thinks they deserve it. Even Eli. During a press conference after his acquittal, Eli hinted, in language drenched in lawyer speak, that IF he had ever met the Townsends and IF he had done it, then he WOULD think they deserved it. He's applauded as a hero.

Her part is no small one. Eli and Lady have had a good thing going for a while now. They dated for a few years and then got married in the Bahamas because they happened to 'luck' into some tickets. And then after 'luck' into some money, then a house, then a good life. There's a lot of luck going around to put it bluntly. It was only recently that Eli began to grow down. He would go into himself for a long time. Just staring. Wrestling with something in his head. It was after a few days of this, Lady approached Eli.

They're in their living room, sitting on the couch across from the TV. Eli ignores the TV blaring some DVD they left in the player, he stares out the window to the right of them. Outside are rolling hills and and tiny farm houses and nothing but green going on for what feels forever.

Lady prods Eli on the arm, Eli turns his head and "hmm?""s her.

"Wanna talk about it?" Lady comes right out with it, luck has no stomach for dancing around.

"It... It's nothing," Eli responds, slouched into the couch.

"Absolutely nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Well, I know you're lying," Lady says and by luck finds their DVD copy of Spider-Man just sitting next to the couch.

Lady gets up, puts it in and sits back down. She hugs Eli, holds him close. She's getting ready for a very tricky conversation.

It's by luck she stumbled across what Eli is thinking. And Lady sympathies, she really does but what can she do? She's bound by rules and the control of people much more powerful than her.

"I can't, you know..." Lady begins, she knows Eli doesn't like her guessing his thoughts by luck but it's important this time. "I wish I could and I think we should but we'd be found out."

"You're Luck though," he responds, "you could- we could help any number of people. Kid down the street getting done in by their dad? Snap! Someone sees walking by or he gets caught for something else. Man lost his business and is about throw himself off a bridge? Bam! He's gotten a letter from an old friend, they've started another business and the failed business man is exactly who they're looking for. A teen-"

"Right, right... I know and I want to help, I really do. But there are rules."

"The rules bent for us. Got us this house. Got us our life."

"I know but we're not allowed to use our power on others."

"Why though? You've given me all this and I'm grateful, but shouldn't we give back. I wanna pass it forward, you know?"

"I... I can't."

Eli stands up and walks away, Lady follows after him. She grabs onto his shoulder.

"Please I-" Lady begins.

"I just need a second, okay?" Eli asks.

Lady lucks into knowing he's not mad, just geniuenly needs a second and she lets Eli go.

Lady Luck, a power house of nature able to do pretty much anything. Help pretty much anyone. She's helped herself. She's helped Eli but that benefits her as well. There's no acts of true compassion. True kindness.

Half an hour later, Lady steps into their bedroom. Eli sits on the bed, his head low and his back slouched.

"Hey," Lady says, hanging onto the doorway. One foot in the bedroom and one foot out.

"Hey, " Eli says and turns his head to her. He smiles. "I'm- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pressured you into anything. I was just spitballing."

"No... You're right. I should be doing more. But I'm afraid. I really am. If they found out I did something... I don't know what they would do. To us, to you."

"Then I'll do it. Just help me out. It'll look normal. Like just another human making a choice. We can help people then."

"Okay."