Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lucifer would look back on this moment for eons to come. He would analyse every detail, searching for all the signs he’d overlooked, signs that, in hindsight, had been glaringly obvious.

But he hadn’t seen them. He hadn’t noticed the fear in Chloe’s eyes, the hesitation in her voice, the way she watched him more than she ate. Her grilled cheese sandwich, her favorite, remained barely touched.

It had been written all over her face, had he only allowed himself to look. But he hadn’t looked. He’d remained blind until he registered a strange tingling sensation in his fingers.

He pressed a hand to his temple, and fought against the dizziness that was suddenly making his head spin.

“Lucifer?” Chloe’s voice sounded distant, muffled, drowned out by the buzzing in his head. “Are you okay?”

“Something’s wrong,” he muttered. His own voice barely reached his ears. He tried to lift his hand, but his limbs were slowly turning numb.

“Lucifer!” Chloe was suddenly beside him, her face blurred, shifting in his unfocused vision. Her lips moved, she was speaking, but her words were lost as the world continued to spin around him.

Lucifer fought to stay conscious. He commanded himself to resist whatever was coursing through his nervous system, poison most likely.

Chloe Decker watched as the sedative took hold, stealing the last of Lucifer’s strength.

It worked quickly. A moment ago, he had been speaking normally, and now, he was swaying, one hand pressed to his head.

“Poison,” he slurred, as if struggling to move his tongue. “Who?”

Then his gaze locked onto hers. And she knew. He could see the guilt in her eyes and she knew that he knew what she’d done.

The pain in his eyes struck her like a blade, deep and unrelenting. Chloe nearly faltered. Nearly took it all back.

But then he collapsed, and she knew there was no turning back.

This was necessary.

She thought of all the deaths that had followed Lucifer like shadows—Frank Lawrence. Malcolm’s victims, Rose Davis and Mike Carey. Reese Getty. Charlotte Richards.

How many others? How many would still be alive if Lucifer had never set foot on Earth?

He would never return to Hell on his own. Chloe knew that. And as painful as it was, she couldn’t let his selfishness put more lives at risk.

The world was never meant for him.

Neither was she.

Swiping at her teary eyes, Chloe pulled a burner phone from her pocket. She dialed the number, listening to the single ring before the call was answered.

“It’s done,” she told Kinley.

“You did well, child,” came the priest’s voice.

She couldn’t bring herself to respond. She simply ended the call and slipped the phone back into her pocket.

Heart heavy, Chloe gathered her courage.

She wasn’t just following Kinley. She was adhering to God’s wishes p. This was meant to be. Why else would Lucifer be vulnerable around her? Why else would he pretend to care so deeply for her?

This was God’s Will.

She had no choice but to follow his commands.

She left the bathroom and walked straight to the elevator. The service entrance. The one Kinley would use.

She didn’t turn around.

She had done the right thing.

⸻

The first thing he felt when he woke up was pain more excruciating than anything he’d endured since his first few millennia in Hell. Every muscle ached, and his blood felt like fire in his veins.

He could hear indistinct voices around him. He blinked his eyes open and was met with the sight of a church basement, surrounded by a ring of men. They wore the same hideous robes that priests always did.

Then he noticed the weight of chains on his wrists and ankles. He could also feel a metal collar around his neck.

He frowned and tugged on the chains. Hard.

Instead of snapping as they should have, a surge of electricity shot through his body. Only his own Will kept him from screaming in pain. It lasted far longer than it should have, leaving his muscles spasming from the shock.

He turned his attention to the shackles for the first time, really looking at them. Runes engraved into the metal glowed slightly blue.

Magic, Lucifer realized with the first stirrings of true fear.

Enochian magic.

That was when he remembered what had happened to land him in this mess.

The Detective.

She’d betrayed him.

Poisoned him for these priests to find.

One of the men stepped forward. He had gray hair and a beard, and judging by his attire, he held a high rank. Most likely the one who had started this operation.

“This isn’t going to work, padre. It never does,” Lucifer drawled.

The priest ignored him in favor of gagging him.

“We will hear no more lies from you, Devil,” he said harshly.

The Devil snarled at the man, letting Hellfire light his eyes. He was pleased to see several of the priests flinch. The man who had gagged him was not among them.

Shame, Lucifer thought.

“Shall we begin, Father Kinley?” one of the priests asked, taking out a knife and handing it to Kinley.

“We shall,” the man responded. With that, he moved around to Lucifer’s back.

The Fallen Angel did not like that. Not one bit.

In Hell, if something managed to attack you from behind, you were already dead.

He had learned that the hard way.

A sharp, stabbing pain between his shoulder blades nearly made him scream in agony. Only through sheer force of Will did he remain silent. His wings unfurled in response to the pain. He knew, without even having to look, that his feathers had hardened and become razor-sharp, as they always did when an Angel was in danger. He heard the man, Kinley, stumble back and hoped that one of his feathers had cut him.

Then he heard the rattle of chains, and suddenly shackles had been clamped onto his wings. He tried to withdraw them, and immediately an agonizing, burning pain shot through them, forcing a groan from his throat.

His fear grew, but this time it wasn’t for himself.

It was for his siblings.

Lucifer knew pain. He had felt more than enough of it over the course of his life—both in Heaven, in Hell, and on Earth—so he had developed a rather powerful tolerance toward it.

Most of his siblings had never gotten their hands dirty, never been hurt beyond the occasional fight or fall, so if the Enochian magic was this painful to him, he had no desire to find out how much it would hurt them.

Especially Michael. He was the most likely to be mistaken for Lucifer. It was a good thing he hardly ever came down to Earth.

Now, don’t get him wrong, he hated his siblings (except maybe Azrael and Michael. Amenadiel was also alright nowadays), but that didn’t mean he tolerated it when anyone but himself tried to mess with them.

They were his, after all.

When Kinley came back around, Lucifer saw that the man was cradling his hand, which had a deep gash all the way across his palm.

Despite the pain, Lucifer smirked in satisfaction.

The smile slipped from his face when a searing pain tore through his wing.

He knew then that the exorcism had begun.

And with it, the real nightmare.

Chapter Text

As far as Michael knew, today was a perfectly ordinary day.

His siblings were milling around, his father was working in his office, the Morning Star far above them shone brightly, though far dimmer than it had before his Twin’s fall.

Everything was as it had been for eons.

He was on his way to his father’s office, who had summoned him for something or other, when his perfectly normal day took a very dark turn.

Literally.

The Morning Star flickered. Just for a moment, then a second time, then a third, before it’s light dimmed to a point where it was no brighter than a full moon.

The entire Host was plunged into darkness and he didn’t stick around long enough to see their reactions. The Morning Star was a Gift of Light. If the Morning Star was going out, it could only mean one thing: His Twin was in deep trouble.

He flew straight up to his Father’s office, not bothering to knock, only to find the Almighty staring at the flickering star above them with something akin to fear.

He turned when he felt His Sword’s presence.

“Father…?“ Michael started. God watched his son. “Samael.” He said. “I cannot find Samael.”

Michael blanched and immediately felt deep within himself to find his Twin. Only for his face to turn white when he realised that there was nothing to find.

God could see the panic rising in His Son’s eyes. He put a hand on Michael’s shoulder to ground him. “Find him.” He told His Sword. “Find your brother. I will continue to search from here.”

Michael didn’t need to be told twice. He spread his wings and left the Silver City.

The first place he looked was in Hell. Perhaps his Twin was trapped in a Hell loop, or the demons had done something to him.

When he landed, he found himself looking over a lake of fire. He looked around and drew his sword. It would not do for him to be taken out with the fate of his Twin unknown.

He tensed when he saw a figure approaching him. As the figure drew closer he realised that she was neither celestial nor infernal. She was human. “Lilith?” He asked.

The woman came to a sudden stop. “Michael.” She said and Michael could tell from her expression alone, that she was expecting his Twin. “What are you doing here?” She asked suspiciously.

“I am looking for my Twin.” He said evenly.

Lilith narrowed her eyes. “You’re looking for Lucifer?” She asked, and Michael could hear the scorn in her voice. It made him want to gut her. “Here? Now?” She went on and Michael had to hide a wince. Alright, so maybe she was right to doubt his intentions, but he didn’t have time for this.

“He’s missing.” He said bluntly. “Well of course he’s missing.” Lilith answered. “He’s been gone for millennia.”

“What?” He asked, dread settling in his stomach. “He left Hell ages ago, normally he’d be back by now. Amenadiel would drag him back down here. This is the longest he’s been away since after he first fell.” Lilith told him.

“So where did he go?” Michael asked. He had a pretty good idea, of course he did, but he wanted to be absolutely certain before he wasted precious time. “Earth, of course.” Lilith said like it was obvious. She thought for a moment. “If you don’t find him, seek out a demon named Mazikeen. If anyone knows where he is, it’s her.” She added. She scowled suddenly. “And don’t even think of coming back here. Most demons don’t appreciate those who abandon their king. The rest just really want to kill an Angel.”

He didn’t bother to respond, just spread his wings and took off to the mortal plain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linda was worried. Lucifer had missed an appointment, and he never missed an appointment without informing her of it first.

She was about to call Maze when the whole world went dark. Every single light in her house flickered, before they lit up again, significantly dimmer than in the beginning. She remembered what she’d said to Lucifer once. Before you fell, you were known as Samael. The Lightbringer. The Lightbringer. She turned when her door opened and was only slightly surprised when Amenadiel stepped into the room, looking stressed and worried.

“Lucifer-“ he started. She cut him off. “I know, we need to find him.”

Amenadiel stared at her. “How…?”

“The lights.” She answered quickly, going for her phone and dialling Maze’s number. “And he missed an appointment last night.”

Then she heard Maze’s voice. “Linda, what’s happening?” Linda was terrified by the fear in the demon’s voice. “I don’t know. Did you notice the lights?” She asked hurriedly. “Yeah,” Came the reply. “And it’s not just LA. Are your curtains closed?” She asked. “Yeah, I had a photosensitive patient last session, why?”
“Look out the window. ”

Linda looked and what she saw almost made her heart stop. The sun, which currently hung high in the sky was glowing a dark, bloody red. The sky, which should have been pale blue resembled that of twilight and all across the street people were frozen, staring up at the sky in awe and fear.

“Linda, you still there?” Came Maze’s voice from the speaker, which sat loosely in her hand. Linda shook herself. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“I’m on my way to the penthouse.” Maze explained. “I’ll start there, see what I can find. Dan and Ellen are coming too. Apparently the place has been ransacked. No sign of Lucifer.”

Linda took a deep breath, trying to push down her fear. She felt an arm around her and looked up to see Amenadiel’s gentle eyes watching her. “We’ll be right there.” Linda said into the speaker.

Then she hung up, Amenadiel took her in his arms and they were off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael wasn’t sure where to start his search and the blood red Sun in the sky was a bit distracting as his mind kept wandering back to what it insinuated.

Focus. He told himself for about the fiftieth time that day.

He’d left Hell through a Hellgate and appeared on a beach just outside a large city.
A signboard told him that this was Los Angeles. The City of Angels. The sign had read.

Yes, Michael thought with amusement. That did sound like his brother. He figured that this was as good a place as any to start looking.

The consequences of Samael’s disappearance became clear the moment he stepped inside the city. The humans were panicking, traffic was gridlocked, and the streets were packed with people staring up at the sky and the crimson sun.

Michael tried to force his way through the crowds, but he would have had a better time swimming through mud.

He’d considered flying, but he doubted the mortals would miss an Angel flying over them while they were gaping at the sky like morons.

Michael growled when yet another mortal bumped his shoulder, getting frustrated. He didn’t have time for this!

Just then a thought struck him so suddenly that he swayed on the spot. Time. Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner?

He glanced around, making sure no one was looking at him, before he let the Shadows consume him.

He reappeared near the Hellgate he’d arrived through and prayed for his eldest brother.

He waited for about five minutes before he heard the telltale sound of beating wings. He turned to find Amenadiel landing just behind him with… was that a human woman in his arms?

Amenadiel looked stressed and worried as he furled his wings away.

The mortal he’d been carrying took a hesitant step away from him. She looked a little green.

Michael tilted his head. He’d been unaware that humans could change colours.

“Lucifer?” The woman asked hopefully. Amenadiel shook his head and gave her an apologetic look.

“Sorry Linda, this is Michael, Lucifer’s Twin.” Amenadiel said.

Linda looked from Amenadiel to Michael. “Lu—Tw-Twin—Mi-Michael.” She looked at Amenadiel. “That’s Michael?” Then she looked back at Michael. “You’re Michael?”

Michael raised an eyebrow at her. “Yes.” He deadpanned. “I think we’ve established that I am Michael. And you are?”

"Linda Martin. I'm... Lucifer's therapist," she explained, still with that star struck look on her face.

Michael stared at her. “My Twin…has a therapist?” He asked, wondering if she was playing a prank on him.

Amenadiel rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. I couldn’t believe it either.”

Then he addressed Michael directly. “Michael, what are you doing here?” Michael was still staring at the woman in confusion. There was something almost… divine about her.

A miracle perhaps? Though he couldn’t figure out how that could be possible.

At his brother’s words, he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. “I’m looking for Samael.” He explained. “I was hoping you might know where he lives.”

“Oh, yeah, I was just heading there.” Amenadiel answered. “Although I don’t think he’s there. Apparently the place has been trashed.“ Amenadiel narrowed his eyes. “Shouldn’t you be able to tell where he is? I mean that’s your thing right?”

Michael shifted, letting a bit of the worry he was feeling show on his face. “I cannot find him. Neither can Father.” Amenadiel went deathly pale. “Father can’t find him?” He asked sounding scared. Michael nodded grimly.

Amenadiel shook his head. “Come on.” He said and he made to take off, until Michael grabbed him by the arm.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, brother?” Michael asked.

Amenadiel looked at him, bewildered. “What?” He asked confused.

Michael rolled his eyes. “The mortals, Amenadiel!” He said exasperated. “They’re all currently looking at the sky.”

Linda got a funny look on her face and she looked over her shoulder at the Los Angeles skyline. “Wait, so how many people just saw us…” she started, before trailing off mid-sentence.

Amenadiel pursed his lips in annoyance, before he said, “Michael, the sun is literally going out. I don’t think anybody’s going to care about some crazy story about Angels.”

Without another word he took his human friend in his arms and took off in the direction of Lucifer’s penthouse.

Michael growled and followed close behind him.

Amenadiel was so caught up in what Michael had just told him, that he forgot that Maze had mentioned that Dan and Ella would be at the penthouse with her. So he didn’t think about being subtle when he flew right in through the window.

It was Dan’s scream that alerted him to his mistake. He cursed when he looked around and saw Dan and Ella staring at him dumbstruck. He considered hiding his wings when Michael landed right next to him. Michael looked around, and his eyes fell on Maze. Amenadiel tensed, ready to intervene should either of them start a fight.

Michael narrowed his eyes and asked “Are you Mazikeen?” Maze straightened slightly and nodded stiffly. Michael’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly as he regarded her. “I was told that you could help me find my Twin.” He stated and Amenadiel saw Maze ease up a bit. “So you didn’t do anything to him?” She asked suspiciously.

Michael’s aura flared and Amenadiel felt Linda tense. The menace rolling off his younger brother at the accusation that he would ever willingly harm his Twin filled the entire room. (What Michael, in his indignation, didn’t see was the sideways glance Maze sent to Amenadiel. He felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that one of the reasons Maze was so quick to suspect Michael was that Amenadiel was the only example of Angels that she knew and she assumed that his history with Lucifer could apply to all his siblings.) He saw the Demon and Archangel gear up for a fight and was about to intervene when Dan spoke up. “Hang on a second, what do you mean by twin? Who are you?” Michael looked over to the human and Amenadiel could tell that, despite Dan’s rudeness, his brother was impressed that he could fight his Fear enough to speak up at all. “My name is Michael.” He said evenly.

“You’re an Angel.” Ella breathed, stunned. Michael glanced at her, a little startled that she didn’t look the slightest bit fazed by his aura, just surprised and slightly awed. These humans were something else. The pure white emanating from her soul baffled him even more. “Oh my Lord, Lucifer’s the actual Devil.” She said wide eyed. Michael tensed. If she said it. If she had the nerve to say that his Twin was evil, to his face, nothing would keep him from destroying her.

Then the woman with Amenadiel spoke up. “He’s still Lucifer, Ella. That hasn’t changed.” The girl, Ella, looked over at Amenadiel and the woman. “Linda, you knew?” She asked.

Linda looked at her sympathetically. Then she noticed Dan, who looked like his entire world just fell apart. She felt her sympathy grow. It would be a lot harder for an atheist to accept the fact that God and Angels and the Devil were real, than for someone as faithful as Ella.

“Dan.” He looked up at her. “He’s still our Lucifer, he told us he’s the Devil from the start. Now we just have proof that he’s telling the truth.”

Dan looked at her in disbelief. “How can you say that? You know you’re friends with the Devil! He’s the-“

“I suggest you choose your next words very carefully, human. I’m rather protective of my Twin.” Michael cut him off with a menacing growl. Dan looked at him with fear.

Ella shook her head to clear it of the panic that she was sure wasn’t her own, at least not entirely. “Dan, I-I know that this is probably really hard for you to handle right now, but I think we should consider the fact that some things in the Bible are obviously false.”

Dan looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, nowhere in the Bible does it mention that Lucifer and Michael are Twins! That in itself is a huge oversight, so who knows what else we might have gotten wrong.” Michael relaxed slightly at her words. “I like you.” He said with something that was almost a smile. “Most Believers are very set in their ways of blaming my Twin for all their shortcomings.” Ella blushed, glad that she seemed to have done something right.

Dan looked between them for a couple of seconds. “So, so if Lucifer isn’t evil, why was he sent to Hell?” Michael scowled at him. If it wasn’t for the fact that he could tell that this man was just trying to get the full story, he would have killed him by now. “Why do you humans punish your children when they misbehave?” Dan’s eyes cleared slightly as he answered honestly. “To teach them a lesson.” Michael nodded.

“Okay, and what about the thing with Lucifer showing up wherever death and destruction take place?” Everyone stared at him.

“What, I looked into him when he was getting all lovey dovey over Chloe.” Dan said defensively. “I found some things that make a lot more sense now.” He muttered at the end. He turned back to Michael. “Well?”

Michael smirked slightly. “Oh, that’s quite simple really, that wasn’t Samael.” Dan gaped at him. “So all those deaths, World War II, all of those pictures that was you?”

“I’m the Angel of Darkness and Power. Death and destruction don’t follow me, I follow them to intercept souls that have to be forced into Hell, because they are so tainted by Darkness that they feel no guilt for their actions and therefore would theoretically make it to Heaven. I ensure that that doesn’t happen.” Michael explained. Normally he wouldn’t go into so much detail, but he would do anything to lift some of the blame off his Twin, and these humans seemed ready to listen. “Because they can’t go to Hell of their own volition, they also can’t be tortured the same way other damned souls would be tortured. It’s my job to judge them for their crimes and assign their punishments. When I am done, I drop them off at an entrance to Hell and my Twin collects them and brings them to their cell, where he sets up their punishment.”

Dan blinked. “Huh, so you’re the Judge, and he’s the Warden.” He said with a thoughtful expression. Michael was satisfied to see that he was coming round.

“But then, does Lucifer torture the damned souls?” He was beginning to understand a little better, but the fact was that people in Hell were still tortured.

Maze stepped in at that. Right, Maze was a demon, that would take some getting used to. “The thing about Hell is that people bring themselves there. They choose their own punishments, based on their guilt and they punish themselves. Lucifer hardly ever even enters the cells. The thing is, that aside from the ones that Michael mentioned, none of the doors down there are locked. The souls could leave anytime they wanted. They’re aware of it too. It says a lot that no one’s ever done it before.”

Both Michael and Amenadiel looked surprised at that new piece of information. They never bothered to find out how the system in Hell worked beyond the souls getting there.

Dan looked a lot more relaxed now, than he did in the beginning. He frowned slightly as a sudden thought struck him. “Hey Michael, how many times do you have to Judge a soul?” Michael thought for a moment. “It depends on the time, the place, the current circumstances. The last soul I collected was only a few years ago. A man named Malcolm Graham.” Everybody stared at him in shock.

Ella looked around at them all. “Graham, isn’t that the guy who shot Lucifer?”

Michael’s head snapped up to look at her. “What?” He growled.

Suddenly the entire sky darkened and they looked out the window to see that the sun had dimmed even further. Maze cursed.

Ella’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, Lucifer is the Lightbringer! I totally forgot about that!”

Dan looked between her and the sky outside in alarm. “Let’s get to looking.” He said urgently.

They all started rummaging through the wrecked penthouse.

They’d been looking for about thirty minutes, when Maze gave an angry hiss. She was holding a bottle of red wine in one hand and a wine glass in the other. “Poison.” She snarled. “I smell poison. And Chloe. There are several scents that I don’t recognise, but I can definitely smell Chloe.”

“They had a date.” Ella whispered stunned. “Lucifer was really excited for it.”

“We need to go to Chloe’s.” Dan said, trying to focus. This was just another case. He could handle it.

“No need.” Michael hissed. “Where does she live?”

Maze told him the address and he let his senses roam until he focused on the right building. He could feel two souls within the house, but didn’t have time to discern which one he needed. So he brought them both through his shadows.

The shadows converged in the middle of the room and when they cleared there was a woman standing protectively in front of a child. The child looked around confused, while the woman looked absolutely terrified.

When she saw Michael, she stumbled back, looking around as though trying to find an escape route.

“Hey Trixie, why don’t you come take a walk with me?” Dan said kneeling down. The child ran around the woman’s legs and hugged him.

Dan picked her up and together they left the penthouse, leaving Chloe alone with two very angry Angels, a furious demon and a protective friend.

As soon as the door closed behind Dan and Trixie, Maze went off on Chloe. “What the heck, Decker! What did you do?!” She yelled, advancing on the terrified woman. “Where’s Lucifer?” Maze asked.

Chloe paled even more at that. “I-I don’t-“

“If you value your life, human, I suggest you tell the truth.” Michael snarled letting his aura fill the entire room. “Now I will ask you this only once. Where is my Twin?”

“I don’t know where he is.” The woman stuttered, taking a step back. “But you knew he was missing.” Ella said, looking beyond betrayed.

Chloe cringed. “I-I’m sorry.” She whimpered. Without warning she found herself pressed against the wall by a very pissed off Amenadiel, who had a hand around her throat. “What did you do to my baby brother?!” He snarled.

Chloe choked. She didn’t understand what was going on. Amenadiel was an Angel, Lucifer was the Devil. Why did he act like he didn’t want Lucifer back in Hell?

“What did you do, Chloe?!” Amenadiel repeated, tightening his grip around her throat. “Where did you go, when you ran?”

Chloe choked. “R-Rome.” She gasped.

Maze snarled. “The Vatican! You went to the Vatican?!” She screamed.

“What’s so bad about the Vatican?” Linda asked hesitantly.

Maze let out an inhuman growl and her face shifted to her demonic form. “The priests at the Vatican are the most dangerous to us demons.” She snarled and Amenadiel was horrified to hear a flicker of fear in her voice.

“How are they dangerous?” Amenadiel asked. “They’re human.” He said confused. Maze shook her head. “They’re exorcists. They’re the only church left on earth with the knowledge and magic to banish a demon. There used to be more, but when Lucifer outlawed possession and humanity started to progress, exorcisms became less frequent and people forgot how to do them properly. Lucifer also managed to leak some false information to the humans, so nowadays exorcisms are just a bunch of nonsensical prayers and some chanting.”

Michael stared at her. He knew about exorcisms. Most people prayed to him beforehand, after all. He also knew what a true exorcism entailed.

“They’re also the most brutal.” Maze added. “If you told them you’d met the Devil, they’ll think it’s their right to send him back to Hell the hard way. It wouldn’t work, obviously. He isn’t inhabiting a human body. But it hurts like shit. That’s why he outlawed possession in the first place.”

She turned back to Chloe. “Who did you talk to. What’s their name?” She asked menacingly.

Chloe was looking at her horrified, not saying a word. Amenadiel tightened his grip. “K-Kinley.” Chloe finally gasped. “His name was William Kinley.”

Maze grinned. Now that she had a name she could find whoever would dare to harm her Lord with ease. Amenadiel let go of Chloe looking disgusted. “You’d better hope for your sake that Lucifer makes it out of this mess. If not, my siblings and I would be happy to pay you a visit.” And he knew that they would. No matter how far Lucifer may fall, he was and always would be one of their own.

The humans had forgotten that over the past millennia.

No more, Amenadiel told himself. He would remind these people that an Angel’s wrath was unforgiving. He had a feeling that this was something his Father would not fight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maze stood in front of the church, grinning triumphantly. William Kinley was arrogant in his belief that he was untouchable. He’d covered up every trail except his own.

A mistake that he would regret very soon. She pulled out her phone and dialled Amenadiel. “I found the place.”

Within seconds Amenadiel and Michael had appeared beside her. The sun had set by now and though the sky was cloudless, there wasn’t a single star in sight. It worried her beyond anything she’d ever felt.

Michael drew his sword and kicked the door open, not waiting for his companions. His Twin was the only thing on his mind. He made his way through the church, down a flight of stairs. He could feel his Power pulling him towards his other half, despite not being able to feel his presence.

Before long the Archangel found himself standing before a large door deep beneath the church. He kicked it in and stepped through.

The sight that met his eyes made him freeze where he stood, a thousand emotions running through his head.

He’d been so caught up in worry that he’d forgotten that this would be the first time the Twins saw each other since Samael’s fall. He’d imagined it so many times, so many scenarios running through his head.

Not a single one of them came close to the sight before him.

His Twin was strung up by chains around his wrists and neck. His ankles were chained to the floor and his wings, Father above his wings. They were mangled, almost completely bare while feathers littered the ground around him, so covered with blood that you could not tell that they were supposed to be white.

His body was cut up, symbols were carved into his skin, bleeding freely. Samael hung there limply, his head bowed.

The sight horrified Michael to no end, but it was the priests that sparked his rage. They stood there, knives in hand, their hands coloured red with his Twin’s blood, chanting ancient prayers that should never have fallen into their possession.

One of the priests raised his knife and took a step toward Samael and the Fallen Angel twitched, a quiet growl escaping him. It was at that moment that Michael realised his brother was awake. Fully conscious of what these creatures were doing to him. Completely aware of the pain.

Michael barely heard Amenadiel’s sharp intake of breath or Mazikeen’s snarl. Right at this moment all the Sword of God could feel was a burning fury.

He screamed with rage and the shadows came to life all around them. They charged the priests, who barely had time to turn. All except the man who stood closest to his Twin, who watched in horror as, one by one, his comrades were cut down. Not killed, no that would be too easy. He met Michael’s eyes and the insolent mortal had the nerve to pray for help. Michael turned every single shadow in the room on this human, watching them overwhelm his body as the human filth screamed with pain. He could destroy his soul, erase it from existence. But he didn’t. The mortal would pay for his crimes. He would not get the easy way out. He pulled the shadows back from the man’s corpse and approached his Twin.

His eyes were closed and his body was limp, but Michael knew he was awake. He looked at the chains that bound his brother and raised his sword. The second the blade made contact with the chains, however, Samael jerked, screaming in pain. Michael felt the current of magic travel through his sword, up his arms and through his entire body, the pain forcing Michael to his knees and causing muscle spasms throughout his entire being.

A small gasp came from behind Michael and he whipped around to see Azrael, the dead priest’s body at her feet, staring at Samael’s broken form in horror.

Michael looked back at Samael and made a split second’s decision. “Azzy.” She tore her eyes off her favourite brother’s body and focused on him. “Leave the soul. Go to the Silver City and get Father down here. This magic is too powerful, even for me.” Azrael swallowed hard, before nodding and unfurling her wings. With one last desperate glance at Samael, she took off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God felt it the second His Youngest entered the Silver City.

He became concerned when she flew right through the window of his office, which only grew when he saw the desperate panic in her eyes and the tears running down her face. “Azrael, my dear, what happened.” His Daughter only shook her head, too distraught to speak and simply gestured for him to follow her.

Normally he wouldn’t have just up and left, especially with Samael missing, but the state His Daughter was in told him that this was serious.

So without another word, they took off towards the mortal plain. The darkness pressed in on them and made Samael’s absence all the more apparent.

When Azrael led Him to a church He felt dread settle in His stomach.

The sight that met Him when they reached the basement would haunt Him for the rest of His life.

His Son, His Lightbringer, chained and broken, his once radiant wings mangled and soaked in blood.

Then He saw the priests, the knives and their bloodstained hands and He felt rage spark in His heart.

But they could wait. He needed to see to His Son first. He could feel the Enochian Magic coming off the chains that bound His Child.

He grabbed the collar around Samael’s neck and forced the magic into the chains. The collar, as well as the shackles around His Son’s wrists crumbled the moment the magic left them.

Samael fell forward and God caught him before he could hit the ground. A small whimper escaped His Son as he finally fell unconscious.

The Almighty cradled His Fallen Angel, until He lifted him up and turned to His Sword, who was kneeling on the floor breathing hard. His Son noticed the look and forced himself to stand. “I’m fine.” He said. God didn’t buy it for a second. “Amenadiel, take your brother to the infirmary. Azrael,” His Daughter looked at him with teary eyes and he softened slightly. “Take these priests to the cells and then come to the infirmary. We should be there by then.” She nodded shakily and grabbed Kinley’s soul as well as a random priests body and made her way back to the Silver City. Michael and Amenadiel were already ahead of her.

With that He turned to the last remaining person. His Son’s demon. She eyed Him tensely and God had the distinct impression that she was trying her hardest not to look at Samael. “I understand you are his right hand.” The Almighty said to which she nodded, her eyes still not leaving His. He had to admire her bravery, as most demons would have run the second they saw Him.

“I will not separate you from him,” He said kindly. “But I believe you would do better to stay and protect his humans, I’m sure Samael would not hold it against you. However, it is completely up to you.” The demon stared at Him. “Are you…telling me I could come to Heaven?” She asked disbelievingly. “As long as you do not endanger those who live there, yes, I am.” He told her honestly.

She finally looked down at Samael’s body and said “Swear to me that he’ll be safe up there.” She growled and something in her eyes had him suddenly paying very close attention to her. There was something about her, something that felt almost like…like a soul. He would have to ask His Son about that at some point.

“I swear.” He told her seriously. “No harm will come to him as long as he’s up there, you have My Word.”

The demon relaxed a little at that. “Then I’ll stand guard here.” She said.

Without another word, God made His way back to the Silver City.

Chapter Text

As soon as God reached the Gates of the Silver City every single Angel in Heaven felt the presence of the Fallen Angel.

Several of them made their way towards him, with every intention of kicking him back out, or at the very least to demand why he was there. Only to freeze in their tracks when they saw the state he was in.

God did not pay them any mind. He needed to get Samael to Raphael. His daughter should be able to heal him.

When He arrived in the infirmary, Raphael was already tending to Michael. She turned when she felt Him approaching and when she saw who He was holding, she turned around and prepared a bed for Samael, completely ignoring Michael. The Almighty was amused to see the relief on His Son’s face when his older sister turned her back on him.

Amenadiel sat in a corner, watching as his sister started working on Lucifer. As soon as God was certain that His Daughter had everything under control, He gestured for Amenadiel and Michael to follow Him to His quarters. Then He turned His attention on his two Sons. “Tell me everything.” He told them and with that they started to recount the last several hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Azrael had tossed the last priest in a cell, she went straight to hers and Gabriel’s quarters. They had always shared, even when their Parents gave them the option of separate rooms.

When she opened the door and threw herself on the bed, Gabriel was currently sitting at her desk, reading a letter. She turned when she heard her sister enter.

It took all of two seconds before Gabriel had Azrael in her arms, letting the younger girl cry on her shoulder. “Hey, hey, Azzy, what’s wrong?” She asked soothingly. Azrael continued to cry and Gabriel grew increasingly concerned.

After about an hour of Azrael just crying her heart out, she finally calmed down enough to talk.

“Come on, Azzy, it’s okay.” Gabriel tried again and Azrael almost laughed. No, it most certainly was not okay. It was anything but okay. The image of her big brother hanging limply by those chains flashed through her mind and his scream when Michael tried to break the chains echoed in her ears. She remembered the priests bodies that littered the floor and the feel of Michael’s menace in the air and shuddered. She’d never really been afraid of Michael, but in that moment she understood exactly why none of her siblings ever wanted to mess with him. Especially after Lucifer’s Fall.

She desperately wanted to stay here and cuddle with Gabriel a little longer, but she had to be sure that Lucifer was alright. She had to know that he would be okay.

She stood up and wiped her eyes. Gabriel watched her worriedly. “Where are you going?” She asked. “Infirmary.” Azrael mumbled. Gabriel paled at that. She didn’t know that one of them was hurt! “I’m coming with you.” She said, moving towards the door.

“Gabe, wait.” Azrael said. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Gabriel gave her a confused look. “What do you mean? If one of our siblings is hurt, I want to make sure they’re okay.”

Azrael looked conflicted. “It isn’t pretty Gabe.” She said softly. “It really isn’t pretty.”

“I don’t care.” Gabriel said stubbornly. “I want to make sure they’re okay.”

Azrael sighed. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Together they made their way to the infirmary, Gabriel trying to prepare herself for what she was about to see.

It wasn’t enough.

The sight of her brother lying on an infirmary bed, completely covered in slashes, with a hysterical Raphael trying to keep him from fading would be forever branded into her brain. Next to her Azrael leaned closer to him. “He looks better.” She said softly. Gabriel blanched. This was better ?!

“I don’t know what to do!” Raphael wailed, completely losing her composure. “Nothing I do is working! I haven’t managed to do anything beyond cleaning and dressing his wounds!”

Azrael started running her fingers through her brother’s unkempt hair.

Just then the door opened and their Father walked in with a thunderous expression on His face. Michael and Amenadiel trailed in behind him.

Michael looked pissed, while Amenadiel looked weary.

When God caught sight of Lucifer all the fight seemed to leave Him. He sighed and sat down on a chair near Lucifer’s bed.

“Father?” Gabriel spoke up. The Almighty looked up at her startled, as if he hadn’t seen her yet. “What happened? What could do this to an Archangel?” She asked cautiously. She was curious, but she wasn’t sure if this was something she wanted to know.

Michael answered before their Father could speak. “Humans.” He growled. Gabriel looked startled. “Humans did this?” She asked doubtfully. She didn’t doubt her brother’s words, not at all. She just couldn’t fathom how they could overpower and restrain one of the most powerful Angels in existence. “How?” She asked.

God looked at her. “I will announce this in a meeting, when Samael is at least stable. I will answer any questions I can then. I would really rather only discuss this once.” He said gently. He knew His daughter’s curiosity was insatiable, but He couldn’t discuss this now.

Gabriel nodded. She didn’t like it, but she could wait. “Should I spread the word of the meeting?” She asked. God smiled and nodded.

Gabriel turned to Azrael. “Do you want to come with me?” Azrael shook her head. “I’ll stay.” She said softly.

Gabriel hugged her and then left. She couldn’t stand looking at her brother any longer.

She made her way toward her siblings to tell them about an indefinite meeting. She didn’t tell them what it would be about. This was one thing that she would keep to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God was furious. He was furious at the humans who dared harm His Child, He was furious at His Miracle for her betrayal, but above all else He was furious with Himself. He never should have created the Miracle, He should have been watching His Lightbringer more closely. Above all, He should never have let His anger at Samael keep Him from protecting His Child. He thought back to what His Sons had told Him about the exorcism. They had hinted that this wasn’t the first time someone had tried to exorcise Samael.

He was also angry at His other Children, specifically those who had first started spreading the rumours about the Devil. Those rumours had convinced humanity that these exorcisms were necessary.

But in His anger, God had looked the other way. He’d ignored the damage His Children were doing to Samael’s reputation. By the time He’d cooled down and told them to stop, it was too late. Humanity had made up its mind and there was little He could do about it.

That would end today. He’d stood by and watched as humans and Angels alike dragged His Son’s name through the mud. And now He was on the verge of losing him for good. He would no longer stand by and watch. He was considering destroying humanity entirely, but He would wait before He made a decision. It would not do for Him to act while He was this angry.

He would, however, put an end to this, starting with Samael’s banishment.

His Son had been punished enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucifer didn’t know where he was or how long he’d been there. This wasn’t Earth and it wasn’t Hell. He couldn’t really bring himself to care, though. His mind was still on the Detective.

She’d betrayed him. She told him that his face didn’t bother her, that he didn’t scare her off.

He’d believed, for just a second, that perhaps he could still be loved. He’d let himself hope again. But no, she’d turned on him, poisoned him and left him at the mercy of those priests.

Was this what she thought he deserved? Was this his Father’s plan? A way to send him back to Hell, while also hurting him in the worst way possible? Or was Amenadiel right, that he had done this to himself?

He felt a familiar sense of grief for the Detective, one that had been following him since Uriel’s death. That hopeless emptiness that dragged him down as he watched all their happy memories turn bad. A painful craving for a friend he knew he’d lost forever.

He supposed he deserved it this time. Back before he started at the LAPD, he’d scream and rage about the injustice of it all. As if he hadn’t suffered enough already. As if he didn’t regret his actions against the Host enough already.

Now though? Now he was a murderer. He’d killed Uriel, he’d killed Cain. Charlotte would have lived if he hadn’t pulled her into this mess.

Chloe Decker wouldn’t be Hellbound. Because he knew she was. He’d seen the guilt in her eyes. The regret that dragged a person down into the deepest pits of reality.

He might as well just let go. Fade away from existence.

It was at that moment that he heard a faint whisper of a voice. It was quiet and he couldn’t make out what was being said. Maybe the priests were chanting again.

Samael.

Lucifer scowled. That wasn’t his name. He wasn’t sure where the whispering was coming from.

Samael, please. There it was again. It was clearer now. He could tell the voice was female and familiar somehow.

Samael, I know you can hear me. Both of you. Lucifer perked up at that. He knew that voice. That was Mazikeen’s voice.

Lucifer blinked. Was she praying to him?

Look, I’ve never done this before, but I know you can hear me. Ugh, I can’t believe I’m about to say this. This is so dumb, but here goes. I know you think you have nothing left to live for, and I know what Chloe meant to you. But you’ve been through this before. You’ve had nothing before but you still kept fighting. You kept fighting for me. You raised me, you trained me, you gave me a family that not even my own mother would give me. And you promised you wouldn’t leave me like she did and now I’m going to remind you of that promise. You have all the Will in the world and you’re going to give up over a chick? Are you serious? And if she thinks you deserve this, so what?
I don’t, and I know you better than anyone. I’m waiting for you at the penthouse along with Linda, Dan, Ellen and Trixie. They know, Samael. They know who you are and they don’t care. After all the shit we’ve done together, don’t you dare leave me over a girl. I mean it Sam, if you don’t come back down here as soon as you’re ready I’m coming up there and dragging your ass back to Earth.

With that, her voice faded away and Lucifer was left alone with his thoughts again. Oh Mazie. She was right. Of course she was. Chloe meant a great deal to him, but she wasn’t everything. He had people waiting for him on Earth, who would miss him if he left. If he couldn’t live for himself, then he would live for them.

Wait, what did Maze mean when she said that she’d come up there. She was on Earth and the only place above Earth was…Oh, bloody Hell.

He supposed there was nothing for it. He gathered all his Will and pushed his way back into awareness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God felt it the second His Son broke through his comatose state. It had been several days since they found him and Raphael had been going insane trying to keep him alive.

But now, his injuries started to heal whenever Raphael applied a feather to them.

Raphael laughed with relief when her brother’s body finally responded to her powers.

Azrael, who’d been coming and going every few hours, started to cry.

God had forbidden her from going to Earth. He did not trust that she would be safe there anymore. She didn’t mind though. It meant that she could visit more frequently.

Michael had dropped his head in his hands and God suspected that he was hiding his own tears. Amenadiel had no such reservations, and was crying freely.

God felt Himself smile at the scene before Him . It had been so long since He saw His Children together like this.

He stood up and all eyes turned to Him. He smiled at them all. “I believe it’s time to inform your siblings of what has happened.” He said. “You can stay here if you want, most of you are already aware of what exactly happened.”

“I’ll come.” Amenadiel said. “I was there, maybe I can help you explain.”

“I’ll come too.” Azrael spoke up. “I don’t know the whole story and I want to know how this was possible.”

Raphael shifted. “I would like to know as well, but I cannot leave him, even if he is getting better.” She said sounding conflicted.

“I’ll stay.” Michael reassured her. “If anything happens, I’ll contact you immediately.”

Raphael relaxed ever so slightly. She really wanted to know who she had to kill for doing this to her younger brother.

So together, the four of them left the infirmary, God sending a silent message to Gabriel to assemble the meeting. It was time the Host knew what was happening.

It took the Angels about half an hour to assemble. They were muttering amongst themselves, speculating about what this meeting would entail.

Once everyone except Samael and Michael was present, God called for quiet.

They watched Him expectantly, unaware of what they were about to find out. God wished He could give them any other kind of news.

“I have called this meeting, because one of our own was recently attacked and severely injured.” He told them all and almost immediately the Host erupted into confused muttering.

He knew some of them had seen who it was on the day it happened, but He didn’t know if they’d spread the news.

Zadkiel had been one of those Angels who’d come to see and he was paying very close attention. When he first saw the state his older brother was in, he’d assumed that Lucifer had done something stupid to himself. Like when he cut off his own wings. The idea that someone had attacked him never even crossed his mind. Now he completely focused on his Father’s words.

Whoever had done this would pay with their life. No matter how much he couldn’t stand Lucifer right now, they were brothers. No amount of fighting amongst each other could change that fact.

“Who was it?” One of his siblings asked hesitantly. Father looked around at all of them. “Samael.”

And with that, all Hell broke loose. Literally.

It took Father about fifteen minutes to silence them again. Not that he really tried.

“What happened?” Remiel growled. “Was it a demon? A Hellbeast?” She asked through clenched teeth.

“No,” Father answered and Zadkiel could practically feel the anger radiating off His person. “They were human.”

The Host went deadly silent. If Zadkiel had been unaware of the extent of Lucifer’s injuries, he may have laughed at the fact that the mighty Devil had been overpowered by a mere human.

But he’d seen the injuries, he knew that no creature should have had the power to inflict so much damage on an Archangel. “How?” He asked trying to make sense of it all.

Father scowled and His anger spiked. “They used a Miracle, one that I had placed in Samael’s path specifically for his sake. She was immune to his powers and over some time, your brother became vulnerable around her. Upon finding out his true identity, she used this vulnerability against him. She took him to dinner and poisoned him, then she left and called the one who had originally convinced her to act against him. A priest,” Father growled, “by the name of William Kinley. He and about half a dozen other priests attempted a ritual that would send an infernal soul inhabiting a human body back to Hell. An exorcism.” At this point, Father took a deep breath. “Samael is not an infernal soul, and he was not inhabiting a human body.” He went on. “Therefore the ritual did not work as it was supposed to. I will spare you the details, My Children. It was about halfway through the ritual that Samael’s power began to break and the Morning Star flickered, alerting both Me and Michael to a problem pertaining the Lightbringer.”

Raguel almost swore at that. Of course it was the Morning Star. Why did no one else make that connection?

Looking around he realised that several of his siblings had made the connection. They just hadn’t said anything.

Had they really sunk so low that they would disregard a potential threat to one of their own in favour of continuing to ignore their brother’s existence?

“Once we made that connection, both Michael and I attempted to locate Samael. Neither of us was successful. Somehow the humans had managed to acquire Enochian Magic powerful enough to hide Samael not only from Me, but from his other half as well. When I realised that Samael couldn’t be found, I sent Michael to look for him. It took several hours and along the way, Amenadiel joined the search, having made the connection as well.” He looked around at them all and sighed. “Your brother will not thank Me for this, but I believe you all have a right to know and I cannot let you take this matter lightly as I know some of you are doing. When they arrived at the place where the ritual was being held, this is what they found.”

Father conjured a projection of the scene. Needless to say Raguel felt like throwing up. The projection showed his little brother strung up by his wrists, his body carved up and his wings mangled. They watched as a man approached Lucifer cautiously as though he might attack at any moment. The human was holding a bloody knife in his hand. They watched as the creature approached one of Lucifer’s wings. Just as Raguel thought they were about to witness a torture session, Lucifer’s wing twitched violently and the idiot mortal yelped in pain as one of Lucifer’s last remaining flight feathers slashed across the priests arm, leaving a decent sized gash. The man stumbled back and Lucifer snarled at him, letting hellfire light his eyes.

The mortal scrambled back to the others and Raguel noticed that each and every one of them sported at least one or two gashes. He couldn’t help but grin at that. Hours in and still fighting strong.

A delighted “Ha!” sounded from somewhere to his right and he turned to see Azrael, of all people grinning at the projection.

Father watched them all and Raguel, looking around, noticed that not a single one of his siblings was taking this lightly anymore. Their Father had shown them that last part as a way of making this less difficult to watch.

“Michael was the first to arrive at the scene and he asked Me to show you a memory of his own reaction to his Twin. Even though it went against one of My most important laws, I think he was quite proud of himself.”

One of His most important laws. Raphael thought as her Father prepared the next memory. So her brother had killed a human. She couldn’t say she blamed him, honestly.

She watched as Michael took in the scene in front of him, the priests, his Twin, and the way Lucifer twitched away from the blade in the priest’s hand.

She saw the second their fates were sealed, when the shadows started converging all around them. When Michael screamed she knew that she’d never see her younger brother the same way again. The bloodlust in his eyes as the priests fell, the brutal and violent death of the last standing priest and the absolute rage in Michael’s eyes as he watched his shadows rip through the mortal, nearly destroying his soul until Michael pulled the darkness from the mortal’s corpse. Then the rage vanished, pain replacing it as he approached his Twin.

The image faded and the Host was once again deathly quiet. Father cleared His throat and Raphael could tell from His troubled expression that He hadn’t known the full extent of what Michael had done.

“Right.” He said. “Right, after Michael, ah, took out the priests he approached his Twin and attempted to cut through the chains binding him, which ended rather painfully for both of them. At that point, Azrael appeared to collect the soul of the dead priest. Michael told her to leave the soul and return to the Silver City to get Me. I broke the chains and took Samael back to the Silver City.” As Father finished His explanation, the Host broke out in muttering.

“That being said, I have a few more things to discuss with you before you leave.” Father spoke up over the noise of the Host. They immediately went silent. “First and foremost, as of right now the Mortal Plane is off limits. I know that the circumstances that led to Samael’s capture were special, but I have underestimated humanity before, and I refuse to take the risk of someone hurting another one of My Children.” It was then that the Almighty noticed the horrified look on Amenadiel’s face. His eyes softened. “It is for this reason, among many others, that I extend an open invitation to Daniel Espinoza, Beatrice ‘Trixie’ Espinoza, Ella Lopez, Linda Martin, and the Demon Mazikeen of the Lillim.” At this, the Host erupted with noise. He let them get it out before He continued.

“But Father, is it really a good idea to bring humans into the Host after what they have done to Lucifer?” Raphael spoke up. She looked quite serious, but before He could reassure her, Amenadiel stood up. “I can vouch for every single one of these humans. They are wonderful people and some of the least tainted mortals I’ve ever seen. They know about both mine and Lucifer’s identities and accepted him mostly without question. The only one who didn’t was open to listen when we explained that not all of the stories were accurate.” God smiled as most of His Children looked mollified at their older brother’s words.

Remiel spoke up next. “The humans, I suppose I can understand. But a demon ? In Heaven? Surely if anything is going to be a danger to us it would be that.” She said the word demon like it was venom on her tongue.

God smiled sadly at her. He knew she’d had bad experiences with demons. “I can assure you that she will not be allowed to harm a single one of you, but I also want to make it quite clear that none of you are to provoke her into attacking you. She is undeniably loyal to Samael. She is also the reason why he is currently stable.” He knew that with certainty, He’d heard her prayer and Samael’s reaction to it. Without her interference, He doubted Samael would have made it.

“Lastly, I would like to tell you that Samael’s banishment has been lifted, effective immediately.” Once again, muttering broke out amongst the Host, with several different reactions all around.

“Had this been a singular incident, I may not be doing this. But instances like this have happened before and I believe that this was merely the most successful attempt. Therefore I am of the opinion that Samael has been punished enough.” Several of His Children were staring at Him in shock. He could not blame them.

“On that note, the priests responsible for your brother’s state are currently residing in the cells and I would like to discourage you from killing them, before they can be Judged.” Angry muttering went through the Host at these words. “The Miracle, Chloe Decker is still alive on Earth. I must ask you not to kill her either. She, too, will be Judged when the time comes.” He told them all sternly, because He could hear some of their thoughts about the things they were planning to do to the perpetrators.

“That concludes this meeting. I know that I have put a lot on you today, so feel free to discuss this amongst yourselves. Dismissed.”

With that, the Almighty left for the infirmary, along with Raphael and Amenadiel. He still had to inform His Son’s friends of His invitation, but that could wait for another day. Right now, He just wanted to sit with His Son.

He also needed to have a conversation with Michael about his display at the church. It worried Him how unstable the shadows had seemed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Azrael was ecstatic. Ella was coming to Heaven! She could hear some of her siblings discussing what their Father had told them. They were all extremely angry, but Azrael couldn’t help the resentment she felt towards them.

None of this would have happened if some of them hadn’t started all those rumours about Lu. She knew they couldn’t have predicted that the humans would go this far, but that didn’t change what they did. She couldn’t see any guilt in them either and that made her mad.

She could see Uriel standing alone not too far off. Their Father had recalled his soul before he could fade away. She came up to him hesitantly. “Are you okay?” She asked him. He turned to her and smiled slightly. “I’m fine, just thinking.”

“About what?” She asked.

“Lucifer.” He said bluntly. She knew that he felt extremely betrayed by his older brother. Uriel would never have turned her Blade on one of his siblings. And yet Lucifer had done just that. “Something about him feels wrong.” He continued.

“Like what?” Azrael asked. Obviously she knew that something was very, very wrong with him, but she didn’t think Uriel was referring to that.

“I’ve noticed a Pattern.” He said hesitantly, like he wasn’t completely sure if what he was saying was right. “With the Light.”

“What is it?” Azrael questioned, trying to think of something that could indicate a Pattern in the last couple of days.

“The stars get dimmer the further away they are from us.” Uriel explained haltingly.

“Well, I mean that makes sense, doesn’t it? If Lucifer’s here, that’s where the Light is the brightest.” She told him.

Uriel looked conflicted. “That’s the thing. I came to the same conclusion, there’s just one glitch in the Pattern that doesn’t make any sense.” He looked her right in the eye then. “Lucifer is here, but the brightest Light isn’t.”

Azrael blinked at him. “What? Well, where is it then?”

Her brother’s next words were nothing more than a whisper. “It’s in Hell.”

She stared at him. “What could that mean?” She wondered.

“That’s the problem, I don’t know.” Uriel said, rubbing his temples. “The Pattern seems consistent up until here. It doesn’t make any sense. “Maybe I’m being delusional.” He sighed.

“Or,” Azrael started and Uriel turned to her. “Maybe we’re just missing something. You always say that Patterns are like puzzles. The pieces fit together to make a bigger picture.”

“Yes, so?” Uriel asked, looking confused.

“So, what if there are pieces missing?” She replied. “I mean, no offence but this is the second time that Lucifer’s Patterns haven’t made sense. What if there’s something that you need to take into account in order for the Pattern to make sense, and you just didn’t know to look for it?” Uriel stared at her for a few seconds, then he turned back to watching their siblings argue about Lucifer.

“That would explain a lot.” Uriel muttered to himself. “But how do we find the missing pieces?” He wondered.

Azrael swallowed. “How desperately do you want to find them?” She asked.

Uriel turned back to her, confused. “Quite desperately, to be honest.”

“Well, I don’t know exactly how to find them, but I think I know where to start looking.” She said sounding scared, even to her own ears. “But we’re going to need help.” She told him. Uriel raised an eyebrow at her.

“You want me to take you where?” Michael asked in disbelief.

“To Hell.” Azrael said, trying to put a bit of confidence into her voice. Uriel had agreed to take a look around down there as long as Michael agreed to go with them.

“Why?!” Michael spluttered.

“Well Uriel found some inconsistencies in Lucifer’s Patterns. Not for the first time, mind you, and we think it might help him. And in this case, the inconsistencies start in Hell.” She explained.

Michael looked from one to the other in confusion. “Have you told Father about this plan of yours?” He asked, already suspecting the answer. “Well, no. We don’t want him to forbid us from going.” She said shifting her wings. “Come on big brother, he never explicitly told us we couldn’t go to Hell.” She tried desperately.

Michael looked into her pleading eyes and crumbled. He sighed. “Fine. We get in, find what you’re looking for and get out.” He said. “No sticking around, no wandering off, no pissing off the demons and you do exactly as I tell you.” They nodded eagerly.

Michael threw a look over at Raphael, who was working on Lucifer. “Don’t worry,” She said. “I’ve gone temporarily deaf.” Michael grinned at his sister.

Together, the three Archangels left the Silver City, heading straight for Hell.

When they arrived, Azrael looked around in interest. She’d never actually been to Hell, and this was honestly a lot tamer than she’d expected it to be.

They heard a scream in the distance. Okay, maybe not completely tame.

She had to admit that Uriel was right. It really was brighter down here than in either of the other planes.

She looked around and in the distance she could see what they were looking for. “There!” She called, pointing.

Her brothers looked in the direction she was pointing and immediately started flying in that direction.

From above, it was clear to see: it looked kind of like the Milky Way. From all over Hell, Light was spiralling inwards growing brighter the closer it came to the centre of the spiral. It wasn’t particularly bright by any standard, but it was clearly there.

They landed right at the centre of the spiral and saw a cave entrance. They glanced at each other and Michael gestured for them to stay behind him. Carefully they moved into the cave.

Azrael looked around at the cave walls. They glowed with bioluminescent plants. The only place in Hell where there was enough light for anything to grow, it seemed.  It really was a beautiful place. A paradise in the heart of a blazing inferno.

She was so caught up in the beauty of it all that she walked right into Michael, who had stopped in his tracks. That was when she noticed the one thing that looked out of place.

There was an Angel lying in the centre of the cavern. The ground all around him was stained with blood, his wings were charred and burned, they were skeletal and devoid of feathers. His upper body was bare and littered with scars and some of his wounds were still bleeding freely.

The Angel was shaking and occasionally a spasm would go through his entire body and he would let out a pained whimper. It was horrible to watch. It was even worse than what she’d seen on Lucifer. It made her sick.

Azrael took a step toward him and her foot nudged something on the floor. She looked down and almost fainted when she saw what it was. It was a feather. A pure white, razor sharp feather that glowed with a divine light that she had only ever seen from two people, both of whom were supposed to be in Heaven right now.

She picked it up and turned to show it to Uriel. He stared at it in confusion before his gaze traveled over to the unknown Angel and some kind of understanding passed over his face.

Michael quietly approached the Angel and knelt down beside him. He lifted his hand to the Angel’s shoulder, but froze.

Azrael and Uriel watched as his expression went completely blank, his face lost all its colour. And then he started to cry. Azrael stood frozen to the spot as she watched tears run down her brother’s face. Michael never cried. The last time anyone saw him cry was right after Lucifer’s Fall. She didn’t know what to do.

She approached Michael hesitantly. “Mike, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Michael didn’t answer, but the other Angel did.

He lifted his head to look up at her. “Rea-Rea?” She felt as though the ground had fallen away from beneath her. She knew that voice and she knew that face, but it couldn’t be.

It was Lucifer. But at the same time, it wasn’t. The left side of his face had been burned beyond recognition, the eye on that side of his face was milky white, a deep gash that started just above his eyebrow, and ended right on his cheekbone had cleaved through his iris. The other eye was still intact with just one small problem: it was a light pale blue, nothing like the dark eyes she knew from Lucifer. She noted that he looked tired, exhausted. His good eye was completely focused on her and she realised that both Michael and Uriel were in his blind spot. He didn’t realise they were here. She felt her heart clench when another shiver ran through his body and she took a closer look at his injuries.

They were exactly the same. The bleeding gashes on his body were in the exact same places, and shapes as Lucifer’s. Had she stepped into a Hellloop by accident? Was this all just in her head.

Michael was still crying silently. Uriel was standing a little ways away, watching them, not sure whether to approach them or wait.

Azrael reached out her hand and brushed the Angel’s hair out of his eyes. His good eye never left her face. “What happened to you?” She asked softly. The Angel’s lips twitched upward slightly. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.” He told her softly. “Who are you?” She asked hesitantly. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. This couldn’t be Lucifer, but she was also sure that this wasn’t a demon.

The Angel looked thoughtful, though his gaze never wavered from her face. “I don’t really have a name. It used to be Samael.” Azrael sucked in a breath at that. Lucifer never spoke his old name so willingly. She saw Uriel stiffen, still standing in the entrance of the cavern. He was watching the Angel intently.

Azrael brought her attention back to the Angel. “What do you mean it used to be your name? Isn’t it still?” She asked. Maybe she could finally shed some light on the reason for Lucifer’s name change.

The Angel shook his head. “Samael is dead.” He said softly. A choked sound from somewhere to her right made her look around at Michael.

The Angel followed her gaze and froze at the sight of Michael. The Angel hesitantly reached out and touched Michael’s shoulder.

Almost immediately the Dark that surrounded Michael latched onto the Angel. It spread over his entire form, encasing him in shadows. The Angel closed his eyes as if he found the Darkness soothing, rather than terrifying, like most others.

“It’s really you.” Michael’s broken statement hardened something within her. Their Father had lifted Lucifer’s banishment, surely that would include Light.

(For she knew that this had to be Light. Michael’s Power, which had been so great in response to Lucifer’s pain didn’t even seem to acknowledge the Angel’s presence, while Dark had latched onto him immediately.)

She would get her brother out of here if it was the last thing she did.

Then the Angel turned to look at Uriel and Azrael saw something shift in his eyes.

“Uri?” He asked stunned. “How-?” He sounded so broken, Azrael just wanted to hug him and never let go.

Finally, Uriel came up to them and knelt down in front of his older brother (who looked a lot younger than he should have) and said, “Hey brother.” The Angel teared up and the next thing they knew, he had Uriel in a death-grip, laughing and crying at the same time.

Uriel stiffened at first, but then resigned himself to the fact that he was trapped and just let his brother hold him.

Just then, the Angel stiffened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God felt it immediately when three of His Children left the Silver City. He looked to see who had directly disobeyed His orders, not even an hour after He’d told them that Earth was off limits. When He realised that they were not heading for the mortal plane, however, He grew concerned. The only reason He’d let Samael go to Hell was because He’d masked his angelic aura, making him nearly indistinguishable from a regular demon, power wise. When He realised that it was His two youngest Children who went, He positively panicked. His only consolation was that they had Michael with them.

Still, Michael alone could not defend himself and two of his siblings from a horde of demons.

With that in mind, the Almighty vanished from His quarters and reappeared in Hell, exactly where He felt His Children’s presence to be strongest.

He found Himself standing before a cave entrance that glowed with Light of every colour imaginable. He entered the cave and found Himself in a wide tunnel. Every surface of this tunnel was covered by plants that emitted a soft glow. He saw flowers, vines, shrubbery, all from different eras, plants that had gone extinct on Earth eons ago.

There were some that he knew had never grown anywhere on Earth, at any time. They were completely unknown to Him.

And goodness were they beautiful.

Up ahead He heard voices. Right, His Angels were here too. He kept moving towards the end of the tunnel. He decided to make Himself untraceable. This way only someone who was really trying to find Him would know He was there. He wanted to know what in all the realms had made His Sword put his siblings in such danger.

He was surprised to find not three Angels, but four, all huddled together in the middle of a great cavern, which was illuminated by Light.

Azrael was talking animatedly to all of them, Uriel was being squashed in a hug by the foreign Angel, while said Angel was being held by Michael.

God was shocked by the state the unknown Angel was in.

He frowned just as the Angel stiffened. The Angel turned his head slowly and looked straight at Him.  If God had a heart, it would have stopped right then and there.

Despite the burn that marred one side of his face, the ruined eye and the bright colour of his other eye, the Lightbringer’s face was unmistakable.

Michael was next to notice His presence. He stiffened and drew his Twin closer to him.

Next to realise that something was wrong was Uriel, who was still being held by the Angel. He turned to look in the direction he knew his Father was in and winced.

Azrael, youngest and most inexperienced of the four remained oblivious to His presence, though she did take note of the way her brothers tensed. “What’s up?” She asked innocently.

It was at that moment that God decided to become visible again.

Azrael saw him and paled. The guilty look she sent her brothers told Him that she’d orchestrated this little escapade.

God, however, didn’t pay her any mind, He was too fixed on His Lightbringer.

The former Archangel tried to make himself as small as possible, taking solace in his Twin’s darkness.

Suddenly, he heard his Father’s voice in his head. What happened? The undercurrent of concern that came with those words almost made him relax. He shook his head.

He was not Lucifer. Lucifer was hardened, paranoid and angry at the Universe.

Light was young, mostly innocent and scared. He was too naive.

He realised his Father was still watching him and sighed. He would find out eventually anyway. Samael split his soul. He thought, knowing that his Father would hear him, he didn’t want his siblings knowing about this.

Next to him, Michael stilled. Light cringed. Right, he’d forgotten they could do that.

His Father looked perplexed. How? He asked.

That’s what I’d like to know. Michael’s voice grumbled in his head.

Light sighed again. Reluctantly, he pulled a dagger from a holster around his waist. It looked almost like any other celestial weapon. Except that most celestial weapons were gold, while this one was snow white and glowed with a faint white light. Its hilt was adorned with white diamonds and the edges were jagged and the blade was creased. It looked almost like a feather.

Michael and God both stared at it in surprise. Where did you get that? Michael questioned his Twin.

We made it. Light answered, not bothering to hide his pride.

We? God asked with a raised eyebrow.

Light immediately wilted under his Father’s gaze. Will and I. Samael. He answered softly.

God decided to disregard the fear He could hear clear as day in His Son’s voice for now. What’s so special about it? He asked. He could feel both of His Youngest growing more and more confused.

It’s something between the Flaming Sword and Azrael’s Blade. He answered. Basically, it can cut through anything as long as it’s intangible. Souls, life, minds.

Michael raised his eyebrows . That’s a powerful weapon.

Light nodded. I originally made it to combat demons. They don’t have souls, so the blade cuts through their life. A slice the size of a paper cut and the demon drops dead. We gave it something of a safety mechanism. It will only do any harm if its Wielder Wills it to. That’s why it’s with me. Lucifer didn’t trust himself to use it for the right reasons, considering he has the means to do absolutely anything with it. He thought to them.

He remembered what Samael had said when they made the blade. Where there’s a Will, there’s a Way.

Next to him Michael snorted.

Light smiled softly. He’d missed this. Maybe even more than Lucifer.

He felt the tears falling from his eyes before he had a chance to hide them. He didn’t want them to leave. He didn’t want to be alone again.

Before he knew what was happening, he felt his Father’s arms around him. He couldn’t find the strength to fight the hold or stop the tears, so he let his Father hold him and cried. Who knew how long he’d be allowed to have them.

Michael held onto his Twin as their Father took him in His arms. He’d let go of Uriel a while ago, who was now watching from the side.

Azrael was looking between their Father and her brother, trying to figure out what had set him off.

Michael noticed the look and stood up to take her in his arms. “He’s afraid we’ll leave him here.” Michael whispered to her.

Azrael looked at her favourite brother mournfully. “I don’t want to leave him.” She whimpered.

“We won’t.” He assured her quietly. “If Father doesn’t let him come to Heaven, we’ll stay with him.” He knew that it was extremely unlikely that their Father would leave him behind in this state, but he knew Azrael needed the reassurance.

When Light’s sobs had subsided, his Father made to stand up. D-don’t leave me. He whimpered.

God looked down at him with a sad expression on His face. Never again. He promised softly.

That only made Light want to cry again.

Let’s go home. God thought to all of His present Children.

Then He let the Light engulf them all as He took them back to Heaven.

They reappeared in God’s quarters, the Almighty still holding onto Light.

Light looked around in awe and felt like crying all over again. He never thought he’d be allowed to see his home again.

The first thing Light noticed was the darkness, ironically enough. It was never truly dark in Heaven.

At least it wasn’t when Light had lived there. He supposed that might have changed, but he couldn’t see why it would. When he looked out the window he saw why Heaven was so dark. The Morning Star, his Gift to the Host was barely shining. “What happened?” He asked in shock.

Azrael came to stand next to him and said. “Huh, you were right Uriel. It really is brighter now that he’s here.”

Light spluttered. “Excuse me?!” He exclaimed. “How dark did it get up here?”

Michael clicked his tongue, also coming to stand by the window. “It’s actually pretty close to how it was in the beginning.”

Light gaped at him. “What the bloody Hell did you do to my Morning Star?” He asked aghast.

Michael looked at him confused before he remembered that it used to be much brighter than in the last couple of millennia. “It’s been fading for quite some time now.” He told his Twin. “We thought it was the fact that you were as far removed from it as physically possible. All the stars have been fading.”

Light looked at him, feeling hurt. “And it never crossed your mind that I might be fading along with them?” He asked.

Michael glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. “It did actually. I came down there with Azazel and found that Lucifer was the new King of Hell. Zaz was pissed about it.”

Light blinked. “You went to Hell? For me?” The confusion and disbelief that coloured his voice just about broke their hearts. Not that he noticed.

Just then, God came up to the window as well. He looked down at His Lightbringer. “There is something about what you said in your explanation that interests me.” He said quietly. Light turned to Him, not quite meeting the Almighty’s eyes. He would have to speak to him about that at a later time. “You said that your blade only works with Will, correct?” He asked calmly. Light nodded. “You also said that Lucifer has the means to use it to its fullest potential.” Light nodded again. “So I take it Lucifer is Will?” Once again, Light nodded. “And you are Light?” Another nod.

God frowned. Light watched Him with barely concealed curiosity. The fact that he tried to hide it at all made God’s heart clench. Samael would never have bothered to hide his feelings on any matter.

“I have noticed that Lucifer’s Will feels…tainted, somehow.” He said, watching Light closely. He saw His Son tense ever so slightly. “I had thought it was simply a result of Hell’s own aura rubbing off on him. However, you have been in Hell even longer than him, and I cannot sense anything wrong with your Light. Why is that?” Light shifted, not meeting anybody’s eyes.

“That is not for me to tell you. If you want to know, ask Lucifer.” Light answered and God nodded in acceptance. That was fair.

“Hey,” Azrael started, turning to Light. “so what are we supposed to call you?” She asked. “I don’t know how I feel about referring to you as Light all the time.” Light thought about it. “I suppose you could call me Samael. For the sake of reference.” Azrael frowned slightly. “Are you sure? You don’t have to.” Light turned to her, slightly confused until he remembered Lucifer’s aversion to the name. “I’m not Lucifer.” He said shrugging. “I act a lot more like Samael than Lucifer does, anyway.”

Azrael nodded, she had to admit he was right about that. She could see a lot of Samael in the way Light spoke, his expressions, his actions. At the same time, there were things missing, too. The old Samael would never have given in to their Father like he did. He would have at least tried to fight the hug he received in Hell. Basically he was a lot less wilful.

“Lucifer doesn’t really hate the name Samael, anyway.” Light mused, half to himself.

Azrael noticed that he was leaning heavily on the windowsill. She was honestly surprised he hadn’t collapsed from his injuries yet.

“It sure seems like he does.” Uriel spoke up from behind them.

Light shook his head. “He doesn’t hate the name, he hates what it held for him.

Michael frowned. “What do you mean?” He asked. Had he missed something to do with Samael? Was this about the Rebellion?

Light winced. He shouldn’t have said that. “That isn’t my story to tell. Nor is it a story for any of you to ask about. I’ll tell Lucifer about what I said to you and the rest is up to him.” He looked at them all sternly.

They nodded. “Wait, if Lucifer is just Will and no Light, does that mean he can lie?” Azrael asked.

Light smiled fondly. “Yes, he can lie. He just tries not to.” He explained.

“Hey Sam,” Light almost grinned at the familiar nickname. “Yes, Rea-Rea?” He asked, turning to his sister. “How old are you?” She asked. Light stared at her wondering if she seriously expected him to know how long he’d been stuck in that cave.

She caught the look and explained. “It’s just, Lucifer looks like he’s in his late thirties, which makes sense if he aged based on how much time passed in Heaven, rather than in Hell. You, on the other hand look even younger than me.”

Light blinked. “Do I?” They all stared at him. “Hey, I haven’t exactly had much access to a mirror since we fell.” He looked out the window, thinking. “Well Lucifer looked like he was about nineteen right after Samael split.” He said, turning back to Azrael. “Would you say that’s accurate?” He asked.

Azrael blinked. She didn’t think he’d been that young, but now that he mentioned it, she had to admit he was right. He really didn’t look much older than when he fell. “Yeah, actually, it is.” She told him. “You’re younger than me!” She shouted happily.

Light looked at her with wide eyes. “When did you get annoying?” He asked.

“Someone had to pick up the slack after you left and I was happy to provide.” Azrael said, smiling widely.

A slow grin spread across Light’s face and Michael glanced between the two, looking scared. “A teenaged Samael and a chaotic Azrael in one place, and we aren’t allowed to leave.” He groaned dropping his head against the wall. “The Silver City won’t survive that combination.”

God looked on amused.

Suddenly Light buckled and grabbed the windowsill tightly. He closed his eyes, as his head swam.

Michael put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. “Come on, let’s get you to Raphy.” He said softly, leading his Twin toward the infirmary.

Azrael and Uriel made to follow until their Father cleared His throat. They turned back to Him, with guilty expressions.

The Almighty sighed, He always had trouble scolding His Youngest. “Tell me what possessed you to go to Hell, without informing Me and completely unprepared in case of an emergency.” He told them calmly. Azrael held out her hand for Him to take, which told him that she was about to cry. He took her hand and watched her memory of their conversation after the meeting. When he was done he sighed again. “End results aside, what you did was extremely dangerous.”

“But our other siblings have gone before.” Uriel argued. Yes, His youngest Son always did have problems with accepting when he made a mistake. “Your other siblings are experienced fighters, who prepared beforehand and informed Me that they were going.” He told His Son sternly. “They knew what they were doing and what to expect down there. You didn’t.” He continued. Uriel looked away annoyed.

“Now, I will not confine you to a single plane of existence. Goodness knows I’ve learned My lesson from that. But you are not to leave the Silver City without supervision from this point onwards until I feel you’ve learned your lesson.” He told them both.

“Yes Father.” They both said simultaneously.

The Almighty smiled down at them and pulled them both into a hug. “Reckless as this may have been, you both did well. Who knows what might have happened if you’d waited.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raphael was pretty sure that Lucifer’s injuries were the worst she’d ever have to see.

They weren’t healing the way they should have been. While the process was definitely going better than when her Father  first brought him to her, it was still slow by Angelic standards.

Just then the door to the infirmary opened and Michael stepped in.

When Raphael saw who was with him she dropped the vial she was holding and gaped. She looked between Lucifer, Michael and the new arrival and dropped into a chair.

That’s it. If she was seeing triple, she’d really overworked herself.

“Raphy?” The tentative question made her look up.

He was standing in the doorway looking unsure of himself. Lucifer never looked unsure.

She shook her head. She could ask about the what and how later. Right now she had a third Twin to take care of. Somehow. “Come here.” She said, gesturing to one of the infirmary beds.

He walked over hesitantly, like every step required all his concentration. Which, considering the severity of his injuries, it probably did. Michael never once let go of his shoulder.

Once he was seated on a bed, Raphael got to work on his bleeding injuries. She took a good look at them, then turned to look at Lucifer’s prone form. The Angel’s newest injuries were identical to those inflicted on the Devil. She added that to the things she was going to have to ask about.

She looked between her two patients in consideration, before she put a feather on one of the deeper gashes on the new Angel’s chest. Nothing happened, so she turned her attention to Lucifer.

Michael watched her go from Samael back to Lucifer after just one failed attempt with a frown. She looked up at him, then. “Watch him.” She said, pointing to Samael. “What-?” He started, but she shushed him and placed a feather on the same gash as before, but this time on Lucifer’s chest.

Michael watched as a bright light emitted from the gash on Light. When the light faded, the gash was halfway closed and had stopped bleeding.

“Ha!” Raphael said as she looked triumphantly between Light and Lucifer. Michael noticed that the cut on Lucifer’s chest had also stopped bleeding.

Samael smiled slightly. “I’m guessing you’ve been trying that for a while now?” He asked glancing at her.

She nodded. “It never worked this well before though.”

“That’s because I was in Hell. It messes with our healing. We used up so many feathers trying to heal a single injury, that we mainly just healed them halfway.” Samael explained.

Raphael stared at him. “You were in Hell?” She asked. Samael nodded. “Who are you?” She asked suspiciously.

Samael flinched at her tone and Michael had to keep from snapping at her for scaring him.

“He’s Light.” Michael said when it became clear that Samael wasn’t going to answer. She gaped at him in disbelief. He couldn’t say he blamed her. “Lucifer is Will.” He informed her.

She stared back and forth between her two patients in bewilderment. “How-?” She started, then shook her head. She pointed at Michael. “You better tell me what the Hell is going here, or I swear I’ll be giving you routine checkups everyday for the next two hundred years.”

Samael snickered at the terrified look on his Twin’s face. Michael glared at him, before turning back to Raphael and telling her about what happened after he, Azrael and Uriel left the infirmary for Hell.

By the time he was done, Raphael had her head in her hands, trying to take it all in. She looked up at Samael, who was watching her wearily. She sighed and sat down next to him. She put an arm around her younger brother, carefully avoiding his injuries and pulled him closer. From what she could tell this version of her brother was still mentally and physically a teenager.

She turned to Michael. “What are we going to tell the Host?” She asked.

Michael shifted. “I’m not sure. Most of them aren’t very happy with Samael at the moment.”

Light drew his knees up to his chest and buried his face between them. Raphael patted him on the back reassuringly.

“They still need to know.” She said. “If one of them comes in here and sees three of you, they’re going to freak out.”

Michael frowned and crossed his arms stubbornly.

Samael sighed. “They’ll find out eventually anyway. It’s probably better if it’s on our terms.” He said looking at Michael.

“Fine.” He said grudgingly. “So how are we going to do this?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trixie looked out the window, watching the dim sun morosely.

She hadn’t spoken to her mother in days. Not that she wanted to. Daddy, Maze and Miss Linda had all assured her that everything was fine, they were just waiting for Lucifer to come home.

They told her that her mommy had nothing to do with it, but Trixie was a big girl. She knew that Mommy had been at Lucifer’s when he disappeared and that she came back like nothing was wrong, even though Lucifer was gone.

Then the sun went out. Trixie knew what Lucifer’s name meant, she’d looked it up once. She also knew that Lucifer really was the Devil. How else could he have scared her bully like he did?

So, she’d looked him up to see if she could learn more about him. She’d realised very quickly that the internet was full of crap. She didn’t believe it, Lucifer was too nice to be evil incarnate (that was a word she had to look up to see what it meant). Somebody who’s evil wouldn’t let her paint his face or do game nights with her and mommy.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a blinding light, and her first thought was: Lucifer!

But the man who came out of the light wasn’t Lucifer, though he did look a lot like him.

Daddy, Maze and Miss Linda came running in to see what was happening.

Maze froze the second she saw who had appeared in the room. She adopted a defensive stance and let her demon face show.

The newcomer smiled. “Peace Mazikeen. Lucifer is safe.”

Maze relaxed almost immediately at those words.

Then she froze. She stared at him for several seconds. “You called him Lucifer.” She said. “You didn’t do that last-” She cut herself off and stared at the man in front of her, stunned. “You found him.” She said.

The man watched her carefully while Trixie tried to figure out what they were talking about.

“Indeed. I was hoping that you could clarify some things for Me, regarding them. I would ask them Myself, but I got the impression that Will has no desire to speak to Me and Light is quite frankly terrified of Me.” He answered honestly.

Maze narrowed her eyes. “I won’t tell You anything that Samael wouldn’t want me to.”

The man smiled at her. “I don’t expect you to. I simply want to know what led to their split. And, perhaps, the extent of the damage that has been done to both of them.” Trixie thought He sounded a bit sad when He said that last bit.

Maze relaxed marginally at His words. “Fine, I’ll tell You what I can. Is that the only reason why You’re here?” She asked.

“No, actually.” The man answered. “I admit I’m rather interested in meeting My Son’s mortal friends. Especially since it is Chloe Decker who is responsible for the state he is currently in.” He said that last part darkly and storm clouds formed outside the penthouse.

“I would like to assure Myself that the rest of Lucifer’s friendships are genuine.” He continued, looking over the humans gathered around them.

Trixie frowned. “Lucifer’s Your son?” She asked.

The man, God, turned to her with a smile. “He is, yes.”

Trixie’s frown deepened into a glare. “You’re mean.” She said finally. “You shouldn’t have hurt Lucifer like that.”

“Trixie!” Dan said, panicking as his daughter mouthed off to God, fucking God .

The Almighty, however, was watching her with sad eyes. “You’re quite right.” He told her softly. The image of Light’s broken form and Lucifer’s injuries flashed through His mind.

Mazikeen looked like someone had slapped her. She stared at Him in stunned disbelief.

The Almighty smiled at the child His Lightbringer had grown so fond of. He could see why the Fallen Angel would take an interest in her. She reminded Him quite a bit of Samael.

“Wait, s-so You’re, like, God? You’re the Big Guy?” Ella asked, looking dazed.

God smiled kindly at her. “Indeed I am.”

“Okay, seriously, why are you here?” Maze asked impatiently, finally having shaken off her shock.

“I would like to invite you all to come to Heaven for the foreseeable future.” God told them bluntly.

“Wait, you mean all of us?” Linda asked shocked.

“I do.” He answered. “I have forbidden My children from entering the mortal plain, for obvious reasons. However, I have no desire to keep either Lucifer, or Amenadiel away from you.” He told them.

“If you swear to Me that you are not a danger to any of My Children, I see no reason not to allow you into Heaven. You are free to stay here on Earth, if you so wish.” He added.

“We’re not going to die if we come with you, right?” Dan asked nervously.

“No, you would remain alive and you could return to Earth whenever you want.” God assured him.

Trixie pulled on her father’s sleeve. “Daddy, I wanna go see Lucifer.” She said tearfully.

Dan hesitated. He turned to God. “Can you promise me that we’ll be safe up there?” Under any other circumstances, he would have been horrified with himself for demanding something from God . But Trixie would always come first, before angels, before the Devil, and, yes, even before God. I mean the guy was a father Himself. Surely He’d understand, right?

Apparently, He did, because He smiled approvingly at Dan and said. “I give you My Word, no harm will come to any of you while you are in Heaven.” As He said this, He turned to Maze, who was watching Him with a contemplative expression.

“They’re both up there, aren’t they?” She asked and even though Dan had no idea who she was talking about, the soft, wistful tone of her voice shocked him to no end.

God, apparently, hadn’t expected this reaction from either, because He raised a surprised eyebrow. “Yes.” He told her, watching her carefully.

“Alright, I’ll come.” She said eventually, her hard mask back in place.

“If it helps Lucifer, I’ll come too.” Ella spoke up.

“Yeah, us too.” Dan said, taking Trixie’s hand.

Linda didn’t say anything, but she nodded in agreement and put a hand on her stomach.

God nearly grinned at the gesture. He could feel the divine soul she carried within her. His Oldest had chosen a truly wonderful woman to be the mother of his child.

“Very well, I must warn you, however, that getting there will be considerably more uncomfortable for a mortal than it would be for a celestial. Don’t worry it isn’t painful.” He assured them.

Then He allowed the Light to engulf them.

As the Light consumed everything around them, Dan felt like he was standing outside in winter clothing on a very hot day. It wasn’t painful. If he was being honest, Dan thought it felt almost…familiar. It reminded him of the sun, which, at the moment, wasn’t much of a light source right now.

When the light faded, they were standing in an office.

It could have passed as a completely normal office on Earth, were it not for the fact that all the furniture seemed to be made of clouds.

Dan felt an insane urge to reach out and touch it, just to see if his hand would go through it.

He looked through the window out into the most beautiful landscape he’d ever seen. There were fields of flowers as far as the eye could see, somewhere in the distance he could make out a forest and the air was clean, probably cleaner than anywhere on Earth.

He could see people with wings milling around or flying through the air. Angels.

There were also some people without wings. Dan assumed they were souls.

Charlotte was down there. The thought struck him so suddenly, Dan stumbled slightly.

Maybe, maybe he could go and see her.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Dan turned just as God called “Enter.”

The Angel that stepped through the door was a middle-aged man with brown hair.

“Uriel?” Maze’s sharp voice had the man turning toward her.

“Mazikeen.” The Angel said coldly.

The demon snarled, but didn’t move to attack him as Dan would have expected.

The Angel ignored her as his eyes swept over the rest of them.

“What did you need, Uriel?” God asked.

The Angel, Uriel, turned to Him. “I was hoping to speak to You about what Azrael and I discovered in Hell. While the separation of Light and Will into separate entities has certainly cast some light on Lucifer’s strange Patterns, there still seem to be pieces missing.”

“Such as?” God asked.

“Father, if You wouldn’t mind, I would prefer to have this conversation in private.” Uriel said stiffly.

God looked around at them all. “Of course, would you mind being shown around by one of My Children while I speak to My Son?” He asked.

“No, of course not.” Linda said kindly. She was eyeing Uriel strangely and God was sure that Lucifer must have discussed his supposed death with her during one of their sessions.

As the humans and demon filed out of the room, God called out. “One moment Mazikeen, I would appreciate it if you could stay for this conversation. I’m sure your input could be very helpful.”

Maze turned back to look at Him. “Fine, I have my own questions anyway.” She said, glancing at Uriel.

The Angel stiffened.

When everyone but the two celestials and one demon had left, God conjured up two chairs at His desk, opposite His own.

Only once they’d all sat down did God speak. “Now, Uriel. What is it that you wanted to discuss with Me?”

Uriel sat stiffly in his seat, not looking at Mazikeen. “While the discovery of Light being in Hell does explain the inconsistency in the Patterns regarding the brightness of Light in the three plains, it still doesn’t explain some of Lucifer’s…other Patterns.”

“Mm, you mean like when he stabbed you with his sister’s blade and you didn’t see it coming?” Maze asked, checking her nails.

Uriel clenched his fists. “Yes.” He ground out. “That.”

“Well isn’t it obvious?” She asked like she was talking to someone extremely stupid.

Uriel finally turned around to look her in the eyes. “No, it isn’t.” He hissed. “I would never have used it on him.”

Maze smirked, completely unfazed. “And what makes you think Lucifer would use it on you?” She asked, relishing in the confusion that flickered across the Angel’s face.

“Because he did.” Uriel deadpanned, once he regained his composure.

“Oh, that wasn’t Lucifer.” Maze stated nonchalantly.

Uriel was growing increasingly frustrated with this demon. How dare she talk back to an Angel like this. “If it wasn’t Lucifer, then who was it? Please, enlighten us. Who would be cruel enough to kill his own brother?” He snarled.

Any trace of nonchalance vanished from her face as her expression hardened into one of absolute hatred. “Those weren’t the actions of a cruel person.” She snarled viciously. “Those were the actions of a cornered animal striking out at what it perceived as a threat.”

“That makes absolutely no sense.” Uriel snapped.

“If you gave a damn about him, it would.” The demon growled.

“ You presume to know how I feel about my brother? Who do you think you are?” Uriel growled.

“Who do I think I am?” Maze hissed. “I’m the one who kept your brother alive when he struggled to survive in Hell. I’m the one who had to put him back together after every damn exorcism. I’m the one who would tell him that he wasn’t a waste of space whenever Amenadiel came to drag him back to Hell. I’m the one who had to stand by and watch as your abuse broke him into pieces. I’m the one who stuck with him when he had nothing and I’m the one who helped him build his kingdom. I was there every step of the way and I didn’t do it out of some fucked up obligation to be his family, I did it because he needed me and he asked me for help. What did you do Uriel, hmm? What did any of his so-called siblings do for him? Nothing, that’s what. You never visited him, you dragged his name through the mud, you vilified him, you even gave humans the idea of exorcisms. And here you have the nerve to tell me that you would never try to erase him from existence, like death wouldn’t have been infinitely kinder than what you’d already done to him. And for some reason, that I can’t even begin to comprehend, even after everything you’ve done to him, he still loves you. He’d get his hopes up the second it seems like you want him back. Well I won’t let him. I won’t let him give you the chance to throw him away again.” Sometime during her rant, Maze had gotten right in Uriel’s face.

When she was done, she whipped around and stormed out of the office leaving God and Uriel staring after her, stunned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Linda, Dan and Trixie left God’s office, they waited outside the door awkwardly for a few minutes, unsure of what to do.

That was when Amenadiel came around the corner.

Linda saw him first. “Amenadiel.” She said smiling.

Amenadiel grinned at them, though there was an underlying sense of worry about him that kept the grin from reaching his eyes. She couldn’t really blame him, what with Lucifer being hurt.

“Hey, my Father told me to come show you around.” He told them.

Linda saw Dan immediately relax at the news.

“Amenadiel!” Trixie cried running forward and hugging him tightly.

Amenadiel’s smile became just a little more genuine. “Hey Trixie.”

“So, where would you like to start the tour?” The angel asked as he turned to the adults in the room.

“Uh, we don’t really know what all there is to look at.” Dan said.

“Right, I suppose I could show you the afterlives first.” He said after thinking for a moment.

“That sounds like a great idea.” Linda smiled up at him and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

They walked along a pebbled path until they came to a gateway that seemed to lead to nothing.

“The pearly gates?” Ella asked with a raised eyebrow.

Amenadiel nodded and stepped through the gateway. The Angel vanished as soon as he stepped through the gates.

His human companions quickly followed and when they came out on the other side they were standing in an avenue with ancient white oak trees lining each side of the path. It was a beautiful place but it gave Linda a strange sense of Deja vu, like she’d seen this place before.

Amenadiel led them to a tree and knocked on the wood. Before their very eyes a wooden door was carved into the tree and when Amenadiel pushed the handle down, it swung open.

He hesitated for a split second, before he stepped through the door.

The first thing Linda saw when she followed him was a huge lake with crystal clear water and shimmering fish swimming around just beneath the surface.

Linda noticed that there was a picnic blanket spread out on the lakeside. It was truly beautiful and Linda had to wonder whose afterlife this was.

At that moment she heard a voice that made her whole world freeze.

“Amenadiel, is that you?” Linda felt Dan stiffen next to her.

They turned around and saw none other than Charlotte Richards.

“Charlotte!” Trixie wailed and threw herself at the woman.

Charlotte blinked and looked down at the little girl hugging her so tightly in shock. What on Earth was she doing here. She was a child! She shouldn’t be here!

That was when she caught sight of Dan. They stared at each other for a few moments and the whole world seemed to fade away until it was only the two of them.

Next thing she knew, Dan had pulled her into a long, deep kiss.

Someone cleared their throat and they pulled away to find Amenadiel, Trixie, Ella and Linda looking extremely uncomfortable.

“Sorry.” Charlotte said a little breathlessly. “But what are you all doing here? I mean, surely you can’t all be- well.”

“They’re not dead.” Amenadiel informed her. “They’re here by invitation.”

Charlotte blinked. “What for?” She asked.

Amenadiel shifted and wouldn’t look her in the eye. “Amenadiel.” She said warningly and Amenadiel’s eyes widened.

Damn, she sounded just like Mom.

The Angel shook his head. He looked up at her and sighed.

Then he explained everything that had happened since Lucifer first went missing.

“So let me get this straight.” Charlotte started. “Chloe found out about Lucifer’s devil face and ran to Rome where she met a priest and then proceeded to come back to LA to poison Lucifer and have him sent back to Hell?” She said.

“Basically, yeah.” Amenadiel said.

“And you found Lucifer and brought him here several days ago.” She continued.

“Yes.” Amenadiel answered.

“And why am I only hearing about this now?” She growled.

Amenadiel winced. “Uhh, I don’t know.” He said.

Charlotte stared at him for a few seconds. Then she stood up. “Come on.” She said.

“Where are you going?” Amenadiel asked surprised.

“To see Lucifer, obviously.” Charlotte scoffed.

“Charlotte wait, you can’t just go ahead and visit him. Humans are the reason he’s like this, my siblings aren’t going to take kindly to seeing a human enter the infirmary without supervision. Especially if you run into Michael on the way.”

“Well then, you can come with me.” Charlotte stated.

“I would, but I was going to show them around first.” The Angel said gesturing to the other humans in the room.

“Well then, I’ll come with you and then we can all go see Lucifer.” Charlotte said.

Amenadiel thought for a moment. “Alright, that’s a pretty good idea actually.”

Charlotte grinned triumphantly and moved toward the door to her afterlife.

When she’d first appeared here it had struck her just how similar the structure of Heaven was to that of Hell.

She’d asked Amenadiel why that was but he’d just looked at her blankly. Well, if he’d never been to Hell, she supposed it made sense that he wouldn’t have an answer.

Eventually she’d come to the conclusion that the reason for Hell’s similarity to Heaven was that Lucifer had built it that way.

That thought still saddened her. The idea that he’d been so desperate to make Hell some semblance of a home that he’d modelled it after the only home he knew.

That, or he’d been homesick, which was also kind of sad.

When they’d left the afterlives, Amenadiel led them to the Silver City, a huge metropolis of all kinds of different buildings.

They had a huge library, filled to the brim with books from every era. Linda loved it there and Amenadiel promised to take her there later to see if they could find something she liked.

They were about to move on when Ella dropped the book she was holding, staring at something down the hall from them.

“Rea-Rea?!” She exclaimed and Amenadiel looked up in shock.

They all turned to see two women standing not too far from them.

One of the women was trying desperately to hide behind the other. She looked quite young, in her early twenties maybe, with short black hair and black eyeliner.

Ella was staring at her in shock.

“What-?” The young woman stepped out from behind the other woman with a guilty look on her face.

“Hey Ella, so, um…funny story…” The woman started, but she was cut off by the her companion.

“Hold up, where did you hear that name?” She asked suspiciously.

“What, Rea-Rea?” Ella asked. “That’s her name isn’t it?”

“Actually, no.” The young woman spoke up.

“What?” Ella asked and she sounded so hopelessly confused.

“My name isn’t Rea-Rea, that’s just a nickname.” The young woman mumbled.

“Well then what’s your real name?” Ella demanded.

The woman winced. “Azrael.” She answered.

Ella stared. “Y-you’re an Angel?” She asked sounding betrayed. “You told me you were a ghost.”

“Woah, woah, woah, wait.” The other woman cut in.

She turned to Azrael. (And holy fuck, the Angel of Death is a chick) “You told someone your name was Rea-Rea?” Azrael nodded.

The woman turned back to Ella wide eyed. Amenadiel was also looking from Azrael to Ella and back again.

“Damn, she must really like you.” The woman said in shock.

“Gabriel!” Azrael yelled.

“What, the only person who ever got to call you Rea-Rea was Samael!” Gabriel answered. “Even I didn’t get to call you that. You had to have liked her to let her call you that.”

Azrael looked very sad all of a sudden. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Wait, hold up. Back up. My best friend is an Angel?” Ella asked in shock.

“Yep, that’s me. The Angel of Death.” Azrael said trying to hide her sadness at the mention of Samael.

Light’s words still rang in her head. Samael is dead. And she knew it was true. No one knew Death better than she did and she knew that it didn’t matter that the pieces of Samael’s soul still existed or even if they managed to merge back into one person.

The Samael from before the Fall was dead and gone. She could feel it. It made her want to cry.

And she couldn’t bring herself to tell her siblings about it either.

She didn’t want to find out how they’d react to the news. She didn’t know what would be worse, if they actually grieved for him or brushed it off like he’d never mattered.

So, she’d kept it to herself. She wasn’t sure if even Michael knew the extent of what Light had said. The things his words insinuated.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Gabriel, who said that she’d been planning on seeing Lucifer herself.

No, no, no, no, no. Gabriel couldn’t know. Azrael loved her sister, but she was the biggest gossip in the Silver City, she’d tell everyone and then they’d never leave Light and Will alone. What if some of their siblings tried to chase them off?!

She realised that they were all watching her expectantly.

Amenadiel looked slightly worried.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” She said softly.

“I asked you if you would like to come visit Luci with us.” Amenadiel told her gently.

“I, yeah, yes, I would.” Azrael said with a slightly nervous glance at Ella who sent her a thumbs up.

So she hadn’t completely messed up their friendship. That was good.

On the way to the infirmary, Ella came up to Azrael. “Hey.” She started.

“Hey. Look Ella I’m sorry I lied about being a ghost. I just talk to ghosts so much, it never occurred to me that that wasn’t the case with mortals. I-I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, no, it’s fine. Under one condition.” Ella said.

“What’s that?” Azrael asked slightly nervous.

“You have to show me your wings.” Ell said excitedly. Then she sobered up. “Unless they’re, like, a personal thing and that was uncalled for. I don’t really know how the thing with the wings actually works.” She added hurriedly, but Azrael was grinning.

“No, I can show them to you later. Just don’t touch them. You never touch an Angel’s wings without their consent, ‘cause they’re extremely sensitive.” The Angel told her.

Ella nodded in understanding, with a serious expression.

When they reached the infirmary, they saw a very familiar face standing just outside the infirmary entrance.

Ella was just about to call out Lucifer! When she remembered that the guy was a twin. (She would have to grill Lucifer for not telling her about that, when he was better.)

“Michael!” Azrael called, running forward.

Ella saw Charlotte’s jaw drop. You and me both sister. She thought.

She really wanted to know if the stories about Michael being the one to toss Lucifer into Hell were true or not, but judging by the Archangel’s reaction to his twin being in trouble she figured it had to be a touchy subject.

Maybe she could ask Rea-Rea later.

Michael turned just in time to be squashed in a hug by his sister. “Hey, Azzy.” He said slightly strained from how tightly she was holding him.

“How is he?” She asked, once she’d released him.

Michael’s face immediately fell. “He’s healing. Raphy’s finally figured out how to heal Lucifer’s injuries.” He turned to the others gathered around them.

“We’re here to visit Lucifer.” Azrael said. “I couldn’t think of any way to keep them away.” She whispered to him.

Michael looked conflicted for a moment before he turned to Gabriel and pinned her with a hard stare.

Ella shivered slightly at the menace she felt coming from him. She was beginning to wonder if all those depictions of the Devil weren’t just a result of humanity mistaking one twin for another.

Gabriel didn’t seem nearly as fazed. “Hey Mike, what’s up?”

“I need you to swear to me that you won’t breathe a word of what you’re about to see to anyone else.” Michael told her sternly.

Gabriel frowned in confusion. “Why?”

“Just swear you won’t talk about it.” Michael answered. “Or you’re not going in.”

Gabriel crossed her arms. “Fine, I swear not to tell anyone about whatever’s got you so tense.” She said. “Now let me see my brother.”

Michael sighed and stepped aside.

Amenadiel watched him with a worried look on his face. Michael seemed far too defeated for someone whose Twin was healing.

Something had to be wrong with Lucifer.

The first thing Amenadiel noticed when he entered was the other occupant of the infirmary. There was an Angel sitting on an infirmary bed, with his back to them. His wings were unfurled and spread out, while Raphael looked them over.

Amenadiel froze when he saw the state the other Angel was in. His back was littered with scars and his wings were completely devoid of feathers.

A sharp intake of breath to his right had him turning to Gabriel, who was staring horrified at the unknown Angel.

Azrael came up to the Angel. “Hey Sammy.” She said.

The Angel turned and Amenadiel felt his blood run cold.

He looked just like Lucifer, and at the same time, he looked completely different.

The burn covering one half of his face and the ruined eye were the most notable differences.

When the Angel noticed Amenadiel and Gabriel, he tensed, pulling his ruined wings close to his body.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

No one answered, they were too busy trying to figure out what the Hell was going on, so Michael spoke up for them. “They’re here to visit Lucifer.”

The Angel blinked. “Why?” The perplexed tone of his voice snapped Gabriel out of her shock.

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Because he’s our brother.” She told the Angel.

The latter tilted his head. “Since when?”

Gabriel stared at him. “Since…always. Who even are you?” She asked.

The Angel suddenly shrunk in on himself, making himself as small as possible.

It was such a strange action from any version of Lucifer, that Gabriel was once again rendered speechless.

Michael sighed. “Amenadiel, Gabriel, meet Light.” He said wearily. He still didn’t know how to feel about letting their siblings know about this.

Amenadiel and Gabriel turned to him. “ What?” Amenadiel asked.

“How?” Gabriel tacked on.

It was at that moment that the infirmary door burst open and a very angry Maze walked in.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was there.

Light’s face positively lit up. “Maze!” He called, grinning and that was all Maze needed.

She ran to him and tackled him in a hug.

The Angels and humans in the room stood frozen as they watched a demon cling to their brother like her life depended on it.

When she finally let go, she glared at him. “If you weren’t hurt right now, I’d punch you for scaring the shit out of me.” She growled.

Light grinned up at her. “I don’t doubt that for a second.” He said cheerfully.

“Okay. Would somebody please explain to me what the heck is going on here!” Amenadiel exclaimed, having finally found his voice.

With a sigh, Michael took both of his siblings who weren’t in the know by the shoulder and steered them, along with the humans, out of the infirmary to explain what they’d found out.

Raphael continued to press feathers to Lucifer’s injuries, watching with glee as they finally healed as they should.

Maze stood up and came over to stand beside her. “Mind if I help?” She asked bluntly.

She needed something to do to distract herself from everything going through her head. She still couldn’t believe she’d blown up the way she did. At a fucking Angel!

Emotions were so effing annoying.

But these particular emotions, this fear she was feeling in the face of Lucifer’s situation was new to her and she’d reacted the way she always did when something like this happened: angrily.

The Angel, Raphael, Samael had once told her the Healer was called, looked startled. “I, yes, I suppose you could. You just have to-“

“I know what to do.” Maze cut her off, and indeed, Maze went straight to work, placing the feathers to her King’s injuries.

They were still working together when Michael came back in with the others. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the demon moving around his Twin and healing him with practiced ease.

The Angels and humans all gathered around the Fallen Angel and watched in silence as a demon and an Angel worked together to save the Devil’s life.

They sat there for several hours before Maze suddenly froze in the process of pressing a feather to Lucifer’s left shoulder.

The others looked at her in worry.

“He moved.” Maze breathed.

Raphael glanced at her, both shocked and hopeful. “What?”

“I felt him move.” Maze said. “I was just healing his shoulder and I felt it twitch.”

Before anyone could come up with anything to say, there was a groan from the bed.

They all turned to find a pair of dark eyes looking up at them, dazed and unfocused.

Chapter Text

“Raphael?” Lucifer asked blearily.

He looked around and when he realised where he was, he closed his eyes and groaned.

Bloody Hell, he really was in Heaven.

Then he saw the humans. His humans. In Heaven.

Needless to say, he panicked.

It took them all about ten minutes to calm him down and reassure him that, aside from Charlotte, none of them were dead.

They explained to him the whole thing with the free pass to Heaven. They also explained the thing with Light, before he had the chance to ask.

“There’s…something else you should know.” Michael started and Lucifer turned to him questioningly. “About Uriel.”

Lucifer tensed. He didn’t want to think about that, not now, when the Detective’s betrayal was still so fresh in his mind.

“He’s alive.” Maze growled and Lucifer felt like his heart had stopped.

“What?” He asked, thinking he’d heard her wrong.

“Father recalled his soul before it could be erased.” Michael explained.

“He…spent a lot of time reforming a solid body.” Raphael informed him hesitantly.

“He’s a bit…mad at you.” Azrael went on.

Lucifer couldn’t really bring himself to care that Uriel was mad at him. His brother could never want to speak to him again and he would be fine with it.

Bloody Hell, his baby brother was alive. He hadn’t killed him.

He sat up slowly and was about to get up when a hand on his shoulder stopped him and gently pushed him back down.

“Woah, woah, woah, where do you think you’re going?” Raphael demanded. “You’re not leaving this infirmary until I’m completely sure you can at least walk on your own.” She told him sternly.

It was so reminiscent to how she used to act back when he was still Samael that he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

But he really didn’t want to stay too long.

In the millennia Samael, and later Lucifer, had spent fighting for his life in Hell, he’d managed to convince himself that Heaven meant nothing to him.

It hadn’t been that hard, considering all it had ever meant for him was pain.

But sitting here, surrounded by some of his favourite siblings was quickly breaking his resolve to hate his old home and he already found himself relaxing at its familiarity.

It was bad enough that he’d have to leave at all, he wasn’t going to stick around long enough for his siblings to get sick of his presence and kick him out themselves.

However, he was still in a considerable amount of pain, so he supposed he could stay until his wings were fully healed.

———————————————

God was sitting in his office, thinking over Mazikeen’s words, when He felt his Lightbringer wake.

He stood up immediately and at Uriel’s questioning look, He said, “Your brother is awake.”

Then He took off to the infirmary.

Uriel did not follow and the Almighty could not fault him for that.

When He arrived at the infirmary entrance, it was to find several of His Children, His Lightbringer’s humans and his demon gathered around Lucifer’s bed.

He saw Lucifer and Light simultaneously stiffen and both of them turned to Him, one looking fearful and the other angry.

The room’s other occupants quickly noticed His presence and also turned towards him.

“Would you mind leaving the room for a moment? I believe I need to have a long overdue talk with My Son.” He spoke to the room at large.

The humans sent Lucifer concerned looks, but he just nodded to them to say he was alright. They filed out of the room, though Trixie looked a little reluctant to leave His Son’s side.

Gabriel, Azrael and Amenadiel quickly followed.

Raphael looked unsure and kept glancing between Him and Lucifer. Michael gave no indication of leaving and Mazikeen stood beside Lucifer awkwardly.

“Mazikeen, Raphael, please leave.” Lucifer said, not taking his eyes off his Father.

The Angel and demon hesitated for a split second, before they both made their way to the entrance of the infirmary.

Then it was only Michael, Lucifer, Light and God and they lapsed into a tense silence.

“If You’re here to kick me out-“ Lucifer started.

“I’m not kicking you out.” God assured him and Lucifer blinked.

“Oh.” He said frowning. “Then why are you here?” He asked.

“I wanted to know how My Son was doing.” He said gently.

Lucifer almost scoffed. Right, his Father, who’d been ready to erase him from existence was worried about him.

God stilled. As did Michael and Light.

“What?” All three of them asked at the same time.

Michael sounded shocked, while Light sounded crushed.

Lucifer’s attention, however, was focused entirely on his Father, who looked furious.

“Who told you that?” The Almighty asked dangerously.

Lucifer shifted, trying to hide the fear he felt in the face of his Father’s anger. “Mum.” He said.

There was a distant rumble as God’s face darkened even further.

Lucifer didn’t understand where the anger was coming from, but it made him nervous.

As if in answer to his thoughts, God took a deep breath and the rumbling stopped. “I can assure you I would have done no such thing.” He said.

Lucifer scoffed. As if that meant anything. His Father had sent him to Hell, had condemned him to an endless cycle of death and torture until Samael had been forced to split himself in two, in an attempt to give at least a part of him a fighting chance.

Hell, there’d been a time where he would have considered death a lesser punishment.

His Father had no right to pretend to care about him. Not after everything.

While Lucifer was caught up in his own thoughts, his Father stared at him, horrified by what he was hearing.

He noticed Light cringing at Lucifer’s thoughts, wrapping his arms around himself.

He sighed and rubbed at his eyes, feeling suddenly tired.

The movement caught Lucifer’s attention and he snapped out of his thoughts.

He lifted his head slightly to look up at his Father better.

“What?” He asked annoyed.

“I also wanted to inform you that the priests responsible for this are currently residing in Heaven’s cells and await Judgment.” The Almighty told him.

Lucifer looked surprised. Then he closed his eyes and put his head back on his pillow. “Why?” He asked, but before anyone could answer, he’d already continued. “Why now? This has happened so many times already that I’ve lost count. Why is this time any different?” He asked, though he had some idea as to why this time was different.

Normally, after an exorcism he would walk away in a considerable amount of pain, but without any lasting damage. He would let Amenadiel take him back to Hell without a fight and lick his wounds for a couple of millennia before taking another trip to Earth.

But this time it felt different. The pain ran deeper than any physical injury ever could. He could feel it on his very soul.

“The Morning Star flickered. It almost went out. ” Michael informed him.

Lucifer winced. Yes, that had to have been one Hell of an exorcism, if the Morning Star almost went out.

“It wasn’t just the Morning Star.” Michael said. “Light was fading everywhere.”

Lucifer looked to Light in alarm. “You were affected?” He asked.

Light nodded hesitantly.

Lucifer closed his eyes again. “How much time?” He asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

The other two occupants of the room looked between them in worry.

Light shifted. “I don’t know. I’d say I have a few decades left. Maybe a century.” He said quietly.

Light had been fading from creation for a long time now, ever since Samael split his soul.

It seemed that this exorcism had only sped up the process.

God looked from Lucifer to Light in alarm.

They turned to Him, simultaneously. Lucifer looked tired and Light looked resigned.

“I still don’t understand how my being on the brink of death ended with me coming up here.” Lucifer said. “I thought you’d just take me back to Hell as soon as I was stable.” He stated blandly.

Michael frowned. “You aren’t going back to Hell.” He said decisively.

Lucifer wondered what that meant, but right at that moment he couldn’t bring himself to care.

God felt like He’d been stabbed. Had He really failed His son so thoroughly that he truly didn’t think any of his family cared for him?

“Lucifer, we would have brought you here even if you weren’t on the brink of death.” His Father told him.

“Then why didn’t you?” He demanded and he couldn’t quite keep his voice from breaking. “There have been thousands of attempts to exorcise me over the years! Why now?!” He yelled.

“I didn’t know.” His Father answered. “I was never aware of these exorcisms, or else I would have stopped this a long time ago.”

Lucifer shook his head in denial. “I don’t believe you.” He said, though he sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of that.

“Have you ever known me to lie?” God challenged.

Lucifer looked away. No. No, he hadn’t. It was possibly the only thing he still respected about his Father.

God sighed. “I meant it when I said that I was here to see how you were doing.” He said gently.

His Son refused to look His way.

The Almighty made to leave, when Lucifer spoke. “Ch-Chloe.” He said and he felt pathetic when he couldn’t even keep his voice steady. “I assume she is to be Judged as well?” He asked.

“Yes.” God said slowly.

Lucifer looked at Him then. “If you truly want to make it up to me, you can start by keeping me out of that.” He stated, his voice shaking.

His Father softened. “Of course.” He said.

“But what about the priests? He asked. “I know you like it when people get what’s coming for them. I could see to it that Chloe Decker is Judged separately. If you even want to be present when the priests are Judged, that is.” His Father told him.

Lucifer felt his confusion at his Father’s behaviour grow. Was he…letting him choose? “I would like to be there when the priests are Punished.” He said slowly.

God smiled. “Very well.” He said.

Then He bent down and gave His son a kiss on the forehead.

On any other day, Lucifer would have fought the contact, but he was mentally and physically drained even after just a short conversation, so he just closed his eyes. And though he would rather go through another exorcism than say it out loud, he could also admit to himself that it felt nice.

The Almighty stood up and made His way toward the infirmary door, giving His Twins a moment of privacy.

When He reached His office, He closed the door and looked back.

His Lightbringer’s thoughts about what he’d been through in Hell had been concerning to say the least.

The longer He looked through Samael’s time in Hell, the more it horrified Him.

The worst of it was before he became the King of Hell, which took a lot longer than He’d expected.

He watched as His son was ripped apart by demons over and over again.

He watched as Samael struggled to survive within the pits of Hell.

He watched as His Morningstar descended into madness, becoming nothing more than another mindless beast among thousands.

It was during this time that Samael came across Remiel.

His daughter had been captured by demons not too long after Samael’s Fall. She’d been hunting on Earth and a group of Hellbeasts had somehow found their way out of Hell. They’d surprised her and dragged her into Hell with them. He’d sent some of His Children after her the second He realised what had happened.

He remembered what Remiel had told both Himself and the Host upon her return. She’d come across Samael during her time in Hell, had begged him for help while the demons converged on her. She’d told them all that Samael had simply walked away and left her to die.

He’d been furious with His son for simply leaving his sister alone. That fury had kept Him from looking further into the incident. He’d trusted that Remiel knew what she’d seen. He knew, now, that that was a mistake.

He watched the interaction between the two Angels from the sidelines: Remiel, fighting for her life and begging for her brother to help. Samael, watching with an impassive expression and then turning away.

But Remiel had been too distracted to see what God did now. The feral, animalistic look in His son’s eyes, the way he walked like a prowling animal, the way he lunged at a demon when it got too close to him, and ripped it apart. Grinning in glee as the demon’s blood stained his hands. This was not Samael. Whatever His son had become, he was no longer himself. It was as if Hell had erased anything even remotely sentient within him until Samael was stuck in a never ending cycle of bloodlust and murder. God had to wonder if the Lightbringer even remembered his own name.

He remembered what Mazikeen had told Uriel about Lucifer’s actions being those of a cornered animal. He had to wonder if that was a remnant of this. An instinctive response to a threat. He could see it in some of the instances where a demon managed to sneak up on Samael. He would attack without a single thought as to what it was that attacked him. No strategy or contemplation, just mindless violence.

He watched as His son came across a demon that was different from the rest.

Samael was injured. He was leaning heavily on the wall as he staggered along, clutching his side and looking for a place to hide away and heal.

He found nothing as he collapsed against a protruding rock, his breathing laboured.

There was a commotion not far from him and God turned to see a demon approaching Samael from the shadows. But something about this one was different. To start with, it was smaller than any demon He’d ever come across.

When it moved into the Light that constantly surrounded His Son, God was shocked to see that, not only was it a child, a young girl of about eight years, she was also much more human than any demon He’d ever encountered.

She approached him cautiously and Samael growled at her. She stopped and reached into a makeshift pouch, made of some kind of skin. She retracted her hand and pulled out a small, pure white, glowing feather.

Samael stiffened at the sight of it. Carefully, the demon continued to approach him and Samael must have been in a very bad state, because he let her get close to him with a resigned expression on his face. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

The demon didn’t attack. Instead, she put the feather to Samael’s side and watched as the wound closed almost immediately.

Samael’s eyes snapped open and he stared at the little demon in shock. She looked back at him evenly. Samael frowned. “Why did you do that?” He asked, his voice cracking with disuse.

The demon regarded him for a while. Then she reached back into her pouch and pulled out another feather. “Is this yours?” She asked.

Samael looked at it. “Yes.” He said.

“Do you have more?” She asked.

Samael frowned. “…Yes.” He said slowly.

The demon nodded. “You’re mine now.” She said and Samael blinked.

“What?” He asked in disbelief, like he was sure he’d misheard her.

“You’re mine now.” She repeated. “I need feathers and you have more. So I need you. You’re mine now.” She explained.

Samael stared at her. “I could tear you apart with my bare hands.” He said bluntly.

The demon frowned. “Aren’t Angels supposed to be against that kind of thing?” She asked.

Samael looked away from her. “I’m no Angel.” He muttered.

“You have feathers?” She asked.

“Yes.” Samael said annoyed. God was surprised by the amount of emotion he was displaying in the face of the young she-demon.

“Then you’re an Angel.” She told him point blank.

“And what makes you think I’m yours?” Samael asked.

“I saved your life.” She said.

“So?” Samael asked.

“You owe me.” She said simply. “Besides, strength in numbers and all that.”

Samael remained quiet and God had the impression that His Son was honestly thinking it over.

“Alright.” He said finally. “I’ll stay with you. But don’t expect me to do what you tell me to.” He told her. “I’m bad at that.”

“Is that why you’re down here?” The demon asked.

Samael blinked. “I suppose you could say that, yes.” He said softly.

“Okay, what’s your name anyway?” She asked.

God felt pained when Samael actually had to think about it. “Samael.” He said hesitantly, like he wasn’t entirely sure if that was the right name. “What’s yours?” He asked.

“Mazikeen.” The young demon answered and God did a double take. So this was how they met.

He continued watching them. He watched as Samael became more and more like himself, the more time he spent around Mazikeen.

A few years after they met, in Helltime, Samael and Mazikeen made their way through a section of Hell that was crawling with demons and Hellbeasts.

“You sure this is the place?” Mazikeen asked, turning every which way to keep all the monsters in her sights.

God thought this place was vaguely familiar, though He couldn’t quite say why.

“Yes.” Samael said simply. “I’m fairly sure I saw her here.”

God frowned at that. He looked around again and his eyes widened when he realised why this place seemed familiar.

This was where Samael had encountered Remiel.

He had no idea that Samael had gone back.

There was a commotion nearby and Samael and Mazikeen made their way towards it.

Just as they were about to round a corner, there was the sound of beating wings and Samael watched as three of his brothers, Amenadiel, Zadkiel and Raguel to be precise, flew through the air.

Amenadiel had Remiel in his arms.

Samael watched them leave with an unreadable expression. “They came for her.” He said quietly.

Mazikeen looked up at him. Then she turned back to the retreating Angels. “I want you to fly me up.” She said.

Samael looked at her confused. “Come on, fly me up.” She said impatiently.

Samael took her in his arms and flew high into the air, keeping his distance from his siblings.

“Stop.” Mazikeen said when they’d reached a specific height.

Then she pulled out a curved blade that looked kind of like a feather and threw it as hard as she could at the Angels.

It embedded itself in one of Zadkiel’s wing joints. He faltered in the air for a moment before Raguel noticed that he was struggling and pulled him back up with him.

Samael stared at Mazikeen. “Why did you do that?” He asked.

The demon shrugged. “He deserved it.” She stated.

Samael continued to stare at her. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? What if they come back to hurt you?” He asked.

“You’re worth it.” Mazikeen said and Samael looked at her like she’d just hung the sun and the stars.

Then she climbed onto his back. “Now let’s go, my loyal steed. Our destiny awaits.” She said loudly and Samael actually laughed.

In any other case, God would have been furious that a demon would dare to harm one of His Children.

Just this once, he would let it go though.

God continued to watch His Son’s time in Hell. It was an endless cycle of death and violence.

He watched as His Lightbringer buckled under the constant stress of keeping himself alive and sane.

Until he broke.

He watched as Samael, driven by sheer desperation, took a blade that was meant to battle demons to himself and cut everything he was in half.

After that, it got easier. Light remained inside the cave where Samael had split his soul while Lucifer went on to fight for his continued survival, Mazikeen alongside him.

It was still a struggle for both of them, but it was better than when they’d been together.

God watched the rest of the time Samael spent in Hell up until his latest trip to Earth.

By the time he was finished he was horrified.

Lucifer’s Rebellion warranted a punishment. Not the eons upon eons of fight or die that Samael had suffered.

Why hadn’t He looked sooner? Why had He allowed His anger to keep Him from looking over His Son?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on the door.

“Enter.” He said tiredly.

The door opened to reveal Michael. “Is there anything you need?” His Father asked.

“I was just wondering when you were planning on retrieving the Miracle.” His Sword answered.

Right, that was next on the agenda.

“I was planning on doing that next. Though I will not be retrieving her. I do not want her anywhere near Heaven.” The Almighty told His Son.

He narrowed His eyes at Michael. “Why?” He asked.

“I was wondering if you would allow me to accompany you.” He said evenly.

God sighed. “Michael…”

“Father please, it is my job to pass Judgment to souls. Please, allow me to at least be there when You Judge her.” His Sword said.

God looked at him and knew that His Son would not take no for an answer. “Very well.” He said finally. “As long as you can swear to Me that you will not harm her.”

Michael relaxed. “I swear.” He said.

God nodded. Then he let the Light engulf them.

———————————————

Chloe Decker sat at her desk in the LAPD.

Monroe had suggested she stay home for the investigation into Lucifer’s disappearance.

Chloe had lied and told her that she needed something to do. Chloe couldn’t tell her why she’d really wanted to continue working, that she was really trying to figure out what he’d done to Kinley and the other priests

Maze’s parting words echoed in her head even as she tried to focus on her work.

She hadn’t known exactly what Kinley planned—only that she needed to sedate Lucifer and let the others handle the rest.

“That wasn’t a sedative. It was poison.”

She spun at the unfamiliar voice, gun drawn.

She looked around once and realised that everything around her seemed to have slowed to a stop.

A colleague’s face was frozen in surprise as she stumbled, her coffee halfway out of her cup.

A suspect was in the middle of punching the cop who’d brought him in.

Through the window, Chloe could see a pigeon frozen mid-flight.

She turned hesitantly back to the only other people who weren’t frozen in time.

A man leaned casually on her neighbour’s desk, eyes locked on hers. But it was the figure beside him that truly unsettled her.

He looked like Lucifer—yet not. The resemblance was unmistakable, but the warmth she knew was gone. This version of Lucifer stared at her with cold contempt.

The light outside dimmed even further, as if the world itself recoiled from his ire.

The stranger’s presence overwhelmed the room, his features difficult to focus on, his voice both familiar and unknowable. Though there was no accent, she somehow heard one anyway.

“If you’re thinking sibling,” the man said, eyes flashing, “you’re mistaken.”

Chloe took a step back.

“I’m his Father.”

They both knew exactly who he was.

Terror gripped her. If Amenadiel’s anger had been bad, God’s fury was bound to be cosmic.

“I considered destroying you,” God said, his voice calm but laced with storm. Lightning cracked outside though the skies remained clear. “Those who acted directly against My Son are imprisoned in Heaven, awaiting judgment.”

He stepped forward, eyes never leaving hers.

“But you… I admit, I’m undecided. Without your betrayal, none of this would have happened. My son wouldn’t be lying broken beneath My Daughter’s care.”

Beside Him, Lucifer’s twin growled, and God’s tone softened as He turned to His son . “Easy, Michael. You gave your word.”

Chloe barely heard them. Her mind reeled. Kinley had said Lucifer would return to Hell, but the wrath in God’s voice suggested something far worse.

“If it had been a normal injury, that would’ve been true,” God said. “But Kinley used Enochian magic. It nearly erased My son permanently.”

No. She hadn’t known. She’d never have agreed if—

“I have no need for your excuses ,” God snapped. “Whether you would have done it had you known is irrelevant. It does not change what has been done. And the only reason I don’t end you now is because My Lightbringer would mourn you.”

His words struck deep. Even after what she did, Lucifer would protect her. And she had sold him out.

Chloe dropped to her knees. She didn’t argue. How could she?

“I considered Cain’s curse,” God continued. “For you to walk the Earth until the end of time. But I’ve come to regret that decision—it empowered him to cause more suffering. I won’t make that mistake again.”

His eyes gleamed as he delivered her fate.

“My punishment to you is this: You will never be allowed within the Walls of the Silver City or the Gates of Hell. When you die, you will remain trapped on Earth—unseen, unheard, forgotten. A Shade, bound forever to the mortal realm. You will remember what you did. Michael will see to that.”

He leaned in slightly. “But make no mistake, if Lucifer dies, I will erase you from existence. Slowly.”

Chloe trembled. That was good, because the threat was real, and Lucifer wasn’t out of danger. Weak as he was when he awoke, he could still relapse.

She didn’t plead. She didn’t deserve mercy.

Her guilt burned. He’d struggled to stay conscious, to move, and all the while she’d thought it was just a sedative. He’d worried about her, trusted her. And she’d handed him over to someone who’d nearly destroyed him.

If someone had done that to Trixie…

Her breath caught at the very idea of someone attacking her baby like this.

How could she have been so blind?

And Maze. Had she doomed Maze, too?

God answered her thought with chilling finality. “My son’s demon would not have returned to Hell. Death would’ve erased her completely. Gone forever.”

Chloe’s stomach churned. Maze, who had risked everything for Lucifer. Another life she’d nearly destroyed.

“I’ve made many mistakes,” God said, eyes still on her. “But you, Chloe Decker… I never thought you would become one of them.”

She blinked at Him, confused.

“Your mother couldn’t conceive, you see. I sent Amenadiel down here to bless her. You were My miracle—the first in over two thousand years.”

The world seemed to shift beneath her feet as Chloe stared at Him, stunned.

“Ever wonder why Lucifer’s powers don’t affect you?” He said, voice bitter. “You were made from a single drop of divinity imbued into an embryo. You were immune by design.”

Her thoughts spiraled. She’d been created because God wanted Lucifer to have someone he could connect with—someone immune to his charm, capable of seeing him for who he truly was.

“I hoped you’d become his friend. Maybe more,” God said darkly. “Now I wonder if I should’ve left things alone.”

Her betrayal cut deeper now. She remembered Lucifer’s hurt during the case with his ex-lovers, how forgotten he’d felt. Maze had been his only real friend before her. And now?

He might never trust again. She had lied to him. Drugged him. Handed him over to people she knew would try to hurt him.

A crack of thunder silenced her thoughts.

She bowed her head. How could she have gone from defending who he was… to betraying him completely?

Suddenly, the shadows lengthened, making the already dimly lit room seem even darker.

“Father.” Michael spoke up, drawing both God’s and Chloe’s attention to him. “I would like to speak to the Miracle alone.” His voice was devoid of any inflection and his face was empty of emotion, but his eyes burned with a cold fury that made Chloe shiver with a fear so visceral, it made her want to curl into a ball and wait for the threat to fade.

God frowned. “Michael-“ He started, but something made Him pause and He simply watched His Son for several long moments.

“Very well.” He said finally and there was something almost… weary in His tone.

A second later He vanished, leaving Chloe and Michael facing each other in the otherwise empty house.

Chloe watched Michael nervously while the latter only stood there and looked at her.

Then he shifted and rolled his shoulders. There was a rushing sound and Chloe watched in awe as two pure black wings emerged from his back, knocking over the neighbouring desks and making him seem like even more of a predator than he already did.

“My Father thinks that punishing you is enough to make you atone for what you’ve done to my Twin, but unfortunately I disagree.” The Angel said, the American accent taking Chloe by surprise. She’d barely registered it in Lucifer’s penthouse, terrified as she’d been.

“Wh-what are you going to do?” She asked, trembling.

Michael narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m going to tell you exactly who you were planning to kill.” He hissed. “You see, I know what you humans are like. Even when you’re confronted with your most heinous crimes, you still somehow find a way to justify yourselves. And I know what defence you’re going to use to ease your own conscience. It’s the same excuse every other human being uses when they’re caught.”

He took a step towards her and she staggered back. “But I won’t let you use your universal excuse to rationalise what you did to Lucifer. I’m going to make absolutely sure you know exactly who he is.”

Chloe swallowed. “I-I know who he is.” She said quietly.

Michael laughed. A harsh, slightly manic sound that sent a shiver down Chloe’s spine. “If you had any idea who he is, you would never have even dreamed of doing this to him.” He growled, taking another step towards her.

“See, before Lucifer Fell, we knew him as Samael, the Venom of God.” Michael said and Chloe shivered at the title.

Michael narrowed his eyes at her. “You humans took this title and the Fall and painted him as the evil that made you do horrendous things for your own convenience. You spun stories upon stories of my Twin causing death and destruction wherever he went, though I admit our siblings weren’t completely innocent of spreading their own rumours.”

Michael took another step toward her and by now he was standing right in front of her. “The truth, Chloe Decker, is that there is no Evil. There is no scheming Devil that sits behind the scenes and pulls your strings. There are only you humans, and your twisted greed.”

He paused, before giving a slightly wistful smile. “Samael has always been the best of us. The venom that protects its Host without fail.”

His expression shifted and he was once again glaring at Chloe hatefully. “And you tried to kill him without rhyme or reason. You, the first person he’s trusted completely since his Fall.”

He shook his head, seeming almost disappointed. “No punishment can ever rectify what you have done, no amount of justice can ever fix what you have broken, but I will make damn sure that you never forget the pain you’ve caused. I will never allow you to justify your actions to others or to yourself.”

Michael stared her down and Chloe couldn’t force herself to look away. “You poisoned Lucifer thinking that all he’d ever told you was a lie.” Michael continued, taking a savage pleasure in the self loathing that was slowly forming behind her eyes. “And now you will never escape the fact that everything he’s ever told you was the truth.”

He smiled sharply at her, like a wolf baring its teeth or a cat extending its claws. “In my opinion the knowledge that Lucifer never ‘needed’ to be sent back to Hell is the worst punishment I can bestow upon you.”

He leaned closer to her, the menace that always surrounded him ratcheting up until Chloe was cowering away from him and whimpering. “But make no mistake, Chloe Decker. Should my Twin be broken because of what you and those priests did to him, his feelings on the matter will not stop me from sending every Shadow which the Light casts upon the Earth after you.”

Without another word, Michael vanished, leaving a terrified, guilt-ridden Chloe behind.

Shaking with terror and grief, Chloe sat down at her desk, barely noticing as her colleagues continued on with their work as though two of the most powerful celestials in Christian religion hadn’t just dropped in for a visit.

———————————————

When Michael and his Father reappeared in His office, Michael took a deep breath and turned to his Father.

“I hadn’t anticipated that she’d get to me like that. Thank you for letting me speak to her.” He said stiffly.

God smiled faintly. “Well I figured you had a right to it.” He told His Sword.

Michael nodded as a vicious grin spread across his face. “She will never forget what she’s being punished for.” He said savagely. “I will be there if she ever comes close to forgetting.”

God inclined His head slightly. “That was the intention.” He said amiably.

“By the way, I also need to have a talk with you about your display of Power when you found Lucifer. You are not in trouble.” He said placatingly, when Michael went to protest immediately. “I was merely concerned by the unbalanced nature of your Power.”

Michael frowned. “I think it had something to do with the fact that Light was still in Hell. My Power reacted to Lucifer’s pain almost instantly, but Dark barely even acknowledged his existence. It was the same when we found Light, only that Dark reacted while Power remained unresponsive.” He told Him.

God frowned. “Perhaps.” But something didn’t feel right about that answer. He couldn’t deny it was most likely a reason for Michael’s imbalance, but He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it than that.

“We still need to tell the Host about Light.” Michael sighed. “He said he wanted them to know. I’m just not sure if Lucifer shares that opinion. And even if he does, how do we explain something like this? Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

“No.” God said heavily. “No it has not.”

“We also have to inform Lucifer that his banishment has been lifted.” Michael said wondering, not for the first time, how Lucifer would react to that.

“Yes.” His Father answered, wondering the exact same thing.

“I need to speak to Lucifer and Light properly at some point.” The Almighty sighed. “Perhaps it would be best if you told him by then. I do not want him to stress himself out, wondering if we are going to make him leave at every turn.”

Michael nodded and left the room, heading for the infirmary.

———————————————

“Run that by me again.” Lucifer told Michael.

The Archangel sighed. “Your banishment has been lifted and your punishment has ended. You don’t have to return to Hell once you’re fully healed. Though I don’t think you’ll be returning to Earth anytime soon either.” He added.

Lucifer looked startled and a little angry. “Why?” He demanded.

Michael gave him a deadpan stare and gestured widely to his Twin’s entire body.

Lucifer’s looked down at himself, and at the injuries that still weren’t fully healed. “Oh.”

Maze snorted. She hadn’t left Lucifer’s side since God left the infirmary about a week ago.

Michael had been trying to figure out a way to tell his Twin that his punishment was over without overwhelming him. In the end, he’d waited until his brother’s injuries were healed enough for Lucifer to sit up without any issues.

Lucifer stared at him, unsure of what to say. What could he say? After billions of years of exile, how was he supposed to feel, knowing that it had ended?

He didn’t know. He didn’t even know if he wanted it to end. Then again, he was immensely glad that he didn’t have to go back.

But at the same time, Hell needed a ruler. He’d given the demons structure, taught them to fight. The only thing keeping them from leaving Hell and destroying Earth had been him. The only thing keeping them in Hell now that he was gone was the terror of what he’d do to them if they tried to leave and he came back. If they found out that his punishment was over, there’d be nothing to stop them.

Michael was watching him carefully. Are you okay? He asked telepathically.

Lucifer’s almost laughed. Am I okay? I don’t bloody know! You just told me that an exile that has lasted billions of years for me has ended, how-how am I supposed to feel about that? He asked, putting his head in his hands.

Michael came up to him and took him in a hug. Lucifer leaned into him, soaking up the contact.

Does this mean that I don’t have to go back either? Light asked hopefully.

Yes. Michael assured him.

Light’s face lit up and with it the entire room.

Linda watched as several different emotions passed over the Twins’ faces, some of which didn’t match Michael’s last words. “What’s happening?” She asked.

Amenadiel glanced at her, confused. He followed her gaze and realised what she was confused about. “They can talk telepathically with each other.” Amenadiel explained. “They’re the only angelic identical Twins. They’re each other’s other half. I guess you could say they share a soul which leaves them a lot more connected to each other than the rest of us.”

Ella looked up at him. “What do you mean, they’re each other’s other half? How does that work?”

Amenadiel thought for a moment, wondering how to explain this in human terms. “Why don’t you ask Lucifer or Michael? I don’t really understand it myself. They could explain it better.” He said finally.

Ella nodded. “Hey Lucifer.” She called.

The Devil turned to her. “Amenadiel says that you and Michael are each other’s other half. What does he mean by that?” She asked.

Lucifer blinked and turned to Michael. “Well, you know how identical twins come to be on Earth?” He asked and she nodded.

“The same thing happened when our parents created us.” Michael continued. “We were supposed to be one person, but the domains that manifested within us were too different for one Angel to possess.”

Now, Lucifer took over. “So Creation split one entity into two separate Angels. One of which received the domains of Dark and Power, which complemented each other the best. The other received the domains of Light and Will, which in turn complemented each other best. Our Parents thought they’d made a mistake when they were aiming for one new Angel and instead two popped out.” Lucifer grinned.

“Oh, so you’re like yin and yang?” Trixie asked.

Michael looked at her strangely, but Lucifer looked thoughtful. “Yes, I suppose you could say that, though it isn’t completely accurate. We aren’t total opposites.”

“Like their constant need to do exactly the opposite of what they’re told, all of the time.” Amenadiel said, amusement colouring her tone.

“No, that’s just Michael. Dad’s the only person whom he listens to. Anyone else and he’ll do the exact opposite of what’s asked of him.” Lucifer said.

“Meanwhile, Lucifer can follow orders, you just have to convince him that it’s necessary.” Michael continued grinning. “He questions every single thing he’s told.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Lucifer.” Dan said.

“I have to say,” Amenadiel started. “It was extremely amusing to see the humans struggle with getting Luci to do anything they asked.” He grinned. It really was nice to have someone else try to get him to do as he was told. Now Amenadiel finally understood why Michael always cracked up laughing whenever he tried to get Samael to follow his orders. It was entertaining when you were an observing party.

It was at that moment that Raphael came in. It had been about two days since she’d deemed both Lucifer and Light healed enough to leave them unsupervised.

She came over to Lucifer and looked him over. She checked his injuries and went over his wings. The wings themselves were healed, but his feathers had yet to grow back.

“Do your wings still hurt?” She asked.

“There’s still an ache, but it’s better than yesterday.” He answered, used to the questions. She asked them every day.

She continued to flit around him, asking questions for the next fifteen minutes or so.

When she was finally done, she straightened up. “I think you’re good enough to leave the infirmary.” She said happily.

Lucifer stared at her. “Do I have to?” He asked, cringing at the thought of running into his siblings. He really didn’t need their scorn right now.

Raphael looked surprised. “Well, no. Though it would be good if you moved around a little.” She said.

They don’t hate you, you know. Michael spoke inside his mind. Our siblings.

Lucifer sincerely doubted that.

They’re angry, sure, but they don’t hate you. Michael assured him. They were properly pissed when they found out what happened to you.

Once again, Lucifer doubted that. They’d proven he meant nothing to them every time they ignored his pleas in Hell, when they spread rumours to the humans about him, when not a single one of them came to visit him in the eons he spent in Hell.

No, he did not believe that their apparent worry for him was anything other than concern for the fact that the humans were now capable of harming an Archangel.

After what happened with Uriel, he couldn’t exactly say he blamed them either.

And their hatred was the last thing he needed right now, so soon after the Detective’s betrayal.

Michael was watching him worriedly. Lucifer tried to smile at him, though it felt more like a grimace.

“Does that mean I can leave as well?” Light asked hopefully.

“No.” Raphael said and he deflated. “Not before I figure out how to heal your other injuries.”

Light frowned. “You can’t.” He said.

“Why not?” Raphael asked.

“You can only heal physical injuries. These aren’t physical.” He told her.

“What do you mean by that?” Raphael asked.

Lucifer sighed. “What he means is that, when Samael split into me and Light, he only split his soul, not his physical form.” He said.

“So?” Amenadiel asked.

“Oh.” Azrael breathed, putting a hand over her mouth. “Oh I think I get it.” She said.

“Well I don’t.” Dan said annoyed.

“Samael didn’t actually split in two, did he?” Azrael asked. “He only separated a part of his soul from his body.” She went on. “Only one of you has a physical form.” She said looking at Light.

Linda’s eyes widened as she, too, finally understood. “Your scars aren’t physical injuries, they’re mental trauma.” She said to Light.

The Angel nodded. “Exactly. And Raphael can’t heal anything that isn’t physical. So there’s no point in trying.”

“Wait a minute.” Lucifer said. He was watching Light with consideration. “Raphael can’t heal mental wounds,” He turned to Linda. “But you can.”

Linda blinked. That was what therapy was for. Healing psychological trauma. She looked into Light’s hopeful face and smiled. “I’d be happy to help.” She said.

Lucifer relaxed slightly. He had complete faith in Linda’s abilities as a therapist. He knew that if anyone could help Light, it would be her.

They stayed and chatted amicably for a few more hours, before Raphael had to go check on one of their siblings, who’d somehow managed to get a broken leg by landing wrong.

After that, everyone else filed out after her, except Michael and Light.

Before Linda could leave, however, Lucifer called out to her. “One moment Doctor, I’d like to speak to you.” He looked around at Michael and Light. “In private.”

The two Angels looked at each other in confusion, but eventually Michael helped Light up and then they left to wait outside.

Once they were gone, Lucifer turned to Linda. “So, when are you planning to tell Amenadiel that you’re pregnant?” He asked smirking.

Her eyes went wide as her hand came up to rest on her stomach. “How did you-?”

“Angels can sense divinity.” Lucifer answered. “I could sense that child since the moment it developed a soul.”

“Do you think Amenadiel knows?” Linda asked hesitantly, almost afraid.

Lucifer leaned against his headboard and looked up at her, still smirking. “Oh please, he’s way too dense to pick up on it.”

Linda frowned. “He’s not an idiot.” She said in his defence.

Lucifer shrugged. “Either he’s dumb or blind, whichever you prefer.” He said carelessly.

Linda’s lips twitched. “Let’s go with oblivious.” She said, not giving in to his antics.

Lucifer groaned. “You take the fun out of everything.” He complained.

“That’s kind of my job.” Linda said smiling.

“No, your job is to fix me, not…whatever it is you’re doing.” Lucifer answered and Linda’s face immediately fell into a frown. “Is that what you think we’ve been doing for the past three years?” She asked.

Lucifer blinked at how serious she’d suddenly become. “Well…yes?” He half stated, half asked.

Linda looked down at him for a few seconds, before she moved to sit on the end of his bed. “Lucifer, you don’t need to be fixed. You’re not broken.” She said gently.

Lucifer frowned. “Of course I’m broken.” He said confused.

Linda shook her head. “Lucifer…”

“I mean, after all that time in Hell, that’s to be expected.” He interrupted her and Linda glanced up at him.

There was something strange about his tone, something she couldn’t quite place. It sounded almost like he was trying to convince himself.

“Lucifer,” She said carefully. “What would it mean for you if you aren’t broken?” She asked.

The look on his face when she asked that was heart-wrenching. He looked terrified. “I have to be.” He said quietly, desperately, almost.

“Why?” She asked calmly, knowing that they were on the brink of a breakthrough.

Lucifer didn’t answer, so she decided to take a leap of faith. “Is it because of Light?” She asked.

Lucifer blinked, like he hadn’t quite heard her. “No. That’s not it.” He said distractedly.

“Then why?” Linda pressed gently. “Help me understand Lucifer.” She said.

The Devil looked down at his hands, which were gripping the fabric of his blanket in a vice-like grip. “I need to be broken, because if I’m not, then I can’t be fixed.” He said quietly.

“And what makes you think you need to be fixed?” Linda asked.

Lucifer didn’t answer and she sighed. “Hell didn’t break you Lucifer.” She said softly and Lucifer looked up at her startled.

Then he looked away. “I know that.” He said.

Linda frowned again. “But if you know that Hell didn’t break you, then what did?” She asked.

“Nothing broke me.” He answered. “That’s just how I am. I’ve always been broken.” He said, and he sounded so matter-of-fact, like this was a completely normal thing to say, that Linda felt her heart break for him.

“What do you mean, always?” She asked.

“I mean I’ve never been right, have I?” He exclaimed. His eyes clouded over, suddenly and his gaze became unfocused. “I arrived broken.” He muttered, sounding dazed.

Linda was beginning to worry for his mental state, with how out of it he was. But looking at him now, this was the most genuine reaction he’d ever had when opening up to her. Her instincts told her that if he didn’t talk about this here and now, he never would. So she took a deep breath and asked “What do you mean by that?” She asked gently.

“Something went wrong.” Lucifer said, still staring into space. “One of us was never supposed to exist.” Linda’s eyes widened when she realised that he was talking about the beginning, the very beginning. “And you think that one was you?” She asked.

“It has to be.” Lucifer answered. “Michael, Michael never had problems. He was never this, this unstable. He was never this dangerous.” He said desperately.

“He seemed plenty dangerous to me.” Linda commented.

“Not as bad as me.” Lucifer said.

“Why do you say that?” She asked. She’d never had the impression that Lucifer was unbalanced or unstable. She knew he was dangerous, but she never thought of him as a danger to others.

“Because a loaded gun is still less dangerous than a damaged one.” Lucifer muttered.

“Lucifer, please, you’re not broken.” Linda said.

“I have to be.” Lucifer stated.

“Why?” She demanded.

“Because no one else is like this!” He yelled. “No one else has these problems!”

Linda frowned, it sounded to her like these problems were the root of all this, but Lucifer refused to talk about them. Even in his dazed state, he spoke in metaphors that made no sense to her and she had no doubt that that was intentional. She wouldn’t ask about it, then.

“Something had to have gone wrong.” Lucifer whispered. “Something, anything…”

“Why?” Linda asked again, more gently this time.

“If this is how I’m supposed to be, it’ll never stop.” He answered. “You’re the only one who’s come this close.” He said. “The last time I tried-“ He cut himself off with a keening sound and buried his face in his hands.

Linda reached out and hugged him as she noticed him start to shake.

Once Lucifer had calmed down, Linda drew back and looked at Lucifer. “Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?” She asked.

Lucifer blinked. “I did actually.” He said.

She waited patiently for him to continue and he smiled. “You aren’t the first to carry an Angel’s child.” He told her.

She drew back in shock. “I’m not?” She asked. “But Amenadiel has never mentioned that he’s an uncle.” She said frowning.

Lucifer sighed. “It’s not something we like to talk about, I’m afraid.” He said heavily.

Linda’s face fell and she put a hand on her stomach. “Why not?” She asked nervously.

Lucifer looked up at her and must have seen the panic that was beginning to claw its way up her throat. “Oh, no don’t worry, there was nothing wrong with the children, or during the pregnancy.” He reassured her. “It’s just…something that happened after.” He said.

“What happened?” Linda asked.

Lucifer hesitated. “Have you ever heard of the Nephillim?” He asked her.

Linda shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

“Yes, well, I suppose that’s to be expected.” Lucifer said.

He sat forward slightly and looked Linda right in the eye. “I need you to swear to me that you will not speak a word of what I tell you to another soul.” He said and for the first time in two years, she felt that intense pull that drew a person in, until you forgot everything around you and she knew in that moment, that if she agreed, Lucifer would hold her to that promise until the end of time.

“I swear, I won’t tell anyone.” Linda said. Then she hesitated. “Can I tell Amenadiel that you told me? I’m assuming he knows?” She asked.

Lucifer blinked and Linda felt that overwhelming pull evaporate as he leaned back. “The Angels all know, it’s the humans who shouldn’t. Though I would wait before telling anyone except Amenadiel that you know about it, or they might get the wrong idea.” He told her.

Linda frowned. “If humans aren’t supposed to know, why are you telling me?” She asked.

“Because you need to know the consequences of carrying that baby.” Lucifer said. “And for that, you need to know what happened the last time.”

Linda nodded hesitantly. “Okay.” She said.

Lucifer took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “See, there was a time when Divinity wasn’t just speculation. In the beginning, humanity was well aware of our existence. We didn’t interact much, we Angels kept to Heaven and humans stayed on Earth. Until one of us decided to go take a look at Earth.”

“Let me guess, you.” Linda said.

Lucifer grinned. “Good guess, but no. It was Azazel, actually. He was curious and Dad hadn’t explicitly told us that we couldn’t go, so he went to Earth and met a woman. They fell in love and Azazel kept going back. After a while the rest of us caught on and some of us decided to follow Azazel’s example. And then Azazel’s lover got pregnant.” Lucifer smiled slightly. “We didn’t know it was possible for us to impregnate a human until that moment. Azazel panicked at first, mainly because he had no idea if our parents would approve of this. As it turns out, they were delighted. We were still a bit concerned about what a human/Angel hybrid would look like, but we soon found that there was nothing to worry about. After that, more children followed. We called them the Nephillim. The next generation of Celestials. Those of us who went to Earth and sired the Nephillim were classified as Watchers.” Lucifer’s expression suddenly darkened. “The humans, however, were less thrilled by the Nephillim’s existence. There had been some hostility directed at the children by other humans, so their parents decided to relocate the Nephillim, their human lovers and a few family members to Eden. They were safe, for a while. But then they were found.” Lucifer sighed and ran a hand down his face. “You see, Azazel’s lover was originally meant to marry someone else. A real sexist son of a bitch, and when he found out that his future wife had left him for an Angel, well, he wasn’t happy. I’m fairly certain that he’d been plotting something when the Nephillim were moved and he’s the kind of person who doesn’t like being denied. So he gathered a group of men together and went looking for them.”

“What happened?” Linda asked worriedly.

“They waited until all the Angels were gone and attacked their homes. They killed everyone. The Angels’ lovers, their families, and eventually the Nephillim. They cut the mortals down with ease, but they couldn’t kill the Nephillim with mortal weapons, so they rounded them up, dragged them to a nearby stream and drowned them.”

When Lucifer looked up at Linda, she was horrified. “The youngest was just barely four years old. But damn was she clever.” He said smiling. At Linda’s confused look, he elaborated. “She prayed to me.” He explained. “I’m not sure why she prayed to me and not Azazel, since he was her father, but she prayed to me. She probably saved all of their lives that day.” He looked back up at Linda. “See, the thing about celestial souls is that they can’t stay in the mortal plane for long. When one of us dies, our souls are either pulled back to Heaven or to Hell. Human souls, on the other hand, remain on Earth until Azrael comes and takes them either up or down. The reason they have to be taken is because they’re too fragile to survive travelling across planes. The Nephillim, as it turns out, were simultaneously too angelic, and too human.” Lucifer looked down at his hands. “Upon their death, the Nephillim were catapulted towards Heaven, even though they were too fragile to survive the force of crossing from one plain to another.”

“But you said the prayer saved their lives, so you must have reached them in time, right?” Linda asked.

Lucifer shook his head. “I was a split second too late.” He said miserably. “The youngest was the first to die. Her little lungs were too small to survive for long. We all felt it when she died.” He said, barely suppressing a shudder as he remembered Azazel’s agonised scream when he felt his daughter’s light go out. It had reverberated across the entire Earth, like an echo. “By the time I reached her, she was already halfway across to the other side. She isn’t dead, but her soul was…damaged. Maybe I could have fixed some of the damage, but I only just managed to catch the others before they crossed themselves. I almost didn’t catch the oldest, because he was going the wrong way.”

“What do you mean the wrong way?” Linda asked.

“To Hell.” Lucifer answered. “He tried to fight them off, but they knocked him out. I think he felt responsible for failing to save his siblings and cousins.” He shook his head. “None of us were ever the same after that.” He said. “Azrael was the first to find them. She’d flown to the Garden the second she saw the human lovers’ names on her list. She believes that if she’d seen them sooner, she could have saved the children. Maybe she’s right, maybe she’s wrong, in the end we all blamed ourselves to a degree. That was when some of my siblings started to really hate humanity.”

Lucifer sighed and leaned his head back. “That day was the beginning of the end for us.” He said.

“What do you mean?” Linda asked.

Lucifer looked up at her. “That was the day Mum started to truly hate humanity. Before, the worst She’d felt towards them was disdainful, but She never forgave them for what happened to the Nephillim. The only humans She really tolerated were Her children’s lovers.” Lucifer looked away again. “I didn’t exactly help with keeping the peace in the family if I’m being honest. I was furious that, despite what they’d done, my Father refused to take their Free Will away from them.”

Linda frowned. “You wanted Him to take their Free Will?” She asked and Lucifer sent her a look. “Don’t get me wrong, I agree, but that just doesn’t sound like you.” She said and Lucifer sighed.

“I wanted Free Will for us, Doctor, not them. At least, not then. I knew they couldn’t handle it.” He told her. “I just, I-I couldn’t understand why He gave it to them and not to us.” He said. “They used Free Will to destroy each other, so why did He feel that they deserved it more than us? More than me? Why did He trust His passion project to be better than His own children?” He demanded, before he seemed to realise that he’d just called Linda a passion project. “Sorry.” He said.

Linda smiled. “It’s alright, though I think we’ve had enough emotional conversations for today.” She frowned. “Do you think I should tell Amenadiel about the baby?” She asked.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to have to tell him someday.” He said flatly.

“I know that, but, I mean, it’s a baby.” She said and Lucifer snorted. She sighed. “What if he doesn’t want it?” She asked. “I mean, he told me Angels couldn’t have kids!”

Lucifer nodded. “We can’t, not unless we really want to. It’s kind of like self actualisation, though it has more to do with an intense desire.“ He explained.

Linda frowned. “But then, how did I get pregnant from him?” She asked.

Lucifer’s brow furrowed. “I suppose it could be that, when he Fell, Amenadiel became a little more human than we’d originally thought.” He said slowly.

Linda blinked. “That makes sense, I suppose.” She muttered. She bit her lip. “I’m still not sure if I want to keep the baby.” She said hesitantly. “I mean, no matter how many times I envisioned what my life would be like, children were never in the picture.” She said. “And after what you just told me about the Nephillim, I don’t know if I want to risk it. I’m a therapist, I know how people’s minds work. If someone found out about the baby, all they’d see is the money they could get from, from selling them or-“ Before Linda could work herself into a full blown panic attack, Lucifer cut through her spiralling thoughts.

“Linda, I can’t tell you what to do.” He said gently. “But what I can tell you is that if there is anybody I would trust to keep that baby safe, it’s you. And besides,” he added. “You’ve got me, and Amenadiel and Maze. We won’t let anything harm that child, I can promise you that.”

“I also don’t want my baby to have to hide. I mean, what if they’re born with wings? How am I supposed to let the baby play with other kids if they could pop out at any moment?” She asked.

Lucifer considered her thoughtfully for a moment. “You know, you could go and visit the Nephillim and their parents in the afterlives, if you want answers.” He said.

Linda frowned. “Would I even be welcome?” She asked. “I can’t imagine they’d be very forthcoming to strangers.” She said

“They might be wary of you at first, but if you explain the situation to them, I’m sure they’ll come around.” Lucifer answered. “But first you have got to tell Amenadiel, before one of my siblings slips up and tells him.”

Linda sighed. “You’re probably right.” She said.

“I usually am.” Lucifer said smirking.

Linda smiled at him and stood up. “Well, I suppose I’d better go find him.” She said and turned to leave.

Once she was gone, Michael and Light came back in, looking confused.

“What was that about?” Michael asked.

Lucifer raised his eyebrow. “Amenadiel I can understand, but I can honestly say I expected more from you.” He said unimpressed.

Michael blinked. “What?”

Lucifer smirked. “Come on, Mike, surely you can sense it.” When Michael still looked confused, Lucifer groaned. “Bloody Hell, she’s pregnant.” He said.

Michael frowned in confusion, before he remembered the strange feeling he’d received from her and his jaw dropped. “No way.”

Lucifer grinned. “Yes way.” He said.

“But-but who-?”

“Who do you think?” Lucifer asked, thoroughly enjoying the bewildered look on his Twin’s face. “Amenadiel.” He said.

“But-but he’s Amenadiel!” Michael exclaimed, like that alone would debunk Lucifer’s statement.

Which, under normal circumstances, it might have. Lucifer just smiled. “Humans have a greater effect on us than you’d ever want to admit.” He said. “She changed him.”

Michael frowned. “Be that as it may, shouldn’t he have known better than to have a child with her?”

“If it had been intentional, sure.” Lucifer shrugged. “But as I’m sure you know, Amenadiel had a bit of a mortality sitch.” He said.

Michael blinked. “I knew he’d been stranded on Earth but I wasn’t aware that he’d become mortal.”

“Neither were we.” Lucifer said. “But I know he wouldn’t be careless enough to accidentally father a child with a mortal, so that’s the only explanation I can think of.”

Light was looking from one Twin to another, not quite sure if he should feel excited or apprehensive. “What do you think will happen when the baby’s born?” He asked, sitting down on his bed.

“I don’t know, but we live in a time where divinity is a thing of fiction. Who knows, maybe we’ll finally have a Nephillim who makes it to maturity.” Michael said.

“It may be true that humanity doesn’t believe in divinity anymore, but that has only made them narrow-minded. The baby will be safe for as long as it remains undiscovered. After that,” Lucifer sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I really can’t say what they’ll do. Humans have become more and more unpredictable over time. Some may try to protect the baby, others may kill it out of fear, and others still might try to keep it for greed.”

Michael scowled while Light looked sick.

Lucifer hesitated. “They may also be overwhelmed by the child’s divinity. Humans don’t react well when they’re exposed to divinity. It drives them mad.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Light said with false confidence. He hesitated. “Right?” He asked.

“Yes we will.” Lucifer said smiling. “Yes we will.” He said more quietly to himself, unable to banish the worry that clawed at the back of his mind, making him feel like he was forgetting something important.

Chapter Text

Linda left the infirmary feeling dazed, her mind reeling from what she’d just learned.

She saw Amenadiel waiting nearby and took a deep breath.

If she didn’t tell him now, she’d lose her nerve.

“Amenadiel, can I talk to you for a moment?” She asked when she reached him.

Amenadiel’s brows furrowed at her strained tone. “Sure.” He said and she pulled him aside.

When they were alone, Linda took another deep breath. “I’m pregnant.” She said, wincing when her voice came out weak.

Amenadiel blinked. He blinked again. Linda waited for him to say something, anything really.

When the seconds lengthened and Amenadiel kept staring blankly at her however, Linda spoke up, “Amenadiel, please say something.” She almost pleaded.

Amenadiel didn’t respond for several long moments. “Uhh, I’m trying to decide if I should ask if you’re sure the baby’s mine.”

He seemed to catch her affront at being called a cheater, because he quickly rushed to assure her. “Not, um, not because I think you’d cheat! It’s more that I don’t really want it to be mine.”

It took him a moment to realise what he’d said. “I didn’t mean- It’s just that-“ He scrambled for something to say, but Linda had already relaxed and was watching her boyfriend dig himself deeper with a small, amused smile.

“Amenadiel.” She said, placing a hand on his forearm. “I know, Lucifer just told me.”

Amenadiel stopped talking. “Told you what?” He asked.

“About the Nephillim, what happened to them.” Linda responded gently.

“Oh.” Amenadiel said, not bothering to hide his relief. “That, uh, yeah that’s good.”

Linda watched him carefully. “You’re…okay with me being pregnant?” She asked tentatively, still feeling unsure.

Amenadiel rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I don’t know if I’d say I’m okay with it, but I’m also not unhappy about it.” He glanced down at her. “Are you…okay with being pregnant?” He asked.

Linda hesitated. “Honestly? I’m terrified.” She said with a nervous laugh.

Amenadiel smiled slightly. “So am I.” He assured her. “And if I remember correctly, so were my siblings. Even without the knowledge of what could happen to their kids, they were terrified. I think it’s normal, especially during your first time.”

Linda winced. “This isn’t my first time.” She said quietly.

Amenadiel paused, looking bewildered and Linda sighed. “I had a one-night-stand when I was seventeen.” She said tiredly. “We didn’t use enough protection and next thing I know, my period bails on me and I’m throwing up in the toilet every morning.”

Amenadiel was staring at her again, probably trying to figure out why he hadn’t known about this. “Did the child not make it?” He asked hesitantly.

Linda shook her head. “No, nope, no the baby made it.” She said with another nervous laugh.

Amenadiel frowned, looking worried. “Do you want to tell me about it?” He asked gently.

Linda hesitated, then blew out a breath. “I was in denial.” She said almost sheepishly. “I refused to believe that I was pregnant. I found excuses for everything. Morning sickness? I was just stressed from school. Mood swings and weird cravings? Regular teenage hormones. Missing my periods? Chronic stress.” Linda sighed, rubbing at her eyes.

“And then I went into labour.” She said. “And suddenly there was a baby in my arms and my entire future was falling apart in front of me. I looked at that baby and all I saw was my parents kicking me out, my school expelling me, and me working two jobs at eighteen, living in a tiny apartment, trying to raise a child I never wanted to begin with.”

Linda sat down on the grass and buried her head in her hands. “I couldn’t keep her. It would have ruined both our lives. But I didn’t have the guts to give her up for adoption either, so I just…ran. I left her in that hospital and ran while the nurses were gone.”

Linda stared at the ground in front of her. “I went back to school and pretended that it hadn’t happened. I told everyone that I’d mistaken my mother’s Lanoxin for painkillers. Nobody ever knew.”

She felt Amenadiel sit down beside her with a sigh. “I know I can’t tell you it’s not your fault, but I don’t think it makes you a bad person either.” He said gently.

Linda laughed bitterly. “Amenadiel, I’m a therapist. I know so many horror stories about kids who were abandoned by their parents: foster families, homelessness, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse. The system doesn’t care where kids end up as long as they have a roof over their heads. She could be dead for all I know and I’ll probably never know, because I’m too scared to look.” She said miserably.

“I just can’t stop thinking about everything I could have done differently.” She told him. “I could have made sure she ended up in a good home. If I’d just accepted that I was pregnant from the start, I could have prepared, I could have made plans and contingencies, I could have been ready for her, I could have had an abortion and not left a newborn to face the world alone. I had options, and I chose the worst one.”

Amenadiel wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side. “Did you know that it wasn’t really Lucifer who started the Rebellion?” He asked suddenly and Linda was momentarily thrown by the change of subject.

Then her brain caught up with what he’d said. “Wait, what?” She asked. “Lucifer didn’t start the fight?”

Amenadiel hummed thoughtfully. “Well, he started the argument that led to the fight, but I was the one who threw the first punch.” He said.

Linda frowned. “Were you punished?” She asked worriedly.

Amenadiel frowned as well. “No.” He said simply. “I thought that meant it wasn’t my fault.” He admitted. “If Father deemed that only Samael was to be punished, then clearly only Samael was to blame.”

“Do you still believe that?” Linda asked.

Amenadiel sighed. “I don’t think so, no.” He answered. “I mean, look at everything that happened after the Fall.” He took a deep, shuddering breath and Linda realised that he was close to tears.

“Samael split his soul Linda. Do you have any idea what that means?” He asked, his voice trembling.

Linda considered his question and realised that she probably didn’t know what it meant. Mutely, she shook her head.

“It means he killed himself, Linda.” Amenadiel said quietly and she inhaled sharply. “He didn’t just cut a piece of himself off, he erased who he used to be completely. He killed himself and Father never saw it happen.”

And suddenly, Linda understood. Amenadiel had believed his entire life that his Father was infallible and not only had he been proven wrong, he’d been proven wrong the literal second he realised his brother had killed himself.

At the same time, he’d anchored his own deniability over his role in the Rebellion to said infallibility.

And now he wasn’t sure if he’d been blameless or if his Father hadn’t known all the details.

“I still blame him for the Rebellion.” Amenadiel said miserably. “I can’t not blame him, because if I stop, I’ll start thinking that Father was wrong and if that’s the truth, then-“ He cut himself off sharply and Linda frowned.

“Then what?” She asked.

“Then Father punished the wrong person and Samael died because of me.” Linda looked at him sharply.

“Don’t ever say that.” She told him sternly. She paused as a thought occurred to her and allowed herself a small smile. “And don’t let Lucifer hear you say that.”

Amenadiel looked at her, confused.

“Lucifer told me that Hell didn’t break him, and I think he was telling the truth.” She explained, before looking at Amenadiel. “I don’t think he killed himself out of desperation. I think he killed himself because that’s the only way he’d ever want to die.” She said gently.

Amenadiel frowned. “What way?” He asked bewildered.

Linda gave him a sad smile. “The way he does everything, love. By choice. He died because he chose to, no other reason.”

Amenadiel looked down. “That doesn’t make me stop blaming myself.” He said, sounding somewhat confused. Like he’d actually expected the guilt to vanish.

Linda smiled. “I know. Guilt isn’t always rational, but things like this help to lessen it. Samael is dead, and I can only imagine how much that must hurt, but I don’t think he regretted it, and I don’t think Lucifer or Light regret it either. That has to be enough.” She said gently.

Amenadiel closed his eyes. “I miss him.” He admitted softly. “I never used to miss him, but that was different. He was still here, I just never bothered to check on him. I never talked to him, but I could have. And now there are all these things that I’ll never get to tell him.”

Linda hugged him tightly. “That’s grief, Amenadiel. It’s normal and in some ways it’s healthy.” She paused for a moment. “Maybe you could tell Lucifer what you wanted to tell Samael? Or you could tell Light.”

Amenadiel shook his head. “It won’t matter, because Samael will never know.” He glanced down at Linda and wrapped both his arms around her. “I know you have trouble understanding what this means. I know you’re trying to keep an open mind, but I can tell you’re substituting Samael with Lucifer and Light.”

Linda frowned, because she was indeed doing that. “Can you explain what I’m not understanding?” She asked and Amenadiel smiled shakily.

“You humans have internalised the notion that if you break something, you can just put the pieces back together and make it whole again.” He said. “The notion that a whole can break into two separate wholes is foreign to you, but it still exists.”

Linda nodded, frowning. “In what forms?” She asked, trying to wrap her head around this.

Amenadiel thought for a moment. “Magnets.” He answered, before giving a tiny smile. “Or an embryo.”

“When you break a magnet in half, it becomes two separate magnets, each with its own opposing poles and if you try to put them back together-“

“-they’ll repel each other.” Linda finished, her face falling as she finally realised exactly what it meant to split one’s soul.

Amenadiel nodded. “And when an embryo splits in two, it creates two copies of itself. Identical, but still separate. And the closest thing an embryo can come to reforming is when one twin absorbs the other which almost always leaves traces.”

“Vanishing Twin Syndrome.” Linda replied. “Chimerism, Fetus in Fetu.”

Amenadiel nodded. “Which means that right now, Lucifer and Light are like magnets or identical twins.”

“Identical but separate.” Linda finished, her heart sinking.

“And even if they decide to merge together again, they’ll never be Samael again.” Amenadiel told her gently. “Does that make sense?”

Linda nodded. “Yeah, I think I get it now.” She said softly. “I still think you should tell at least one of them what you would have liked to tell Samael. I mean, they remember being Samael, don’t they? Even if they aren’t anymore?”

Amenadiel considered her for a few moments. Then he sighed. “I’ll think about it.” He said finally. “I don’t think it’ll change anything, though.”

Linda’s responding smile was brittle. “I think we both have regrets we can’t move on from.” She said weakly.

She took a deep breath. “I’m scared I’ll fail this child as badly as I failed my daughter.” She said quietly. “I’m terrified that at any point in his or her life, I’ll bail like I did that first time.”

Amenadiel smiled down at her. “I won’t let that happen.” He promised. After a second’s hesitation, he added, “Can you promise me not to let me suffocate them like I did with Sammy?” He asked haltingly.

Linda smiled back at him. “You bet your feathers I will.” She said, her voice a little stronger than it was before.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then steeled herself. “I was wondering if maybe we could ask the, um-“ What had Lucifer called them again?

“Watchers?” Amenadiel suggested helpfully.

“Right.” Linda answered, blushing slightly. “I was wondering if we could ask the Watchers for advice. About the baby.”

Amenadiel hesitated. “I’d like to ask them for help. Actually, I think we’re really going to need it, but…Linda, they hate any human that isn’t their spouse. They probably hate you more than Mom.”

“Which I really don’t blame them for.” Linda said firmly. “I can’t imagine what they must have gone through.” She squared her shoulders. “But we’re still going to ask them. I’m not going into labour, knowing there was anything I could have done to be prepared. Never again.”

Amenadiel smiled faintly. “I just want you to know, they might attack first, ask questions later.”

Linda nodded. “So, who’ll be the least likely to attack?” She asked.

“Jophiel or Cambiel.” Amenadiel answered immediately. “I’d start with Jophiel, she’s the more likely to listen. Cambiel would probably either tell us to leave or ignore us completely.”

“Jophiel it is then.” Linda said, standing up. “Should we walk or fly?” She asked.

Amenadiel smiled at her. “Let’s walk.” He said, offering her an arm.

She smiled and slung her arm around his, leaning into him slightly.

Amenadiel paused and Linda turned to look at him.

He was looking at her with absolute awe.

“Is something wrong?” She asked and Amenadiel shook his head, still staring at her with that awestruck look on his face.

“I can feel it now.” He said, gently touching her stomach.

Linda blinked, before she remembered what Lucifer had said earlier. Angels could feel divinity.

“What does it feel like?” She asked interestedly as she started walking.

Amenadiel thought for a moment. “I can’t really explain it in human terms.” He said apologetically. “But if I were to take a swing at it, I’d say it feels kind of like the changing of the tide, or the shifting of the moon. It feels a bit like a heartbeat.”

Linda tried to imagine that. Like a heartbeat.

Heartbeats were inevitable, but fragile. They accompanied a person throughout their entire lives, never ceasing its relentless pumping.

She hoped that meant something for her baby’s future.

They walked in silence for a while, before Linda finally voiced a question that had been bouncing around her head since Lucifer had explained the Nephillim’s history to her.

“What happened to the people who killed the Nephillim?” She asked hesitantly. “Are they in Hell, or…”

Amenadiel’s face darkened. “Yeah, they’re in Hell.” He answered. “After they attacked the Nephillim Father was so enraged, he flooded the entire world and the water took them down to Hell. Their souls were destroyed when they crossed over into the infernal plain, but their bodies remained intact. They became the first demons.”

Linda’s eyes widened. “Is that why Angels hate demons so much?” She asked.

“Yes.” Amenadiel answered. “It’s also part of why we were all so angry at Lucifer. He rallied the demons, made them stronger, gave them homes and safety and structure. It felt like a betrayal.”

Linda frowned. “No offence, but I don’t think you have any right to judge him. You banished him, disowned him. Why should he stay loyal to a family that clearly didn’t want him?”

Amenadiel was silent for a long moment and Linda feared she’d offended him until he spoke again. “I never thought of it like that.” He admitted. “I thought he was just trying to spite us.”

Linda tilted her head. “I don’t think he ever cared about spite.” She said, considering. “In all honesty, I don’t think he wanted anything to do with you anymore. I think he just wanted you to leave him alone.”

She allowed Amenadiel to process that as they continued walking in silence.

When they finally reached the afterlives, Amenadiel took her hand and pulled her toward the very end of the avenue of trees.

Linda’s eyes widened when she saw the Nephillim’s tree. It was huge! At least the size of a mammoth tree, its long, twisting branches forming what Linda could only describe as balconies.

Amenadiel smiled at her awestruck expression. “It isn’t the generic afterlife.” He told her. “Wait until you see the inside.”

He reached his hand out towards her and she took it without taking her eyes off the tree in front of her.

Amenadiel pulled her close and with one powerful beat of his wings, he’d taken them to the topmost branches.

There, hidden behind the thick foliage was a huge balcony. Thin branches twisted into an elegant railing, the faded white wood of the oak somehow faded into polished mahogany.

The balcony led into a hollowed-out branch that formed a kind of oval room within the protection of the wood.

Linda saw an Angel sitting at a table, a small child in his lap. He looked like he was braiding the child’s hair.

Amenadiel landed, and immediately stiffened. “Shit.” He cursed lowly as he looked into the room. He swiftly stepped in front of Linda, who felt herself tense.

“What’s wrong?” She asked quietly.

“Azazel.” Amenadiel said with a slight wince and it took Linda a moment to realise that it was both an explanation and a greeting.

One of the Angels had looked up and his eyes hardened as they fell on Linda.

The Angel immediately stood up and started stalking towards them.

“Amenadiel.” He hissed when he reached them, his eyes never leaving Linda. “What did you do?”

Amenadiel straightened. “Look Azazel, I didn’t think you’d be here. I just wanted to talk to Jophiel.”

Azazel finally looked away from Linda in favour of narrowing his eyes at his older brother. “Well tough shit, you got me.” He glanced over at Linda again, his eyes travelling down to her stomach. “Now I’m giving you one chance to explain this, or I’m going straight to Dad.”

Amenadiel pursed his lips. “Jokes on you little brother, Dad knew about this before I did.” He was sure that this was the truth. Their Father would be able to sense a new celestial the second it became an embryo. He was a bit annoyed that He hadn’t told him.

Azazel glared at him. “Explain yourself, now.” He growled.

Amenadiel ran a hand over his face. “So, you know how I Fell a while back?” He asked.

Azazel narrowed his eyes at him. “You lost your powers and your wings.” He answered. “So what?”

Amenadiel winced. “Uhh, I kind of became fully human.” He said sheepishly.

Azazel raised an eyebrow. “All of you became human?” He asked skeptically.

Amenadiel rubbed the back of his neck. “Yup, including my reproductive organs.” He said, glancing down at Linda. “Apparently.”

Azazel rubbed at his eyes. “So let me get this straight, you became human. You knew that you had become human. And yet you still impregnated a random human woman.

Linda felt offended. “Excuse you, we’ve been dating for a year and we’ve known each other for four.” She said indignantly.

Azazel blinked at her. “You do realise that a year is, like, a day by our standards, right?” He asked rhetorically.

“Azazel, you knew Ivanna for six months before you got her pregnant.” Amenadiel cut in.

Azazel flushed. “Screw you, it was love at first sight.” He argued.

Nobody screws him but me, Linda thought privately, then blinked at where her mind had gone. Yep, she was spending way too much time with Lucifer.

Amenadiel and Azazel were still bickering and Linda pulled herself together.

“Um, we didn’t mean to intrude, we just wanted to ask for some advice.” Linda cut in, when the two Angels made no sign of stopping their argument.

Azazel glared at her. “If you weren’t carrying my brother’s child, I’d toss you off this branch.” He told her.

Amenadiel growled and Linda prepared herself for having to break up another fight.

Just then a small voice called out from near the entrance. “Daddy?”

They all turned toward the little voice.

There was a girl standing in the entrance to the balcony. She looked about three years old, with waist-length auburn hair and auburn hair.

She was half-hidden behind the curtain that separated the balcony from the room inside, only half her face peeking out at them.

Azazel’s expression went from angry to soft in a matter of seconds. “Naomi baby, go back inside. I just need to talk to your uncle for a minute.” He said, trying to coax her back inside.

The child, Naomi, didn’t seem to listen, because rather than going back, she took a couple of tentative steps forward, consequently allowing them to get a proper look at her.

Linda barely suppressed a gasp.

Naomi’s face was riddled with scars. The skin one side of her face was shredded and her left ear looked like it had been half torn off. A wide gash on the other side of her face that reached from her temple to the corner of her mouth revealed some of her teeth. Her left shoulder was bent at an odd angle and her lower arm had a large piece of flesh missing. She walked with a limp, because her right leg was twisted at the knee and her foot was mangled.

Despite this, however, Naomi ran to Amenadiel the second she laid eyes on him.

“Uncle ’Menadiel!” She squealed as she gave him a one-armed hug, while the other arm, the one that was twisted at the shoulder, hung limply at her side.

Amenadiel smiled and leaned down to pick her up. “Hey Naomi.” He said softly.

Naomi giggled, making a series of excited noises as she cuddled up against her uncle’s chest.

When she caught sight of Linda over Amenadiel’s shoulder, she, unlike her father, smiled and waved happily at her.

Linda answered with a smile and a wave of her own.

She could almost see steam coming out of Azazel’s ears as he alternated between glaring at Linda and glaring at Amenadiel.

Suddenly, Naomi gasped. She tried to crawl over Amenadiel’s shoulder to get closer to Linda, but he grabbed her by the waist before she could fall off.

“There’s a baby in there!” Naomi yelled excitedly as she pointed at Linda, and the therapist’s heart absolutely melted into a puddle at her feet.

Naomi, started struggling in Amenadiel’s grip and he obediently put her down. The little Nephillim ran around his legs and started bouncing up and down in front of Linda. “Do you know you got a baby in there?” She asked loudly.

Linda smiled down at her. “I do, actually.” She answered.

Naomi nodded seriously. “Are you gonna take care of baby?” She asked.

Linda blinked at the strange question, but answered honestly. “Of course, I’m going to do everything in my power to keep my baby safe.” She said.

Naomi beamed. “Yay, I’m not the baby again anymore!” She yelled and Linda frowned at the unusual wording.

Naomi noticed the frown and pulled a face. “Did I say something wrong?” She asked.

Linda blinked. “No! No, of course not. Just, I don’t understand what you meant by again anymore.” She assured her.

Naomi’s smile returned and she giggled. “I like you.” She said happily. “You hear things others don’t.”

She took Linda by the hand and started pulling her inside the room.

Linda hesitated and glanced over at Azazel, who looked absolutely mutinous. Still, he didn’t move to stop his daughter, so Linda allowed Naomi to pull her with her.

Naomi took Linda to the table she’d seen earlier and picked something up off the floor.

When the little Nephillim showed her what she was holding, Linda had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. It was a tiny stuffed goat and around its neck was a little name tag that said Sam in messy, childish handwriting.

“This is Sam.” Naomi said proudly, holding the plushie out to Linda. “Uncle Menny gave him to me.”

Linda frowned. “Who?” She asked confused.

“Uncle Menny.” Naomi said, pointing to Amenadiel. “He said he saw him in a shop and thought I’d like him.”

Linda smiled. “Do you like him?” She asked kindly.

Naomi nodded vigorously. “I called him Sam, like Uncle Sammy.” She said, her face falling slightly. “He went away a while ago.”

Linda exchanged a quick look with Amenadiel, who cringed slightly.

Linda noticed that Naomi was still holding the plushie out to her and Linda smiled gently. “He’s very pretty sweetie.” She said kindly.

Naomi nodded. “Do you want him?” She asked enthusiastically.

Linda blinked. “Oh, no. I couldn’t take him.” She answered kindly.

Naomi pouted. “But I want baby to have him.” She said unhappily. “I already have loads, and baby doesn’t have any.”

She lit up suddenly and took Linda’s hand again. “Look, look, look, you can pick one.” She exclaimed.

She took Linda to a corner, where a blanket was spread out on the floor. There were a bunch of kid’s toys strewn all over the blanket including what was indeed a very large collection of stuffed toys.

Linda’s face fell when she realised that there were a lot of suns and stars, and almost all the plushies had a cut out tag around their necks with the words Sam or Sammy or Samael written on them.

It was clear Naomi had been close with him.

Speaking of, the little Nephillim was watching her expectantly, waiting for Linda to pick a plushie.

Linda hesitated and glanced back at Amenadiel and Azazel. The former was smiling with satisfaction and the latter sighed heavily. “Just pick one.” The Angel said, sounding completely done.

Linda looked back at the pile of stuffed toys and picked up a small plush tiger with big yellow eyes and blue and black fur.

Naomi beamed at her.

Later, when Linda and Amenadiel were walking back from their visit, Linda had to admit that it could have gone a lot worse.

Though they hadn’t ended up speaking to any of the Watchers about Linda’s baby, but Azazel had grudgingly agreed that they could come back some other time.

Naomi had hugged Linda goodbye, then started babbling to her father about the new baby.

Amenadiel had looked extremely smug about something and only now did Linda ask what that was about.

Amenadiel grinned. “Azazel can’t hate anything Naomi likes.” He said. “And she absolutely adores you.”

Linda felt herself smile at that. “She’s adorable.” She said fondly.

“Yeah.” Amenadiel agreed.

Linda hesitated. “What happened to her?” She asked.

Amenadiel’s face fell. “Demons.” Was all he said and Linda remembered what Lucifer had told her.

He’d been too slow to save the youngest.

“Do her scars hurt her?” Linda asked.

Amenadiel tilted his head. “Not anymore, I don’t think.” He answered. “They used to though, back when they were new.”

Linda shook her head. “How can anybody do that to a child?” She asked.

Amenadiel sighed. “I don’t know. And I really wish I could say humanity has changed since then, but children are still being punished for no reason other than their own existence.”

Linda remained silent as she let those words sink in. She knew Amenadiel hadn’t meant it as an accusation, but it still felt like one.

She’d abandoned her daughter because of a mistake she’d made.

Not this time, though. She refused to fail this baby like she’d failed her first.

Chapter Text

Lucifer was confused. It had been two weeks since he’d woken up, one week since he’d been allowed to leave the infirmary and so far his worries about his siblings seemed to have been unfounded.

Some of them simply didn’t acknowledge his presence when he and Michael walked by, but most were quite amicable.

They greeted him, spoke to him, asked how he was doing.

It bewildered him. He knew his siblings had to hate him, but none of his interactions with them so far fit into that. He couldn’t figure out what had changed.

It couldn’t be because of the exorcism, that was nothing new. Although, if what his Father had said was true and nobody knew about that, then he supposed that could be the reason for their sudden care.

Still, he wouldn’t get his hopes up. They’d get sick of him eventually and when they did it was only a matter of time before he was kicked out again.

Right now, he was in the infirmary. His wings were finally, finally fully healed. They were stiff and ached from disuse and he could hardly wait to get back into the air.

He could see Light watching him from the corner of his eye and folded them closer to his body. He could practically feel the envy radiating from the Angel and he didn’t want to make it worse.

Linda was doing daily sessions with him and Lucifer may have been imagining it, but he could have sworn that his scars had faded just a little.

They’d had a rocky start, Linda had hardly gotten anywhere in the first session. The main problem was that they weren’t sure how far back some of Light’s scars reached. It was quite possible that some of the trauma even predated Samael’s Fall.

But Linda had figured it out in the end and now they were making some significant progress.

Lucifer left the infirmary, where Michael was waiting for him.

“Where to?” His Twin asked.

Lucifer flexed his wings, eyeing them in consideration. “The afterlives.” He answered. “I think I’m strong enough to make it there and back.”

Michael also looked to the pure white wings on his Twin’s back. He’d always liked them.

Don’t get him wrong, he liked his own wings just fine. They suited him.

But something about the way the Light always danced on Samael’s wings had always intrigued him.

Both of their wings were different from their siblings’. While Samael’s radiated pure Light, Michael’s wings radiated pure Dark.

“If you’re sure you can make it.” The Archangel allowed.

Lucifer was fairly sure that if he flew, he would be fine.

“Why do you want to visit the afterlives anyway?” Michael asked.

Lucifer grinned at him. “Why, to visit a priest, of course.” Then he took off, leaving a startled Michael to catch up.

When they landed in front of the gates, they folded their wings, keeping them in sight, and walked through.

Lucifer looked around and cringed. He’d never noticed just how similar the structure of the Hell loops was to Heaven’s afterlives until now. The scene before him gave him an unpleasant sense of Deja Vu.

Michael put a hand on his shoulder, no doubt listening into his thoughts. Lucifer shook his head and looked around.

He saw the person who he wanted to visit in his mind’s eye and a tree not too far from him lit up. He smiled. He hadn’t doubted that this particular soul would make it to Heaven, but it was always good to know for sure.

He went to the tree, but hesitated to knock.

Only Angels could enter different afterlives. They were a private place that was prohibited to any soul that didn’t belong there. Lucifer still wasn’t entirely convinced that he still counted as an Angel. He’d been cast out and he was pretty sure that labelled him as something that didn’t belong in the afterlives.

He wasn’t sure whether he wanted the door to open at his touch or not. Whichever way it went, it would cement something within him.

Michael’s hand once again came onto his shoulder and his Twin sent a wave of reassurance down their link.

There was nothing for it and Lucifer knocked.

It worked. The door appeared in the trunk just as it would for any of his siblings. He smiled despite himself.

Then he pushed the door open and walked through it. He had to admit, it was a lovely afterlife. They were standing in the backyard of a quaint little house. There were flowerbeds and bushes with berries on them and not too far from Lucifer was a piano.

What really delighted Lucifer, however, were the children’s toys that lay all around the garden. It meant that he’d reunited with his daughter.

In the middle of the yard a man was playing a game with a young girl.

Lucifer walked over to the piano and pressed the keys. The man looked up and Lucifer’s smile grew.

“Hello Father Frank.” He said.

Frank Lawrence’s eyes widened. “Lucifer Morningstar.” He responded, awed. “It’s good to see you, if a little…unexpected.” He said, smiling now.

“Well what can I say, I’m full of surprises.” Lucifer answered, grinning.

“You can say that again.” Frank’s attention was pulled to the Angel standing just behind Lucifer as he spoke.

He looked from one to the other in surprise. They were identical.

It was at that moment that he noticed the wings at their backs, the only way to tell the two apart.

Lucifer noticed where his attention had gone. “Ah, right. Father Frank, allow me to introduce you to my Twin. This is Michael.”

Frank raised his eyebrows. He turned to Lucifer. “Yes, that Michael. They don’t mention that in the Bible, do they?” Lucifer asked conversationally.

“No, no, they do not.” Frank said.

Michael looked from Lucifer to the soul in front of him in confusion. Then he turned back to his Twin. “You befriended a priest?” He asked amused.

Lucifer half turned to him. “Yes.” He said confused.

“You befriended a priest?” Michael shook his head in disbelief.

Lucifer just shrugged, like befriending someone whose entire profession was centered around hating him was completely normal.

Michael turned to the man in question, who was watching them silently. “You don’t seem surprised to see him here.” Michael spoke to him. “Or, not as surprised as I would expect from someone in your line of work.”

The man turned to him. “How do you mean?” He asked.

“He means that in regard to me being the actual Devil as opposed to a delusional club owner.” Lucifer cut in.

“Oh no, I knew he was the Devil the moment I met him.” Frank told Michael.

Michael raised his eyebrows. “And you still befriended him?” He asked surprised.

Frank nodded.

“Why?” Michael asked.

Lucifer looked up mock-offended. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked.

Michael rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.” He turned back to Frank. “But seriously, every priest I’ve ever interacted with has had a very fixed opinion of the Devil and never a very good one. Why is yours different?” He asked.

Frank looked suddenly nervous. “I’m not blind to some of my fellow priests’… outdated opinions. I promised myself long ago to never judge a person before I even meet them. That includes the Devil.” He answered honestly.

“Cheers to that.” Lucifer called.

“He seemed like a good man.” The priest said.

Michael eyed him appraisingly. “Well.” He said. “It’s good to know that not all of humanity has lost its way.” He said and he actually smiled at the man.

It was refreshing to know that even with all the tainted souls on Earth, there was still the occasional diamond in the rough. And if his brother had managed to find several of them within a single city, who knew how many more there were.

“Well, we really should be going soon.” Lucifer said, clapping his hands. He looked at Frank. “How about a duet?” He asked, gesturing to the piano.

Father Frank laughed. “Well, if you insist.”

The little girl, who’d been watching them quietly the entire time lit up. “Yeah, daddy can play really good!” She exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Frank picked her up and walked over to the piano, placing her on top. “Well then, why don’t we see who’s better?” He asked grinning at Lucifer.

The Devil chuckled at the challenge. “Oh padre, you don’t stand a chance.” He purred.

They spent the next half an hour playing together, one always trying to one up the other.

By the time Lucifer and Michael left, the Devil was grinning. Oh, it had been so long since he’d last played, it felt great doing it again.

He noticed Michael was a little subdued. What’s wrong? He asked.

I didn’t know you could play the piano. His Twin responded.

Lucifer frowned, wondering what that had to do with anything. Well, that’s kind of to be expected. We haven’t seen each other since the Fall.

Michael flinched and Lucifer suddenly understood that that was exactly the problem. Oh. Mike…it’s alright. I’m here now.

Promise me you won’t leave again. Michael asked.

Lucifer hesitated. He liked being back here. He’d given up on trying to convince himself otherwise a while ago. But that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t return to Earth when this was all over. Even without Chloe, Earth felt more like home to him than Heaven or Hell ever could.

I’ll come with you. Michael said. If that’s what it takes to keep you near me, I will come to Earth with you.

I wouldn’t want to keep you away from your home. Lucifer told his Twin softly.

Home is where you are brother. Michael assured him.

Lucifer smiled. I’d like it if you came with me. Though I doubt you’d like my club. You, the eternal bloody virgin.

Why do I feel like that was meant as an insult? Michael asked.

Lucifer laughed. Because it was.

Michael ruffled his Twin’s hair and took great pleasure in the way his Twin shrieked 'Not the hair!' like a schoolgirl.

They decided to walk back to the infirmary, laughing like neither of them had done in eons.

It was about halfway back to the infirmary, when Lucifer saw something that made his good mood vanish in an instant and all his thoughts came screeching to a sudden halt.

He stopped dead in his tracks as fear clawed at his insides and every instinct told him to fight, to lash out, to attack before he could be attacked.

Standing not thirty feet away from them was Uriel, but he wasn’t what triggered Lucifer’s reaction.

No, it was the mortal standing next to Uriel. Talking to his brother.

Michael froze when he felt Lucifer’s terror slam into him like a tidal wave. He turned to his Twin, only to see that Lucifer’s eyes burned red with Hellfire.

“Lucifer?” He asked tentatively. His Twin didn’t react, he just kept staring at something to their right. Michael followed his gaze to see Uriel speaking with a mortal soul.

“Lucifer, what-“ He started.

“Call Uriel.” Lucifer growled and Michael was worried by the animalistic nature of his voice. “Call him over, now.” His Twin growled.

Michael could feel Lucifer gearing up to fight. He didn’t have a choice.

“Uriel!” He called out and their brother turned to him, saw Lucifer, with his Hellfire eyes and froze. “Uriel, come here.” Michael said.

Uriel didn’t move and Michael could feel Lucifer slipping into something else, something feral. “Uriel, please.” He pleaded and that had Uriel moving toward them immediately. Michael never pleaded like that.

The second Uriel was within reach, Lucifer grabbed him and pushed him behind himself, taking up a protective stance.

Michael watched as the mortal who’d been with Uriel turned, their eyes locked with Lucifer’s and-

Danger! The thought slammed into Michael so hard he staggered backwards. He had barely a second to regain his composure, before Lucifer moved.

Michael grabbed onto him before he could pounce at the poor soul who looked absolutely terrified.

Michael held him back as Lucifer struggled to free himself from his grip.

Danger! Danger! Danger! The thought was accompanied by so much fear that it almost overwhelmed him.

Later, the idea that Lucifer could feel so much of the emotion that Michael controlled would bring him to his knees, but right now, his entire being was focused on keeping his Twin from ripping an unsuspecting mortal to shreds.

Somehow seeing the mortal had triggered something in Lucifer.

“Run!” He told the mortal, who stood rooted to the spot. “Get out of here!”

They didn’t need telling twice. The mortal ran as fast as possible and the second the soul was out of sight, Lucifer stopped struggling.

He slumped against Michael, shaking uncontrollably. His eyes remained red and Michael could still feel the absolute terror Lucifer felt through their link.

Michael looked up at Uriel, who was standing there looking shaken and unsure of what to do.

“What’s going on here?” Michael almost groaned as his Father’s voice rang out to them.

He was pretty sure He was the last person Lucifer would want to see right now. He looked down at Lucifer, who was breathing heavily, his eyes wide, darting everywhere. Trying to find a threat that was long gone. He seemed to be so out of it, he hadn’t heard their Father approaching.

Michael looked back up at God. “I think he had some kind of episode.” The Archangel explained.

He pushed the memory of Lucifer’s reaction to Him. His terror at the sight of the mortal and the constant thought of Danger! along with the feral, animalistic look that had entered Lucifer’s eyes.

God looked alarmed. He turned to Uriel, who still looked shaken. “Uriel, go to the infirmary. Get Raphael.” Uriel nodded, spread his wings and took off to the infirmary.

God knelt down next to Lucifer and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing a wave of calm into him. Lucifer’s breathing slowly evened out and his eyes turned back to their regular black, but the fear within them didn’t lessen.

“What,” Lucifer bit out. “is he doing in Heaven?”

Michael frowned. “What do you mean? He’s one of the souls.”

Lucifer closed his eyes and clutched his head.

Lucifer? Michael asked.

Lucifer tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. He’s an exorcist. Lucifer answered in his head instead, eyes still shut tight.

Michael froze. “What?” He growled.

Their Father stared at Lucifer in horror. How in His name had an exorcist made it into Heaven?

He must not have felt any guilt for what he did. It’s the only way he could have made it here. Michael thought to them. The rage he felt at the very idea that an unworthy soul had made it to Heaven was almost palpable.

But why didn’t you stop him? Lucifer’s tone wasn’t accusatory, it just sounded desperate, but the question made Michael flinch.

I can only Judge unworthy souls if I am aware of their crimes. Otherwise I cannot sense them. Michael said regretfully. It was the only restriction to this power of his.

They heard wings beating and Michael turned to see Uriel and Raphael coming towards them.

They landed right in front of them and Raphael immediately knelt down in front of Lucifer.

“What happened?” She asked as her eyes roved over every inch of her brother.

“Lucifer tried to rip a soul apart.” Uriel said.

“Uriel.” Michael said sharply.

“What?” Raphael asked shocked.

“Can we please just stop this? I’m fine. Everything’s fine. It just took me by surprise.” Lucifer tried to assure them. He stood up and swayed where he stood.

Michael had to grab onto him as his Twin buckled under his own weight.

“Michael, Raphael, take Lucifer back to the infirmary.” God told His Children. They took off immediately.

“Uriel, you too, please.” He said.

Uriel sighed. He’d hoped that he could get out of here as soon as possible, but he couldn’t argue with his Father. He took off after his siblings.

When they landed, the humans immediately came over to them.

Lucifer relaxed at their presence. They wouldn’t hurt him.

“What happened?” Maze asked, coming over. “What did you do?” She demanded, looking at the Angels.

They looked offended.

“Mazikeen, enough.” Lucifer said tiredly. “They didn’t do anything.”

Maze relaxed marginally at his assurance. “What happened?” She asked again.

Lucifer laughed bitterly, ignoring her question. “I always said that the system was bullshit, but does anybody ever listen to me? No.” He said annoyed.

Michael winced.

“Did you run into a soul that was unworthy of Heaven?” Maze asked, straightening. That would explain his annoyance, but not the acrid stench of fear that hung in the air around her Lord like smoke over a dying fire.

“What?” Uriel asked, shocked.

“Yes.” Lucifer said.

“Wait, unworthy? What does that mean? How does that even happen?” Dan asked.

Lucifer sighed. “I’m assuming that since you haven’t asked me a single question about Hell in the entire time I’ve been awake, that Maze has already explained its machinations to you.” He said and his humans nodded.

“And did she tell you what gets people into Hell?” He asked.

“Guilt.” Ella said.

Lucifer nodded. “And a lack of guilt is what gets people into Heaven.” He explained. “And that’s all well and good, if it weren’t for the fact that some people are so sick and twisted inside that they feel no guilt for their own actions.”

The Angels in the room looked startled.

Lucifer felt a sense of grim satisfaction. Good to know they were finally listening to him. “Psychopaths, rapists, abusers, terrorists…I can tell you with absolute certainty that at least a third of them never made it to Hell.” He told them.

“How did you know that the one who was talking to me was unworthy?” Uriel asked.

“Because I recognised him.” Lucifer said simply.

“How? Was he someone you came across while you were working with the LAPD?” Linda asked.

“No.” Lucifer said. He really didn’t want to talk about this.

“He was an exorcist, wasn’t he?” Maze asked.

Lucifer pressed his palms against his eyes. “Yes.” He groaned.

“An exorcist?” Uriel asked stunned. He’d been talking to someone who tortured his brother?

Lucifer chuckled darkly. “Yes. He was the first to try actually.” He said. “Back when I was still Samael.”

Michael paled. “That long?” He asked softly.

Light rubbed his wrist and Michael noticed, for the first time, that there were markings there, like he’d been shackled.

The sight of it made him want to throw something.

“I don’t get it.” Uriel said suddenly.

Lucifer looked up at him in confusion. “What-?”

“I don’t get it.” Uriel repeated more forcefully. “You put yourself between me and an exorcist that clearly scares the shit out of you, yet you still tried to kill me. Why?”

“Uriel-“ Michael tried to intervene, but Uriel cut him off.

“No, I want to know. Why?”

Lucifer looked up at him from where he sat on the infirmary bed, but didn’t say anything.

“Tell me!” Uriel yelled and Lucifer winced. “I don’t know.”

“What?” Uriel demanded.

“I don’t bloody know, Uriel! I don’t know what the Hell happened! I panicked!” Lucifer shouted.

“I believe I may be able to shed some light on the situation.” Came a voice from the infirmary entrance and Lucifer groaned, putting his head in his hands.

Their Father had followed them to the infirmary and was now standing in the entrance, watching them.

Linda stood up. “Well, I think this is a family matter, maybe we should go.” She said. “You too Maze.”

Maze opened her mouth indignantly, but Linda just shook her head at her.

Maze sighed and walked over to her friend.

The humans and demon quickly left the room and Lucifer had half a mind to call them back.

He did not want to talk about this.

But then they were gone and Lucifer found himself alone with his siblings and his Father.

Uriel turned to Him. “You said You have an idea of what possessed my brother to stab me with Azrael’s blade, Father. ” The Angel of Patterns said pointedly.

God sighed. “Yes. Yes, I do.” He was speaking to Uriel, but His eyes never left Lucifer, who refused to look at him.

“I looked into Lucifer’s time in Hell.” He said and Lucifer’s head snapped up to meet His eyes. “We are not talking about this.” He growled, his eyes burning red.

“No.” His Father assured him. “No, we are not. I simply wanted to shed some light on your behaviour, which I’m beginning to realise, you don’t quite understand yourself.” He said.

“But first, I believe I owe you an apology.” He went on and Lucifer was so shocked, his eyes went back to their usual black.

“What?” He asked, blinking.

His Father sighed. “I’m sorry to say that I was not paying attention to what you did in Hell.” He said gently and Lucifer stared at Him.

He hadn’t known. His Father really hadn’t known what went down in Hell. That…Lucifer didn’t know what to do with that.

All those eons thinking his family hated him to the point that they would let the demons brutally murder him again, and again, and again, and now it turned out they simply hadn’t been paying attention. He couldn’t decide if that was better or worse.

“And if you had been paying attention?” Lucifer asked quietly.

“I would have ended your banishment and brought you back immediately.” His Father assured him and Lucifer put his head back in his hands.

No, he decided. It did not make it better. The fact that all of this, all of his pain and suffering could have been avoided if his Father had simply been paying attention…

He could practically feel his siblings exchanging looks over the top of his head.

Amenadiel wasn’t there, which Lucifer didn’t really mind. The fewer of his siblings knew about this the better.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and felt Michael send a wave of reassurance through their link. He eased himself into his Twin’s hold.

He felt it when Uriel and Raphael’s eyes turned back to him. “What is it you’ve apparently realised about my behaviour?” Lucifer asked his Father.

God sighed. “While you were in Hell there was a time where Samael was…not entirely aware of himself.”

“For those of you who don’t know what to make of that, it means that Samael went off the deep end.” Lucifer said sarcastically.

God winced. “Yes. The thing is I noticed that during that time and even afterwards, you had a habit of killing anything that came close to you, you didn’t think twice about killing something, even if it was just a demon passing by.” He said.

Lucifer didn’t look at anyone around him. He didn’t like being reminded of that time. The time when he gave himself completely over to Will. “I know that.” He said eventually. “That’s how Hell works. You kill them before they have the chance to kill you.” He said matter-of-factly.

“Yes, I noticed that too.” His Father said. “But I noticed that the longer you lived by that rule, the more it went from being a habit to instinct.”

Lucifer frowned, as did Uriel. “What does that have to do with him killing me?” Uriel asked.

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Lucifer muttered.

God sighed again.

“Uriel had you backed into a corner and I believe that as a result you fell back into that kill or be killed mindset. You acted instinctively because you couldn’t find a way out of the situation.” Their Father explained gently. “After what happened earlier, I can easily believe that that was the case.”

Lucifer stared down at his hands. He supposed that would explain why he attacked without a single thought as to who he was attacking.

It didn’t change anything, however. He’d still taken a knife to his own brother.

He felt Michael’s arms come around him.

“I still don’t understand.” Uriel said quietly. Uncertainly.

That didn’t surprise Lucifer. Before the Fall, Samael wouldn’t have understood either.

He looked up. Raphael looked hesitant as well.

They didn’t understand. They couldn’t even comprehend being able to rationalise killing something without provocation when there could have been another way.

It made Lucifer mad.

They had abandoned him, ignored his pleas even as the Hellbeasts dug their teeth into him, ripped the skin off his bones, injected him with poison, clawed out his insides, ate him alive.

They could have stopped this if even a single one of them had been bothered to make sure that he really didn’t need their help.

This was the price of their negligence. This was what he’d been forced to become in order to survive his exile.

He would not explain himself to them. He would not appeal to them as if it was he who should be fighting for their affection.

If they wanted to come back into his life he would take them back with open arms, but he was done changing himself for their sakes.

He’d payed for his actions against the Host a thousand times over.

If his siblings decided to be petty, that was fine. He’d lost them before and made it through the pain. He could handle losing them again.

He had Michael, he had Mazikeen and he had his humans. He would not be alone this time around and they had proven to him time and time again that they would stay by his side.

Some of his siblings had yet to prove that they even wanted him back, never mind that he could trust them not to break him again.

If they wanted him back they would have to put up with the changes or leave him alone.

He looked back up at Uriel and sighed. Uriel, at least, had valid reason to still hate him.

“I can’t explain it to you.” He said. “You wouldn’t understand unless you lived it yourself and that isn’t something I’d wish on any of you.”

He looked his little brother straight in the eye, then. “Just know that I never wanted to hurt you. I’m sorry.” He said softly.

Uriel stared at Lucifer, unsure what to feel.

Lucifer had all but killed him by stabbing him with Azrael’s blade.

And yet, he’d put himself between Uriel and a man who’d tortured him, who probably had no intention of hurting Uriel, or anyone else for that matter.

And Uriel could admit that he had, in fact, backed Lucifer into a corner.

“You saw this coming, didn’t you?” Lucifer asked. “You knew Chloe would do something like this to me.”

Uriel shifted. “I knew she would do something to you. Something bad.” He said. “I just didn’t know what.” If he’d had any idea of what exactly her actions would lead to, he would have killed her himself, to Hell with the consequences.

He remembered all those times before the Fall, when his siblings stopped playing games with him because he would always predict the outcome.

Samael, and sometimes Michael, had been the only ones who continued to spend time with him.

Samael had always said he liked the challenge.

The idea of losing the only sibling who’d ever bothered to spend time with him would have scared him enough to break one of his Father’s most important rules.

Lucifer was frowning in thought. “But then why were you so adamant about killing Mum if it’s the Detective you were after?”

Uriel scowled. “Oh, don’t worry I was after her just as much as I was after your detective.” He said angrily.

“Why?” Lucifer asked.

The others turned to him as well. They had all been wondering about that.

“I know what you did during the Rebellion.” Uriel said.

Lucifer’s head snapped toward him and his eyes once again lit up with Hellfire. “Don’t.” He choked.

Uriel looked back at him and his expression softened. “I also know why it happened.” He said quietly.

Lucifer put his head in his hands. “Please.” He begged.

The other occupants of the room stared at the Devil in absolute shock.

Lucifer never begged. Not once in all the eons that they’d known him had they heard him beg like this.

Uriel looked around at them. “I think you should leave us for a minute. This is a private conversation.” He said.

He glanced at Michael. “You too.”

Michael went to protest, but then he froze and turned to Lucifer with a hurt expression. Lucifer looked back at him pleadingly.

The Sword of God sighed and turned to leave. Raphael quickly followed.

“Light, you too.” Lucifer said.

Light looked startled. “But-“

Lucifer shook his head. “Please, this isn’t something I want anyone else to know. Not even you.”

Light sent him a look similar to the one Michael had given him, but stood up and left anyway.

That left Uriel, Lucifer and God, the latter of which looked unsure of whether to leave or not.

Lucifer glanced at Him. “You can stay, it isn’t like you don’t know already.” He said and his Father looked taken aback by the venom in his voice.

Then the Devil turned back to Uriel. “How did you figure it out?” He asked tiredly.

“The first time I noticed something was wrong was after the Rebellion ended.” Uriel said. “During the fights I realised that everybody’s Patterns had changed. But I was too preoccupied to really think about it until after the fights ended and my head was clear enough to think. That was when I realised that the only Pattern that hadn’t changed was yours.” Uriel explained.

Then he hesitated and looked at Lucifer almost apologetically.

“Say it.” Lucifer told him and there was something hard about his voice. “Say it.”

“You Willed us to fight each other.” Uriel said finally. It wasn’t a question. Uriel knew it was true.

Lucifer closed his eyes. “Yes.” He said shakily. He’d never said it out loud before. It felt like an admission. His greatest regret laid bare for everyone to see.

It was something he’d never told a single soul about. He doubted even Michael knew about it. His deepest, darkest secret. That his power over Will gave him power over people.

Michael could raze an entire army in a single day with his Power.

Lucifer was an extremely powerful Angel, but he could not do what Michael did. Instead of razing an entire army, Lucifer could control them with his Will. He could use humans as his puppets, make them do things they would never have done of their own accord. He could make them drown themselves, kill each other, slaughter their own families.

It sickened him.

It was why he hated how humanity viewed him.

The Devil made me do it.

He could. Oh, he could make them do abhorrent things and there were times when he’d been tempted to do just that. To show them exactly how it felt when he did make them do things. When he had absolute control over their actions.

But he didn’t.

Not when he found himself trapped between a Hellbeast’s jaws.

Not when the humans tortured him.

Even in Hell, in his darkest, most desperate moments, he had not used this power.

No matter how much easier it would have made his exile.

Uriel watched as his older brother descended into his own spiralling thoughts. He glanced at his Father to see that His face had darkened at the reminder of what had transpired.

Uriel looked away again, knowing that his Father was about to get a very harsh wake-up call.

“I also know why you did it.” Uriel said to Lucifer, pulling him out of his thoughts.

The Fallen Angel stared up at him. Uriel winced at how broken he looked.

“How?” Lucifer asked.

“When you left Hell eight years ago, I started watching you. I noticed something in your Patterns that was different from Samael’s.” He explained. “I also realised that, when Samael was still in Heaven, he would disappear a lot, for a short while. Before you disappeared you were always angry, short tempered, you would pull away from us. When you came back you were quiet, withdrawn. You barely talked to us. And the time in between you were your regular self.” Uriel said. “I never really thought about what it meant until a few years ago.”

He came to sit next to Lucifer. “I went looking for where you would always disappear to.” Uriel told his brother softly.

He remembered what he’d found. It was the only place in Heaven where no one ever went. A place Uriel hadn’t even known existed.

He was fairly sure that Samael had Willed it into existence.

He could see it in his mind’s eye. It was a small grove at the very edge of Heaven. He could tell that the place had once been beautiful. But it was marred. The entire ground had been littered with splinters and rubble and narrow cracks. The remnants of trees and boulders that had been blown apart similar to how an explosive would look. Like something had ignited within the rocks and trees and blasted them to shreds from the inside out. And then there was the dried blood that adorned the wrecked ground, drawing crimson patterns across the ground, giving the impression of streams that ran across the cracked ground. It was beautiful, in a gruesome kind of way. But the picture those streams painted was horrifying. Like the rocks and trees weren’t the only thing that had been ripped apart. He could tell, by the shimmering quality of the blood that it belonged to an Angel. Most likely Samael.

“That was when I realised how your Patterns differed from Samael’s.” Uriel continued. “You use Will. Samael didn’t.”

Lucifer put his head in his hands.

God was frowning, looking from one Son to the other. “Why not?”

Lucifer froze and when he turned to face his Father there was so much rage burning in his eyes that God actually leaned slightly away from him.

“Why not?” Lucifer growled quietly. “Because I couldn’t fucking reach it, could I? You cut me off from it.” He snarled.

God blinked. “What?” He asked alarmed.

“You kept me from using it. You and your stupid need for control!” Lucifer yelled. “You cannot control Will. You cannot tame it, you cannot contain it. And you refused to give me the one thing that could set me free!”

God was still looking alarmed, but no less confused.

Uriel decided to step in. “What Lucifer is trying to say is that having Will is not enough. You need Free Will in order to use it.” Uriel explained.

God looked at Lucifer, who was glaring at nothing, in worry. Then, without warning the Devil jumped up and started pacing. His hands came up to grab at his hair, and for once the Angel didn’t seem to care about his appearance.

“I didn’t-” God started, frowning, only to be cut off by His agitated Son.

“Didn’t what? Didn’t know that Free Will could have finally fixed me? Didn’t think that giving humanity the one thing I’ve always needed would make me just a little bit mad?” Lucifer demanded, turning to Him.

“Lucifer, Free Will was an experiment. I wanted to make sure that it didn’t have any adverse effects on them before I let any of My Children have it.” God told him.

Lucifer took a step towards Him. “And did it ever occur to You,” He growled quietly. “that giving mortals free rein over my Domain could have adverse effects on me?”

His Father frowned, but didn’t respond. Uriel was looking from his brother to his Father like he was watching a tennis match.

“Did you ever stop to consider that the choices they made might have impacted me in any way?” Lucifer yelled.

Uriel took a step forward. “Lucifer, calm-“

The Devil rounded on him. “Don’t tell me to calm down!” He snarled and Uriel instinctively took a step back.

“You have no idea what they did to me!” Uriel took ‘they’ to mean the mortals. “They had more access to my Domain than I did!”

Uriel exchanged a weary glance with his Father. It sounded like Lucifer had waited a very long time to say this. They turned back to Lucifer, who was pacing again. He’d started whimpering quietly and Uriel was starting to get seriously concerned for his mental state.

The Angel of Patterns took a hesitant step forward. “Lucifer…”

His brother looked around at him. “It meant nothing to them.” He whispered. “They had everything I ever wanted and it meant nothing to them. They defiled it!” He screamed. “They murdered and raped and tortured and enslaved each other! They used my Domain to restrict each other’s Freedom! They turned my Will against itself!” All the fight seemed to leave him at once and he sat down on one of the infirmary beds. “Their actions were an act against Will. They went against everything I stand for.” He muttered. He sent a weak glare at his Father. “And you let them.” He said, his voice cracking.

“And you know what they did?” He asked. Uriel and God exchanged a look. “They blamed me for it. Every bad choice they’ve ever made was my fault!”

Suddenly, he slumped forward and put his head on his knees and his hands came up to grab at his hair.

“Lucifer?“ His Father said hesitantly.

“Why?” The Devil whimpered and he sounded so damn broken, that Uriel put an arm around him, despite his aversion to physical touch.

“Why what?” God asked.

Lucifer looked back up at his Father. “Everything.” He said with something between a laugh and a sob. “Why didn’t you give me Free Will, when you should have known how badly I needed it? Why did you throw me away? Why didn’t you help me? Why do you hate me so much?!”

He glared at the Deity, even as the tears ran down his face.

And then he couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t keep going. He couldn’t keep fighting any longer. He was tired of fighting, always fighting.

His expression crumbled and he pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned his head against his knees as his shoulders started to shake with uncontrollable sobs.

He felt the mattress of the infirmary bed lower slightly as his Father sat down next to him and gently took him in Him arms. He started carding His fingers through His Son’s hair. “I do not hate you.” He said softly. “I did not throw you away. I will freely admit that I was too harsh in my punishment. I was angry, so I ignored your prayers and when I finally calmed down enough to look into Hell, you appeared to be thriving. I never meant to hurt you by sending you to Hell.”

“You left me.” Lucifer whimpered. “Everyone left me to die down there. Did I really mean so little to you? Why didn’t you help me while I was still here?”

“I didn’t know you needed help.” His Father told him. “I never realised what you wanted Free Will for. I never knew how badly humanity’s Free Will affected you. I simply assumed that you were being wilful as always. The idea that you wanted it for something other than simple curiosity never even crossed my mind. I’m sorry.” The Deity said, leaning down to kiss his temple, still running His fingers through His Son’s hair.

Lucifer shifted to look up at Him in confusion. He saw the honesty in His eyes. There was no sign of a lie in his expression. He really didn’t know.

And with that realisation, Lucifer’s mind went blank.

He felt a terrifyingly familiar burning sensation that started in his chest and quickly spread throughout his entire body, taking his breath away as though the heat was burning away the oxygen in his lungs, frying his brain, leaving him hunched over from the agony, as the reality of it all came crashing down around him.

He’d told his Mother about the pain, his problem with his Will, the agony of being forced to obey his parents’ every word. He’d told her and she’d promised to let Dad know. To tell him what he’d told her.

If his Father didn’t know…

She’d lied to him. She was the only person who knew the reason behind his Rebellion, who knew the full story and She’d let him Fall. She’d stood by and done nothing while his Father threw him down to Hell.

“Uriel.” He bit out.

Uriel turned to him. “Leave.”

Uriel looked confused, but then a vial beside Lucifer’s bed exploded and he realised what was happening.

He stood up and left the room and the second the door closed behind his brother, Lucifer, still in his Father’s arms, screamed with pain and rage.

God felt the overwhelming power of His Son’s Will wash over him, trying to wrap itself around him and cloud his mind with little success.

He watched as wave after wave after wave of Will tore through His Son, ripping his skin open in an attempt to get out, while Lucifer screamed with pain.

He watched as the sheer force of Lucifer’s Will shattered any glass within the infirmary, ripped the beds apart, flung tables against the walls, cracked the tiles of the infirmary floor.

When the waves started cracking the walls of the infirmary, God pushed against it with His Power. He could not allow anything this unstable near any of His other Children.

When he tried to keep it contained, however, it reverberated off His Power, rebounding toward His Lightbringer.

It seemed His Son was right when he said that Will could not be contained.

In a split second’s decision He sent a mental command to His Angels, telling them to land if they were currently in the air. He waited until He knew every single one of His Children was safely on the ground, wincing whenever a rebounding wave of Will lashed His Son, making him scream again.

Then He pushed the Will towards the ceiling of the infirmary, staring as it burst through the roof and into the open sky, spreading out and dissipating into the vast space.

Lucifer whimpered. The gashes from where his Will had torn through his body were bleeding freely.

God held him tightly as the infirmary doors burst open and Michael rushed in.

He took one look at his Twin and instantly ran to them. He looked around the wrecked infirmary. “What happened?” He demanded. “I heard, I heard- I-I heard him-“ Michael was breathing hard.

God could not comfort His Son.

Now that Lucifer’s outburst was over, He could properly register His Son’s thoughts.

So His Wife had known. Honestly, it surprised Him. He knew that His Wife could be quite manipulative, but He’d thought that even She would know to draw the line when it came to using Their Children against each other.

It appeared He’d been mistaken.

He could not begin to explain how much that enraged Him.

Raphael, Light and Uriel had come in after Michael and were staring around at the wreckage.

“What happened?” Raphael asked. She caught sight of Lucifer’s bloody form and her eyes widened.

Immediately she started tending to his injuries.

Michael looked around at the ruined room, then back at Lucifer and something seemed to click in his head. “Did he do this to himself?” The Archangel asked.

God sighed. He turned to Uriel. I’m assuming you realised that Samael had told your Mother about this? He asked wearily.

Uriel’s eyes widened. I didn’t realise he’d told Her. The Angel of Patterns said quietly.

But you knew that She knew. The Almighty said.

Uriel nodded. I always thought that Her behaviour changed after the Rebellion. Every time She looked at us, every time She saw one of us struggle with the aftermath of the Rebellion, there would be guilt on Her face. I did not realise what it meant until I put together what had happened to Samael.

Uriel looked Him straight in the eyes and there was a rage there that God had never seen before in His Son. She knew what had happened. She knew that Samael had no control over what happened, yet She said nothing. She stood by and watched as he burned and. She. Said. Nothing.

“It was always Her fault, everything that happened, everything that went wrong. She could have stopped it.” Uriel shook his head and looked at Lucifer, who was shaking against his Father’s chest, where the blood flowing from his open wounds was staining His white clothes red.

(Not that the Deity cared.)

“What do you mean, it was all Her fault? All whose fault?” Raphael asked.

Uriel took a step forward and placed a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder, careful of his brother’s injuries.

The motion surprised his siblings, but after everything Lucifer had been through, Uriel’s own comfort could take a backseat. “Do you want them to know?” The Angel asked.

Lucifer glanced over at them all.

Lucifer, what’s going on? Michael’s voice said in his head.

Lucifer shook his head.

Michael looked hurt. You’re hiding something from me. He said. You never hide things from me.

You’ll hate me. Lucifer answered.

Michael’s eyes widened. I could never hate you. He said with complete conviction.

Lucifer closed his eyes and blocked his mind from his Twin. He remembered when his Will had possessed Michael. He didn’t think he’d ever have to worry about that, he’d thought that Michael, at least, was safe from him.

He’d been wrong.

His Twin had lost control and harmed several of their siblings.

He’d never forget the moment Michael snapped out of it. His Twin’s screams when he’d realised what he’d done echoing in his ears.

And Samael could do nothing but watch. He didn’t know how to make it stop. He’d had no experience with controlling or channeling his Will.

He’d tried so hard to pull it back in. To trap it within him once more, but no matter how hard he tried, nothing had worked, and the absolute worst thing about it? It had felt so good. For the first time in his life he’d found something that was strong enough to carry the entirety of his Will. For the first time since the Demiurge created the stars, he hadn’t been in pain. It had felt like being born again. There had been no ache in his limbs with every movement, no searing pain in his head whenever he tried to think, no burning in his lungs every time he took a breath. For the first time in his life, he’d felt well and truly alive.

But it was ruined by the fact that his every movement had been devoted to keeping his siblings apart, his every thought had been directed to forcing his Will back inside him and his every breath had been used to beg them to stop trying to kill each other.

And even at his best, it still wasn’t enough.

His siblings had kept going at each other’s throats until their Father had finally showed up.

Lucifer would never forgive Him for that. He would never forgive Him for taking so damn long to show up. They’d been fighting for hours. He should have noticed much, much sooner.

Lucifer looked back at Michael, who was looking at him like he’d never seen him before. It made him flinch.

He didn’t want to tell them. His siblings hated him enough as it was and despite his earlier reservations, he did not want their hatred for him to intensify.

And he did not want Michael to look at him like he knew his siblings would.

His Twin’s love was the only thing he’d been sure of when it came to his siblings.

It was the only thing that had allowed him to keep even a single shred of sanity in Hell.

If he lost that, it would kill him.

But at the same time, Michael didn’t deserve to spend the rest of his existence thinking that what happened had been his fault.

Neither did the rest of his siblings.

It wasn’t fair to them.

At the same time, however, he knew that he couldn’t tell them. He couldn’t stand to tell them it had all been his doing.

Lucifer looked up at his Father and could tell by the look on His face that he’d been listening in to his internal struggle.

Tell them. He said. Tell them all.

Do you want Me to tell them about your troubles with Will as well? His Father asked gently.

I don’t care. Tell them whatever you want. Lucifer answered. He doubted it would matter.

Very well. God answered.

He stood up and motioned Raphael and Michael toward him.

Raphael had closed most of Lucifer’s bleeding injuries by that point. The rest had been bandaged.

Michael hesitated for a moment, before sending a concerned look Lucifer’s way. Then he turned to his Father and followed him out of the infirmary, Raphael trailing behind them looking scared.

Uriel placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, before he, too, went after their Father leaving Lucifer alone with his thoughts.

Chapter Text

Michael stared up at his Father blankly.

All around him, his siblings were muttering furiously amongst themselves.

He could not blame them for their anger.

Their Father had just told them that Samael had Willed them to fight each other.

Not even Michael had known that Samael was capable of such a feat.

Normally, he would have been up in his siblings’ faces for what they were saying about his Twin. Right now, though, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

His Twin had forced his Will on them. He’d done the one thing he hated their Parents for.

“He should not be allowed to remain in the Silver City!” Remiel yelled. “We will force him out ourselves!”

Before anyone could agree with her, there was a furious shout. “You will do no such thing!”

Everyone turned to Uriel, who was watching Remiel with a look of utter hatred on his face.

“Uriel?” Zadkiel asked. “How can you defend him? He tried to kill you.” He said angrily.

“I know the full story, which you would too if you hadn’t interrupted Father halfway through His explanation.” Uriel growled at him.

“What full story?” Raguel demanded. “He forced his Will onto us, what more is there to know?”

“Use your head Raguel!” Uriel yelled.

Raguel reared back in surprise. Their siblings stared from Raguel to Uriel in shock.

“When have you ever seen Samael use his power over Will?” Uriel asked. “When was the last time you remember seeing him use anything but Light?”

Raguel went to answer confidently, only to frown in confusion. “I-I don’t remember.” He said.

Michael frowned and thought back over his and Samael’s time together. Surely there had to be something.

But no, no matter how hard he tried to think of something, the only time he could remember his Twin using Will was when they forged the Earth and the Stars together. And that was a long, long time ago.

Their Father sighed. “I’m afraid that the fault lies more with Me than it ever has with Samael.” He told them.

“What do You mean, Father?” Azazel asked. “You did not intend for Samael to use his abilities in such a cruel manner.” He spat.

Michael looked up at his Father. He so desperately wanted to believe that there was another explanation for this, but he simply couldn’t think of one.

“He tried to stop us.” Azrael mumbled. “He was the only one who tried to stop us from attacking each other. Why would he do that if he intended for this to happen?” She asked more loudly.

She knew her brother. He would never hurt them like this.

“Who knows what was going through that-“

“Remiel, enough!” God’s outburst made the entire Host go deathly silent. “Your brother is not to blame for this. If you want to blame someone, blame Me and your Mother.” He said.

“Why?” Michael asked and everyone turned to him. It was the first time he’d spoken aloud since their Father started speaking.

Father looked at him sadly. “As I’m sure you all remember, Samael was rather enthralled with the concept of Free Will.”

“Understatement of the century.” Ezekiel muttered.

Father’s lips twitched, before His face fell back into the weary expression He’d been wearing since Lucifer was last injured.

Michael still couldn’t quite understand how that had happened. He remembered the massive surge of something bursting through the roof of the infirmary.

Michael was pulled from his thoughts when his Father continued speaking. “What no one ever thought to ask was why Samael wanted Free Will.” The Deity continued.

Michael looked up at Him then. His Father was right. He’d never asked his Twin for the why of it all. It had always made sense to him. Samael was the embodiment of Will and Free Will meant that he could use his Will whichever way he wanted.

Father closed His eyes. “As it turns out, the absence of Free Will not only restricted Samael’s power over Will, but cut him off from it entirely.” He said regretfully and Michael stilled.

He’d never thought of that. The fact that their Father’s control might have had adverse effects on Samael had never even crossed his mind.

Why hadn’t it crossed his mind?

“I don’t understand, Father. What does this mean?” Amenadiel asked. He wanted to believe that Lucifer had changed for the better. That all this was just a big misunderstanding. He’d come to really enjoy his little brother’s company. He did not want that to have been one big elaborate ruse.

Father sighed. “Perhaps I should start at the beginning.” He mused. “I know that many of you like to refer to yourselves by your domains.” He started and the Host listened intently, wondering where their Father was going with this.

“While I have nothing against you referring to yourselves as such, it is not entirely correct. You are not your domains. You merely carry them within you and can distribute your domains in whichever way they present themselves to you.” Father explained.

“So…we’re like soap dispensers?” Azrael asked innocently. Michael saw through her innocence immediately.

She was trying to bring some life back into her Father and siblings.

It worked, to an extent.

Father chuckled. As did many of the Host.

“Indeed Child. I suppose you could say that you are the containers of your domain’s essence, without which they would not exist.” Then Father turned serious again. “Will is one of Samael’s domains.” He said. “And I have quickly come to realise that Will should not be contained. When Samael was forced to obey Mine and your Mother’s every word, however, that is exactly what happened. Samael was cut off from his Will and it was locked away inside of him.”

“What does that have to do with Samael forcing his Will on us Father?” Cassiel asked.

“I’m getting there Child.” Father said patiently. “But first I simply believe that there are things you need to understand.”

“What happens when one attempts to contain Will, Father?” Raphael asked.

Father thought for a moment, before waving His hand. A ball of…something appeared before Him. It wasn’t light, exactly. It seemed to exude a type of greyness that was neither light nor dark. Michael supposed his confusion in the face of the ball’s appearance was merely a result of the fact that it wasn’t supposed to have an appearance. The ball started moving around the gathered Angels. It flitted through their ranks and Michael had the absurd impression of a curious animal.

Father called the ball to Him after a while and raised His hand, closing it in a fist.

The ball was suddenly encased by six transparent walls, creating a cube around the ball. Michael couldn’t tell what the walls were made of, though he doubted they were glass.

The ball moved and slammed into one of the walls. It moved in the opposite direction, only to slam into another wall. It moved all around the cube, faster and faster, until it seemed to be in several places at once, filling up the entire space.

Searching for a way out, Michael realised.

Then the ball stopped moving around. It seemed to have given up on finding a way out, so instead, it grew. It pulsed outwards like some kind of mutating…thing. It pressed against the walls of the cube until it filled the entire space. Then one of the walls cracked as hairline fractures spread across it. That was the only warning they got for what came next as, without warning, the cube burst apart. Shards flew everywhere and the thing within the cube expanded in all directions, like a shockwave. It flew at the Host, cracking the ground with its force.

Michael felt a Power much stronger than his own wrap around him and the shockwave bounced off him as his Father’s Power pushed it up into the sky.

The entire Host was deathly silent for a few minutes. Then-

“What was that?!” Raguel demanded, as he clutched his chest.

“That was Will.” Father told them.

“And…the cube?” Azrael asked, nudging one of the shards, which had fallen near her, with her foot.

Father sighed. “That was a representation of what it would have done to Samael.” He said.

Azrael immediately took her foot away from the shard with a squeak.

Raphael remembered what she’d walked in to earlier, her little brother in her Father’s arms. She’d wondered about the injuries he’d suffered. The edges had looked uneven and jagged, like something had simply torn Lucifer’s skin open. She felt sick.

But even more than that, she wanted to go to her brother and hug him and never, ever let go.

“B-but what does that have to do with the Rebellion?” Remiel asked. She sounded almost afraid of the answer.

Father sighed again. “What were Samael’s exact words before the fighting started?” He asked. It was something He’d been wondering ever since He found out about Samael’s issues.

Michael stared at nothing, the image of his Twin, bleeding profusely in their Father’s arms swimming in front of his eyes. “He said he needed to leave.” He said hoarsely. “He k- he kept insisting that he needed to leave. We thought he was just trying to get out of doing as he was told, so we held him back.”

How had he missed this? How could he have missed his Twin being ripped apart by his own domain over and over again?

Father closed His eyes. “I believe that Samael had reached his breaking point and perhaps accidentally used his Will against you.” He said.

Gabriel frowned. “You…don’t believe he had an outburst?” She asked.

Father shook His head. “No. If he had, it would have been a lot more messy. For all of you.”

Michael thought back to the wreckage that was now the infirmary and winced. Yes, he could easily believe that.

“Then how do we know that he hadn’t intentionally used it as he did?” Remiel asked. She sounded almost desperate.

Michael could hardly blame her. She’d been the most vocal about her hatred of Samael, even before he left her alone in Hell.

She had suffered severe injuries from being attacked by Michael after all. He still hated himself for that. He couldn’t figure out why she didn’t.

If Samael really hadn’t meant for it to happen, then all her anger and rage had been misplaced.

Father looked at her. “It’s quite simple actually.” He said sympathetically, though not the slightest bit apologetic. “It is impossible for him to have done it intentionally.”

Now, Amenadiel frowned. “Why?”

“Because Samael lacks even a basic control over Will.” Father said quietly. “A feat such as that requires a level of control that Samael simply does not possess. I think that is also the reason why he did not stop it.” Father continued. “He didn’t even know where to start.”

Remiel searched desperately for something, anything that would let her hold on to her hatred. Anything that would numb the crushing guilt that was beginning to claw its way into her heart.

“Why didn’t he tell anyone?” She demanded.

Suddenly, Father looked very, very angry.

Several Angels recoiled at His sudden change of mood.

For their sakes, the Deity tried to reign in His rage. “Do not worry, My Children. It is not you I am angry with.” He assured them and His Children relaxed.

He turned to Remiel. “As for your question My Dear, he did tell someone.”

Remiel’s eyes widened. “Who?” She asked.

Father closed His eyes. “Your Mother.” He bit out and His Angels suddenly realised who it was that He was angry with.

He took a deep breath. “It appears that Samael’s hatred of Me was a result of your Mother promising to speak to Me about his problems. I’m sure you can guess that that conversation never happened. Therefore I did not change My behaviour toward him and Samael took this as confirmation that I simply did not care. This led to him acting out when I announced Free Will for humanity, believing I cared more for their convenience than I did for his safety. I merely saw his behaviour as wilful disobedience.” He looked up at them all then.

“I was aware of Samael’s use of Will that started the fights.” He said gently. “It is why his punishment was so harsh.”

When He saw many of His Children gear up to demand why He hadn’t said anything, He continued. “The reason why I did not inform you of it is that I knew the second I banished him that I had gone too far.” He said quietly.

He closed His eyes and let out a long breath. “As I’m sure you are aware, Samael’s time in Hell has not always been pleasant.” He said. “What I don’t think you know is that I was unaware that one of you broke his wing. I will not ask who did it. You were not acting of your own accord.” Father opened His eyes and looked at them all.

His Children. His Angels.

“Samael burned.” He told them and several of His Children gasped. “Your brother had no control over where he landed, because he couldn’t catch himself on a broken wing, and he ended up landing in a Lake of Fire. By the time I realised, he’d been burning for several years. I never meant for him to come to any real harm. That is why I felt that he deserved at least a slight reprieve from you. I felt that keeping that particular piece of information to Myself was My way of making up for the pain that I had caused him.” He explained.

Just then there was a loud yell from somewhere above them and Michael immediately stiffened, spread his wings and shot into the sky. The Host looked up and saw that there was an Angel flying way too high in the sky and their wings were flapping sporadically.

Michael immediately flew to the Angel and put his arms around them. Then he slowly came back down.

The Host, except Amenadiel, Azrael, Uriel, Gabriel and Raphael stared at the new Angel.

He looked like a very young, very banged-up Lucifer.

As soon as Michael’s feet touched the ground, he shoved the Angel away, holding him by the shoulders. “What the Hell were you thinking?!” He demanded, shaking the Angel a little.

The Angel looked up at him and the Host finally got a good look at him. Why were his eyes blue?

The Angel blinked up at him. “This is a bad idea?” He said, phrasing it into a question at the end.

Michael groaned as Raphael immediately came forward. “I thought I told you to stay off those wings!” She exclaimed.

The Angel was about to answer, when Azazel cleared his throat.

The Angel finally seemed to register where he was and he squeaked as he hid behind Michael.

Seeing someone with Lucifer’s face act so openly afraid was…jarring, to say the least.

“Nice entrance Sammy. ” Azrael smirked and the Angel came out from behind Michael, grinning at her.

“Sorry, was I interrupting something?” He asked.

“No, I think we were just done. Though I would like to know what you are doing flying around unsupervised with half-healed wings?!” Michael snapped at him, looking him over.

“Oh, right. I can’t find Lucifer.” He said.

Michael stilled. “What?” He asked.

The Angel nodded. “I’ve looked everywhere. In the Afterlives, in the Silver City, the infirmary, the woods. I can’t find him!” The Angel exclaimed.

Michael had gone extremely pale. His Twin had seemed so distraught when they’d left the infirmary. He’d seemed so certain that Michael would hate him.

“Why would Lucifer be missing?” Zadkiel asked.

“Well he was pretty damn certain that you would hate him when you found out that he Willed us to fight each other. Maybe that has something to do with it.” Uriel said sarcastically.

Zadkiel winced. Then he stepped forward. “Well then, let’s get to looking.” He said decisively. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that none of his actions during the Rebellion had been his own, but one thing he knew for sure was that Lucifer was not at fault.

He’d lost control of his domain. It had happened to all of them. They had simply been able to learn how to control themselves.

Samael had never had the chance.

The new Angel looked at him in shock, which quickly turned to wonder. “Yeah, I’ll keep looking!”

He made to run off, but Michael grabbed him by the collar. “Oh no you don’t.” He said sternly. “You’re not going anywhere.”

The Angel scowled. “But Mike, I can find him, I just have to look more. I’m the only other person who can feel him like you can.” The Angel said indignantly.

“I’m sorry, will somebody please explain what the fuck is going on here?!” Remiel demanded.

The new Angel looked at her with a guilty expression. “Hey Remmy.” He said softly.

Remiel blinked. She did not expect the Angel to know her name.

“I will explain what this is about.” Their Father spoke up. “Those of you already in the know, spread out. Find Lucifer.”

The Angels nodded.

“Light.” The Angel froze and turned to Him slowly.

“Keep off those wings.” He said, smiling.

The Angel, Light, blinked and smiled tentatively back at Him.

“Thanks Dad.” He said quickly.

Then he ran off, leaving a very confused Host behind.

Light ran through Heaven, trying to find his missing piece. He knew that Lucifer hadn’t gone to Hell. He hated it there almost as much as Light did.

He would find Lucifer. He was sure of it.

In his haste to find Lucifer, Light did not notice the soul that was watching him with narrowed eyes.

———————————————

Lucifer stared out at the wreckage before him. He hated this place.

This was where he came to relieve some of his Will. This place meant nothing but pain for him.

And yet, it was the only safe place he’d ever known. It was the only place where he could be himself, as cheesy as that sounded. It was the only place where he could let it all out. A place of pain as well as a place of relief.

He heard a twig snap behind him. Under any normal circumstances he would have pounced at whoever had stumbled upon him. Perhaps his Father really was right about that being instinctive.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to find me.” He said.

He did not look around as Light came to sit beside him.

“You heard my thoughts about this place.” Lucifer said. It wasn’t a question.

Light hummed in confirmation.

“This place is beautiful.” Light said. “Your thoughts made it seem more dreary.”

Lucifer scoffed. “Beautiful? This?” He gestured around at the shattered remains of the things he’d destroyed in his time here.

Light nodded. “Those are beautiful.” He said, pointing to the trees that lined the grove. “If you hadn’t cleared the other things, I might not have noticed them.”

“Don’t.” Lucifer said. “Don’t tell me that anything about this is a good thing. That’s the last thing I need right now.”

“Hm. They’re all looking for you, you know?” Light said.

“What did I just tell you?” Lucifer groaned.

Light grinned at him. “Sorry, I’m not good at doing what I’m told.” He said cheekily.

Lucifer chuckled, despite trying as hard as he could to keep it in.

The smile didn’t last long though, and it disappeared almost as suddenly as it had come.

Lucifer shook his head. “Why do you keep doing this?” He asked after a few moments’ silence.

“Doing what?” Light asked.

“Why do you keep trying to help me?” Lucifer asked. “Can’t you see it’s a lost cause?”

Light did not turn to him when he answered. “Because you need it. And I don’t think it’s a lost cause.” He said simply.

Lucifer turned to look at him fully then. “How can you say that?” He demanded. “After everything I’ve done, everything I’ve put you through, how can you still say that. I mean, look at you. Everything I’ve ever done has ended up hurting you. I’m the one who started the Rebellion, I’m the one who got us thrown into Hell, I’m the reason Samael went round the bend down there. Which is also why we left Remiel behind and probably the reason that our siblings hate us so much. Every choice I’ve ever made has led us into some kind of danger. And you always get off the worst.”

Light also turned to look at him. “Is that why you don’t want to merge together?” He asked.

Lucifer ran a hand through his hair, which had become more curled the longer Lucifer spent in Heaven. Probably because he didn’t want to stand out up here.

Everyone always asked which hair products Lucifer used, but the basic truth was that he didn’t need any. His hair just…stuck like that.

“Yes, it is.” Lucifer said.

“Why?” Light asked.

Lucifer closed his eyes. “Because you’re innocent. You’re innocent of everything that’s gone wrong in our lives. You were born of our siblings’ love and our parents’ affection. Me? I was born from bloodshed and carnage. I don’t deserve to have you back.” He whispered. “I can’t be fixed.” He said softly.

Light looked down at the ground and picked up a splinter of wood on the ground, weighing it in his hand. “You’re right.” He said and Lucifer looked up startled.

“You’re broken beyond repair. We both are.” Light said softly, looking down at the scars that littered his entire body.

“The thing with things that are broken beyond repair is that you can either throw them away.” He tossed the splinter over his shoulder and turned to Lucifer. “Or you can make something completely new.” He said smiling.

“I don’t want to be Samael again.” Light said. “Samael was always in pain. Always overlooked. They took him for granted. I don’t want to go back to that, I want to make something entirely new.” Light said.

“But I am not Will. I cannot undo the damage that the blade has done. That power lies with you alone.”

Lucifer looked down at his hands. “Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t know how to begin.” He said. “I still can’t control it.”

Light looked around and smiled. “Well, why don’t we start with something you’ve done before?”

He took Lucifer’s hand and held it out.

Lucifer tried to pull away. “Are you out of your mind?” He demanded.

Light shrugged. “Maybe.”

He refused to let go of Lucifer’s hand and the Devil sighed.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Lucifer said quietly.

“Will would never hurt the Light.” Light said.

“I used to think that about Michael. Look where that ended.” He answered.

“Michael is different.” Light said and Lucifer had to admit that he was right.

Samael and Michael were two sides of the same coin.

Lucifer and Light were two halves of one side of said coin. Will and Light complimented each other in a way that neither could ever hope to manage with Dark or Power.

They were even more connected to each other than they were to Michael.

When it came to Will and Light harming Dark and Power, it was more the fact that they simply shouldn’t be able to overpower each other.

When it came to Will or Light harming each other, it was simply the fact that neither would ever think to do so.

Now, Samael would never even dream of ever harming Michael, but they were not their domains. Their domains were simply a part of them and the dynamic between those domains was very different from the dynamic between the actual Angels.

The fact that Will had attacked Michael was proof of that.

But that did not erase the fear Lucifer felt at the idea of losing control with Light in such close proximity.

When Lucifer looked up at him, there was nothing but open trust in those clear blue eyes.

Lucifer felt himself relax in spite of himself.

“Alright.” He said softly. “What do you want me to do?”

Light smiled and squeezed his hand. Then he closed his eyes. Why not try what we would do with Light? He asked silently.

Alright. Lucifer thought back. I can’t remember how to do that either.

Light chuckled. He saw the thing he wanted to create in his mind’s eye. He pushed it to Lucifer, who jerked slightly in surprise.

I don’t think anyone else would like this. Lucifer thought to Light.

Who cares? Light answered.

Lucifer grinned. I suppose it would be kind of nice. Use something old and make it new.

They both stood there, back to back, in the middle of the grove and, for the first time since the beginning of the Universe, the Light of Creation erupted from the Core of the Demiurge.

———————————————

Michael was getting frantic. Lucifer had been missing for hours and now Light was nowhere to be found either.

Amenadiel was pacing up and down, trying to think of someplace they hadn’t looked yet.

Then it happened. The Morning Star flared up, burning brighter than it had in eons.

The sudden burst of light lit up the entire sky with every colour in the spectrum. It was like watching the Aurora Borealis, only a thousand times more beautiful.

Every single head turned toward the spectacle.

Michael, however, was too shocked to really take it in. Because for the first time in thousands upon thousands of years, he felt a presence he never thought he’d feel again.

He jumped up. Amenadiel turned to him in surprise, but Michael had already taken off, away from his siblings.

When he landed, the first thing he noticed was the enormous tree that took up the majority of the grove he now found himself in.

The tree was unlike anything he’d ever seen.

Its thick trunk twisted around a large rock, and its branches spread out in a wide arc.

The strangest thing about it, however was that the tree seemed to be made of several different types of trees. The wood had different colours and textured in random places. The leaves were all kinds of different shades of green, as well as several different shapes and sizes.

And the flowers that bloomed on the branches were blood red, though their petals shimmered in the light.

Then he saw the Angel standing right in front of the tree, looking up at it.

His first instinct was to call him Samael, but that didn’t feel right. He knew Samael was dead. He’d known it the moment he saw Light in that cave. Calling him that now felt disrespectful.

Though Michael wasn’t sure whether to call him Lucifer either.

“Lucifer is fine, for now.” The Angel said. He turned around to Michael, smiling.

His face was like Lucifer’s. There were no burns and both his eyes were whole and their usual deep brown.

But Michael could feel the difference. He could feel his Twin.

Michael took a step forward. “How-?” He asked softly.

Lucifer’s smile turned sad. “We decided to put the past to rest.” He said.

He gestured to the tree and Michael noticed, for the first time, that there was something engraved in the rock.

Here lies Samael

The Archangel of Light and Will

The World’s First Troublemaker

“Where there’s a Will, there’s a

Way.”

Michael stared at the engraving, tears running down his face.

Lucifer came up to him and put his arms around his Twin.

Michael leaned his head against Lucifer’s shoulder. Neither spoke for a while.

“Do-do you mind if I add something?” Michael asked hesitantly.

“Go ahead.” Lucifer said.

Michael knelt down next to the stone and tapped his finger against the rock.

Instantly, cracks started spreading across the smooth surface until they made a picture.

It was a single feather, nothing too complex, but with enough detail to easily make out what it was.

The only problem was that it was black and Michael didn’t know how to make it white.

Lucifer came up beside him and tapped the feather. Bright white spread from Lucifer’s finger until half of the feather was outlined by white and the other was outlined by black.

Michael smiled.

He turned to Lucifer. “Did-did you actually…bury something under there?” He asked.

Lucifer smiled. “Yes, I did actually.”

“Oh.” Michael said. “What did you bury?”

“Our blade.” Lucifer said. “The one that Samael made to fight demons.”

Michael frowned. “That was a powerful weapon.” He said. “It could have come in useful.”

Lucifer shook his head. “It’s dangerous. It’s controlled by force of Will and I-I can’t, I won’t-“ Lucifer took a deep breath.

Michael put a hand on his shoulder.

“I cannot risk having that near me. Not with how unbalanced my Will is right now and especially after what happened with Uriel.” Lucifer said. “If I can get my Will under control and drop the habit of killing first and thinking later then maybe I’ll make another one, but this one will stay exactly where it is.”

Michael nodded.

“And right now, I don’t know if I can trust myself with a simple celestial weapon.” He continued.

He turned suddenly to Michael. “You really don’t…hate me?” He asked hesitantly.

Michael put one arm around his shoulders. “I told you, I could never hate you.”

Lucifer relaxed slightly at that.

Suddenly there was a rustle behind them as something approached them.

Lucifer instantly whipped around and put his hand on his waist only to blink when he remembered that he didn’t have his knife on him anymore.

They turned to where the sound had come from.

There was nothing there, but Lucifer could feel somebody standing in the trees, just out of sight.

“Who’s there?” Michael demanded. “Show yourself.”

Very suddenly, something jumped out at them. There was a flash of gold and Lucifer had the strange sensation of time slowing down as he recognised the face of the soul who was dumb enough to attack two Archangels.

He also realised that he was aiming straight for Michael.

Lucifer acted without thinking. He pushed his Will into the soul and watched as he stiffened and stood stock still, his expression blank, his irises tinted red.

(In the back of his mind, the Devil vaguely recognised him as the man who’d performed Samael’s first exorcism.)

Lucifer immediately tried to pull back. To trap the Will back inside him. He didn’t want to do this, he didn’t mean to. Why wasn’t it working?

He backed up and clutched his head as he started burning from the inside out.

Nonononono. Not here, not now. Not with Michael so close by.

Michael looked at the soul, confused. Then he turned to Lucifer and realisation came over his face.

Leave. Lucifer told him desperately.

Michael looked all around him with desperation for something, anything that might help his Twin. His eyes fell on a beam of light that shone through the foliage of the trees.

Do you see that beam of light? Michael asked, pointing to it.

Lucifer followed his gaze. Yes. He answered, sounding confused.

Make it move. Michael told him.

How?! Lucifer asked desperately.

Think about what you want it to do. Michael answered.

Lucifer closed his eyes and attempted to control the Light with his Will. He felt Light pull back within him, allowing more room for Will.

It worked to an extent. The light moved and the burn lessened, but it didn’t go away.

It’s not enough. Lucifer thought desperately.

He remembered what he used to do in Hell, when his Will overpowered him. It had been easier to let go without the fear of hurting his siblings constantly weighing on him. He’d realised that half the problem was that, whenever he was on the brink of an outburst, he’d hold it in for as long as he could, turning his body into a kind of sealed container. Like a glass bottle with its lid screwed tight, and pressure rising inside it. He’d learned to let it out before it outgrew him.

But whenever he’d let his Will out in Hell, it had been explosive and destructive. Far more destructive than it had ever been up here.

The burning was getting worse again.

He looked back up at Michael, who was watching him with a worried expression.

Then he screwed his eyes shut and, with one last, desperate plea that Michael would be fine, he let go.

And Lucifer burned. He could feel it as flames erupted all around him, engulfing his entire world in a blazing inferno.

Somewhere, deep inside him, he knew Light was directing the fire, making sure it steered clear of their clearing.

Lucifer wasn’t sure how long it lasted, but eventually the burning inside him subsided and he sank to his knees, panting.

Lucifer opened his eyes and looked around. Everything around them was burning. White-hot, bright red flames surrounded them like an island in the middle of a sea.

He tensed when he felt a pair of arms come around him, just as his vision was obscured by pitch black feathers. Only then did Lucifer realise that he felt unusually hot.

He looked down at himself and saw that he, too, was burning. Small flames clung to his form, flickering in the wind. Lucifer watched as Michael smothered them with his Darkness, simultaneously cooling the Lightbringer’s feverish skin.

The Fallen Angel sighed and leaned his head back, so it rested against his Twin’s shoulder.

When Lucifer made to stand up, Michael retracted his wings and helped him up.

The world was still burning around them and Lucifer didn’t know how to make it stop. For some inexplicable reason, this had the Devil choking back tears.

He was the fucking King of Hell, he’d created the stars, he’d helped form the Earth and yet he couldn’t even put out a fucking fire!

What kind of useless excuse for an Angel couldn’t even handle their own Domain? Everyone else managed just fine. Why was he the only person who had no idea what to do? It was bloody embarrassing!

Michael put an arm around him and it took Lucifer a second to realise that he’d accidentally ripped their bond wide open. His Twin had heard every word of what he’d just thought.

Lucifer made a choking sound, before his legs folded under him and he fell to his knees again as a strangled sob escaped him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried as much as he had in the last few days.

He couldn’t take it anymore. He’d given up on the idea of controlling his Will a long time ago. He’d tried to learn in Hell, he’d tried everything he could think of and nothing had worked. Somewhere along the way, he’d wondered if it was even possible to control it. His siblings’ Domains were fixed. Sure, they matured along with the Angels who commanded them, their potential increased as his siblings grew older, but they didn’t grow.

His Will, however, did. It grew, and grew, and grew, without fail. It grew faster than Lucifer could use it up. Even now he could feel it replenishing itself, growing inside him. It was tiny at the moment, but it wouldn’t be long before he had to let it out again. Heightened emotions were like an instant trigger in that regard.

The fact of the matter was that Will fed on him, his feelings, his strength, his desires. It consumed them like a black hole sucked in everything around it.

So far, the only thing that seemed to work to nullify its growth was using it on living things, and he couldn’t even begin to describe how much he hated that.

“Perhaps you could speak to Father about this.” Michael’s voice cut through his thoughts like the sword he carried.

“About what?” Lucifer asked.

“How to control your Will.” His Twin answered. “I’m sure He’ll know what to do.”

Lucifer looked thoughtful. Then he turned to look at Michael. “How did you learn?” He asked hesitantly.

Michael looked startled at the question. “I had to figure out how my Domains worked before I had any hope of controlling them. We all did. If we didn’t understand the mechanics of our Domains, using them would be like… like fighting without a strategy.”

Lucifer snorted. Leave it to Michael to draw that kind of comparison.

Michael glanced at him. “Are you sure I haven’t told you about this before?” He asked, frowning lightly.

Lucifer’s expression became sheepish and he rubbed the back of his neck. “You tried, but I kept changing the subject.” He admitted. “I just really didn’t want to hear about it.”

“Didn’t Mother and Father ever talk to you about it?” Michael asked.

“Not all of us had trouble learning how to control our Domains, so I think They just expected us to come to Them if we needed help.” Lucifer said with a shrug.

“And why didn’t you go to Them?” His Twin asked.

Lucifer looked down at his hands. “I thought They knew.” He said quietly. “I mean, our Domains came from Them. Surely They’d know the consequences of cutting me off from my Will.”

His expression hardened suddenly and he balled his fists. “I did go eventually.” He said.

Michael remembered what Father had told the Host earlier. “You went to Mother.” He said sadly.

Lucifer said nothing and Michael pulled him into a hug. “You’ve never spoken to anyone about this, have you?” He asked softly.

Lucifer shook his head. How could he, when the only person he’d ever trusted enough to tell had let him burn? He might have told Chloe, once upon a time. Shows what he knows.

He’d never even told Maze. She was the one person who knew every aspect of him. She’d met the deranged, violent and bloodthirsty monster he’d become during his solitude. She’d turned him back into the Angel he’d been right after he Fell and she’d been the first to know him as Lucifer. She’d even glimpsed the person he was before the Fall, she was the only person he’d ever felt safe enough with to let the gentler side of him show. He’d told her more about his issues with his Domains than he’d told anyone, aside from his Mother, but he’d never told her the specifics. Just that he had trouble controlling his powers.

He hadn’t trusted her though, he’d never trusted her. His trust had been broken beyond repair.

If he couldn’t trust his own Mother to stand by him, then who could he trust?

“Talk to me, Sammy.” Michael pleaded softly and Lucifer glanced at him. He looked so worried and Lucifer couldn’t, for the life of him figure out why. He didn’t deserve this.

The Devil looked back down at his hands. “She said that my power over Will came from Dad and that She’d ask Him to help me, but He never came. Nothing changed. I waited and waited for something to change, for things to get better, and it never did. I allowed myself to hope and realising that it was pointless was like a slap in the face. I went to Mum, whenever things became…too much. She’d let me rant and rave about whatever was bothering me and She was so sympathetic, so fucking patient. She’d talk me through panic attacks and help me nullify the after-effects of my outbursts, like She wasn’t the one person who could have stopped it all!” Lucifer looked up at his Twin. “You know, I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be able to tell someone everything.“ He whispered and Michael leaned forward to wrap his arms around him.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and that was the only sign he got.

Lucifer looked sideways and caught a flash of gold. The exorcist priest had shaken off Lucifer’s influence on his body and attacked them. In one swift movement, the Devil twisted around until he was standing in front of him and hit him on the side of the head with just enough strength to not break his neck.

Then he stumbled back and fell to the ground, trembling. Looking down, Lucifer saw the hilt of the celestial blade sticking out of his shoulder.

Michael didn’t spare the now-unconscious mortal a single glance. He knelt down beside his Twin, whose eyes were wide and glazed over. He could feel the fear rolling off him in waves as broken impressions of rattling chains, the sound of metal meeting flesh, the smell of blood, and pain invaded his mind.

“Lucifer?” He said quietly. His Twin didn’t react, just continued to stare into space.

Michael sighed. Samael. He thought.

Lucifer’s eyes snapped to his and something in his face cleared. He shook his head roughly and then stared back at Michael, who realised almost instantly that he was fighting the urge to look down at the knife in his shoulder.

I’m going to pull it out, alright? He asked and Lucifer nodded jerkily.

With that, Michael grabbed the hilt of the knife and pulled it out. He set the blade down next to him and plucked one of his feathers, before applying it to the now freely bleeding wound.

“Are you okay?” Michael asked concerned.

Lucifer blinked. “I-I think so.” He muttered, though he sounded dazed. He stood up shakily and Michael reached out to steady him.

Together, they made their way to the downed soul and Lucifer stared down at the man who’d tried to kill his Twin. Because he knew that Michael had been the intended target. If he hadn’t intercepted the blade, it would have gone straight into Michael’s skull.

A part of him was telling him to run as fast and as far away as possible. Lucifer might have been mistaken, but he thought that part sounded like Light.

Michael came up to stand beside him and looked down at the man’s face, finally recognising it, if the sheer rage on his face was anything to go by.

Lucifer glanced at Michael and sighed wearily. “You can’t kill him. He’s already dead.” He said.

Michael shrugged. “I can ask Azrael to borrow her blade. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I explained myself to her.” He said.

“Or we can dump him in the cells and tell Dad that he tried to attack an Archangel.” Lucifer said, before blinking. He’d…never thought those words would ever leave his mouth. Where had that come from?

Michael stared at him in shock, before his expression changed to something more stunned.

“What?” Lucifer asked.

“Your eyes are blue.” Michael answered.

Lucifer blinked. “Right, that’s the- that’s the thing about a split soul. Once it’s split, even if the two pieces reintegrate into the same body, they’ll never truly merge.” He said.

Well, we might have, if we’d tried harder, but we decided we didn’t want to be a single soul. I like being the way I am. Light spoke in both their minds.

Michael blinked. “So it’s like a split personality?” He asked interestedly. “That actually makes sense.” He said.

Lucifer frowned. “So, should we take him to Dad?” He asked.

Michael looked down at the mortal soul and grinned sadistically. “Let’s.” He said.

Michael let the Shadows engulf the soul and smirked. The Dark did not take well to those who attacked the Light. The man’s rest would not be peaceful and if he woke up with an irrational fear of the Dark, who was he to judge?

They made their way back to the Silver City, and Lucifer hesitated. They all knew now. They knew what he’d done. Just because Michael didn’t hate him didn’t mean that they didn’t.

He was considering just turning around and going the other way, when Gabriel came flying toward them.

She came up to them, looking angry.

Lucifer tensed.

“Where have you-“ Her angry rant was cut short when she felt an achingly familiar presence wash over her.

She gaped at Lucifer in disbelief. “You-you’re-wh-how?”

Lucifer couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction.

Gabriel snapped out of it at that. “Seriously, how?” She demanded.

Lucifer smiled, glad that she didn’t seem mad anymore.

“Why don’t we go meet the others and explain everything then?” Michael asked.

Gabriel nodded reluctantly.

Together they made their way into the Silver City.

Lucifer hadn’t actually been there yet, not since the Fall anyway, he’d been too afraid to run into his siblings.

Gabriel must have told their Father that he’d been found, because by the time they reached their destination, the entire Host was already present.

Lucifer froze when he saw them all. He hadn’t seen them all together since the Rebellion.

Azrael was the first to notice the Twins and her sister.

She felt her brother’s divinity and her face split into a wide grin.

She ran up to him and tackled him in a hug and Lucifer couldn’t take it anymore. He wrapped his arms around her and broke down crying. Again.

He didn’t care that all of his siblings were watching, all he cared about was that his sweet little sister didn’t hate him.

He felt another pair of arms wrap around him, but didn’t look up to see who it was, even when a second pair joined the hug, and then a third.

In the end, the entire Host found itself huddled together, with Azrael and the First Twins in the middle.

God took in the scene before Him, all thirty of His Angels hugging each other and smiled softly.

Chapter Text

Lucifer and Michael were currently in their Father’s quarters.

He’d asked to meet with them after they’d explained the situation with Samael to the Host.

Most of Lucifer’s siblings were currently wandering around Heaven aimlessly, trying to come to terms with what they’d been told.

The Twins turned as one when the door opened and their Father stepped in. He smiled at them both.

“What did you need to discuss with us?” Michael asked.

“I wanted to discuss something to do with the unworthy soul currently residing in Heaven.” Their Father told them and the Twins glanced at each other.

“What about him?” Lucifer asked wearily.

“I want to be sure that there aren’t more.” He answered.

Lucifer blinked in surprise. He wanted to say it was about damn time, but, just this once, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

Although, judging by the amused upward twitch of his Father’s lips, the Deity had heard him regardless.

“How do you suggest we do that?” Lucifer asked. This was something he’d wanted to do for thousands of years.

“I think the best way to start would be to reevaluate the souls.” His Father answered.

Lucifer blinked again. “All of them?” He asked.

“Yes.” His Father answered. “I cannot think of another way that we could discern who deserves to be here and who doesn’t.”

“And what about the souls that don’t belong in Hell?” Lucifer asked quietly, almost hopefully.

God smiled. “We can reevaluate those as well. I think it’s high time we change the system.”

Lucifer smiled. That was good. Then he frowned. “How will we evaluate the souls in Hell?” He asked. “I can’t go back there, not now that Light is once again a part of me.” He said.

His Father nodded. “We can bring the souls up from Hell one by one. If they deserve to go to Hell, we will send them back. If not, they will stay here in the Silver City until we can set up an afterlife for them.”

“Won’t our siblings protest?” Lucifer asked. “I got the impression that they didn’t think very highly of humanity as a whole. Wouldn’t allowing damned souls into the Silver City cause problems?”

“Our siblings’ aversion is mostly due to the fact that there are so many damned souls.” Michael said. “The majority of us merely cannot stand the taint on their souls. It is why we have no trouble communicating with the blessed souls that reside in Heaven.”

Lucifer nodded. That made sense, he supposed.

“Another thing I wanted to speak to you about is that the exorcist’s soul has gone missing. I wanted-“ His next words died on His lips as both of His Sons gained identically innocent expressions that simply didn’t suit either of them.

God looked from one to the other. “What happened?” He asked

Lucifer’s face darkened and both his eyes burned red. “He came at Michael with a celestial blade.” The Devil growled. “No doubt he mistook him for me.”

Michael frowned at the half-truth and Lucifer knew that his Twin was telling their Father the rest of the story in his head.

“Where is he now?” Their Father demanded furiously.

Michael smirked and snapped his fingers. The man appeared from the shadows, whimpering.

Lucifer looked over his unconscious form. “Oh dear, if he’s still unconscious perhaps I hit him too hard.” He said casually.

Michael chuckled darkly.

God stared down at the soul’s prone form with contempt. “We will begin with him.” He said.

He turned to Lucifer, who looked suddenly scared. He put a hand on His Son’s shoulder. “You don’t have to be present if you don’t want to.” He said gently.

Reevaluating a soul often required a viewing of their memories and God knew that that would include watching what had happened to Samael. He also knew that Lucifer was aware of this.

The Devil took a deep breath and shook his head. “I want to be there.” He said. “I need to know that he gets what’s coming to him.” It was the only way he’d be able to sleep at night while he was here.

What’s wrong? Michael asked.

I was afraid. Lucifer said. I could have stopped him, but I was too scared to try. Their magic would never have been able to hold me if I hadn’t let them.

Michael went to put an arm around him. No one will think any less of you. He assured his Twin. How old were you?

Still seventeen I think, mentally at least. I’m fairly sure that by then I’d been in Hell for a few millennia. I didn’t really have anything to judge time by. Lucifer answered.

God’s eyes widened. It started that early? He asked alarmed.

Lucifer sighed. Back then most of my visits ended in exorcisms. Only when humanity started progressing and I outlawed possession did the exorcisms become less frequent. I also leaked false information to the humans, so exorcisms became more of a joke than anything else. This is honestly the first exorcism I’ve experienced in eight visits. He said.

His Father closed his eyes. Clearly He hadn’t been paying nearly enough attention to His Son.

That would end today.

“Very well.” He said. “Shall we begin today or wait until tomorrow?”

Lucifer finally seemed to relax at being able to choose for himself.

“Today. I want to get this done as soon as possible.” He said.

God nodded. Then he frowned. “While we’re on the topic, I still need to think about when we should deal with the priests who started all of this.”

Lucifer thought for a moment. “Maybe we should wait until after we’ve Reevaluated all the souls. It’s going to take some time to set up Hellloops for any unworthy souls that might have made it to Heaven. We could send them to the cells and then set up their punishments alongside the priests’. The same goes for the souls that don’t belong in Hell. We should probably try to find some temporary residence for them in the Silver City.” He said.

God nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll ask some of your siblings to set up a place for the souls to stay until we can activate their afterlives.” He decided. He looked back at His Sons. “Why don’t you two head off to the courtroom while I call your siblings together?”

The Twins nodded and left the room, leaving the exorcist’s soul in their Father’s office.

They walked to the courtroom in silence. It was located in the centre of the Silver City, perfectly accessible for the entire Host, whether they decided to walk or fly there.

Its existence was mainly a precaution in case it became necessary.

It hadn’t been used in all the time that Lucifer had lived in Heaven, or after, he didn’t think. Not even when he Fell.

The Devil had a feeling that was about to change.

Are you sure you want to be present for this? Michael asked. I can tell how much he scares you. The fear you feel at the mere sight of him is great.

I need to be sure that he gets what he deserves. Lucifer said, closing his eyes for a moment.

I don’t understand why he scares me so much. Lucifer admitted. I know he can’t hurt me anymore. Yet every time I see him I feel like any second I’ll be back under his knife.

Fear isn’t always rational. Michael told him. Many mortals fear things without any apparent reason. Your fear is not without reason. You were young, unused to humanity’s treatment of you and you were hurt in one of the worst ways imaginable. You have every right to be afraid of him. I only wish you didn’t need to be. I wish I had been there to stop it. His Twin said.

You couldn’t have known. Lucifer said softly.

I should have. I should have known that you needed me. Michael answered, cursing himself for not being there.

Lucifer put a hand on his shoulder as they reached the courthouse.

They entered and went to stand on the opposite end of the room, where the judge’s stand would normally be. Instead of a judge’s stand, however, there was a raised platform that arched around in a crescent shape.

There were no seats.

Judgement never took too long in Heaven. Lucifer knew this even though there had never been a court meeting in Heaven before.

The Twins took their places almost at the centre of the platform, the furthest from the door. They left a place free between them.

In a quick summary, this was how Judgement worked:

Lucifer and Michael would stand on either side of Raguel. Judgement and Punishment on either side of Justice. Raguel was in charge of leading the court proceedings, as he had the ability to see and process a soul’s entire life in a matter of seconds. He would ensure that a person always received a fair trial. Michael would pass the verdict of whether the person in question was innocent or guilty and Lucifer would sentence the guilty to a punishment that fit the crime.

The rest of their siblings were there as witnesses and their Father stood behind Lucifer, Michael and Raguel. He was there simply to observe the proceedings.

As one, both Twins unfurled their wings.

“Uhh…Mi-Michael…” Lucifer said uncertainly, his voice hitching slightly on the first syllable of his Twin’s name.

Michael turned to him and his wings dipped in shock as he stared at Lucifer’s pure white wings.

Because, they weren’t pure white any longer.

There were glowing red strands woven into every feather, giving them a slightly reddish hue and mingling with the bright white light that surrounded them.

Lucifer stared at his wings in awe. “They look like my devil eyes.” He breathed.

Michael reached out slightly and ran his hands over the feathers, they felt as they always did except for the heat that radiated from the red strands. “Hellfire.” He muttered.

Lucifer blinked. “Makes sense, I suppose. Hellfire or Fire in general is a combination of both my Dominions.”

Michael frowned. “I thought Fire is Light.”

“How much Light do you know of that’s red?” Lucifer asked. “Red is the colour of Will. I created Hellfire because it was the only form of Light that I could call upon in Hell. Haven’t you ever wondered why Fire is the only form of Light that spreads once it has been lit? It cannot be contained easily and the longer it burns, the bigger it gets, the hotter it becomes, the farther it spreads. It’s a perfect representation of Will if you ask me.” He finished bitterly. “It is the only form in which I have complete control over Will, but it’s destructive and frankly extremely dangerous, as you saw earlier.” The Devil finished.

“Is that how it feels before you have an outburst?” Michael asked carefully. “Like fire?”

Lucifer looked down at his hands. “It feels like I’m being burned from the inside out.” He said quietly, shuddering at all the memories he had of burning, both from the outside in and from the inside out. He really couldn’t figure out which was more painful.

Michael put his arms around him in comfort.

Lucifer leaned into his Twin’s touch and breathed out in relief as Dark and Power came around him, soothing the aches of his still healing injuries.

They stayed that way for a little while longer until the first of their siblings arrived.

“Holy shit!” The outburst had both Twins looking around.

Azrael was standing in the entrance of the courthouse and staring at the Twins. More specifically, at Lucifer’s new wings.

She came up to them and looked the wings over. “They’re so cool!” She exclaimed excitedly.

She looked giddy and was bouncing on her heels. Lucifer rolled his eyes, realising what she wanted.

He wrapped one of his wings around her and pulled her closer. Azrael started happily playing with his feathers. Being the youngest of the Angels, she’d never matured quite as much as the rest of her siblings. She still enjoyed the childish things in life.

Lucifer could honestly say he was similar, though for very different reasons.

Linda had once told him that she thought he acted like a teenager at times. Apparently, his emotions were more on par with those of an adolescent.

Well, Hell wasn’t really big on emotional growth, so he supposed that wasn’t all that far fetched.

One by one, the rest of his siblings trickled in. Each and every one of them had something or other to say about his wings.

Once their Father had arrived, they took their positions and waited for it to begin.

“Before we start,” Azrael said, once she’d taken her own position not far from the Twins. “I was wondering what we’re supposed to call you now.” She said to Lucifer. “I mean, do you want to go by Lucifer or Samael or a different name entirely?” She asked.

Lucifer thought it over. “I don’t know. I still feel like Lucifer, but I also feel more like Samael than I have in eons.” He said slowly.

“Well then why not go by both?” Seraquiel suggested, leaning forward to look at him. “Don’t mortals have this thing where they have two primary names? What do you call them?”

“Middle names?” Lucifer asked.

Seraquiel nodded.

“Archangel and Devil alike.” Michael said smiling.

Lucifer smiled slightly. “I like that.” He said quietly.

“But which name do we call you then?” Amenadiel asked.

Lucifer shrugged. “Whichever you desire.” He said.

He hesitated. “Just…don’t expect me to be Samael.” He added.

His siblings nodded.

“Why are we here, anyway?” Cassiel asked.

Lucifer looked at his Father startled. “You didn’t tell them?” He asked.

The Deity shook His head. “I would prefer it if the mortal survived until the end of this meeting.” He said dryly.

“It has come to My attention that there is an unworthy soul in Heaven.” He continued and His Children all looked to Him in shock.

“We will be reevaluating all the souls in Heaven to ensure that there aren’t more.” He said. “We will also be reevaluating all the souls in Hell.”

Lucifer spoke up then. “Just to be clear, there are souls in Hell who have done revolting things, so I don’t think anyone should be forced to watch their memories if they don’t want to.” He looked to his Father who nodded, looking serious.

“Those of you who do not wish to see what the souls in Hell have done, may leave when the time comes.” The Deity said.

“We will start with the soul of which I am already aware that he is unworthy.” God turned to Lucifer, whose hands were shaking ever so slightly. “Michael, if you wouldn’t mind switching places.” He said and Michael immediately lit up.

The Sword of God came to stand between Lucifer and Raguel, staying slightly behind them so his wings had room. Lucifer relaxed almost immediately at his Twin’s presence.

Several Angels exchanged concerned looks.

Then God snapped His fingers and a mortal soul appeared in the centre of the half circle of Angels, looking around in confusion.

Michael and Uriel growled at the man. Michael put a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder when he felt him start to shake, his white wings twitching in agitation despite his best efforts to keep them still.

God looked down at the mortal of whom His Morningstar was so afraid.

“Do you know where you are, mortal?” Raguel asked.

The man, looking stunned at being in the presence of so many Angels, shook his head.

“You are here for a Reevaluation. We have come to find that there is an unworthy soul in Heaven. We are evaluating everyone to ensure there aren’t more.” Raguel said neutrally. He wasn’t sure what this mortal had done to be deemed unworthy by his Father, but it would be fastest not to let the soul know he was the soul in question. Raguel knew that mortals tended to fight when confronted with their own misdeeds.

Lucifer’s anxiety and Michael’s rage, however, painted a picture that Raguel did not like.

“State your name.” Raguel said.

“Phillip.” The soul said nervously. “Father Phillip.”

A priest then. Interesting.

“How long have you been in Heaven for?” Raguel asked.

“I-I’m not sure. I think it’s been a couple million years.” He said nervously.

Several of Raguel’s siblings shifted their wings, surprise rippling through the bonds of the Host.

Raguel noticed Lucifer ease up beside him and had to hide a wince. He could hardly imagine being separated from the Host for as long as Lucifer had been. Feeling the Host Bonds now, after they’d been severed for so long had to be like coming up for air.

He didn’t think he’d ever forgive himself for that. Raguel knew that, logically, it had been their Father’s decision to banish Samael, but it was Raguel’s job to ensure that everyone received a fair punishment.

Lucifer’s had been anything but.

It honestly made him doubt his position as the Angel of Justice. How could he expect to Judge the humans fairly if he’d failed his own brother?

He focused back on the mortal soul. “Have you ever undertaken any…wicked activities?” Raguel asked.

“No.” The soul said.

Beside him Lucifer tensed. Raguel glanced at him questioningly.

“No lie.” Lucifer said, and Raguel was concerned to note that his younger brother sounded close to tears.

Michael surged forward, but Lucifer spread his wings, keeping him away from the soul.

“Michael.” Raguel said. “Control yourself.”

Michael growled, and Lucifer must have said something else to him, because he stepped back.

He wrapped a wing around Lucifer protectively.

The next course of action was to watch the soul’s memories. Angels typically had heightened senses, which meant that they could watch the memories a hundred thousand times faster than the actual speed and still comfortably see what was happening. The viewing should not take more than two minutes.

They watched most of the mortal’s life without incident. He was a pretty standard priest. He didn’t have much to be guilty about.

Until they were about halfway through the mortal’s lifespan.

The new memory started in a church basement and Lucifer flinched. That was the first sign Raguel got that something was about to go very wrong.

The second was when their Father raised His hand and Lucifer vanished. Father didn’t explain Himself, though Raguel caught the grateful look that Michael sent His way.

The Angel of Justice turned back to the mortal priest’s memories, his heart sinking slightly.

There were several more people standing in a circle, aside from the mortal currently lying unconscious in the middle of the courtroom, and in between them was…something. It looked pretty big, but Raguel couldn’t say what it was, because it was covered by a sheet.

Phillip stepped forward and pulled the sheet off of whatever was underneath.

Raguel jerked back when a pair of pure white wings came into view.

They were nothing like he’d ever seen them before. They were matted, damaged, and the feathers stuck out at odd angles. The feathers looked more grey than white and the Light that usually emanated from them was faded.

The boy to whom the wings were attached looked even worse. His hair was matted and filthy. Most of his skin was sickly pale, except for the burns that covered his entire body in patches.

He looked emaciated, his skin clung tightly to his bones. Even while they were closed, his eyes looked sunken and there were dark shadows underneath them that indicated severe sleep deprivation.

He had various other injuries as well, most of which looked infected.

Raguel heard a pained noise somewhere to his left and knew that it was Raphael.

Raguel wasn’t feeling much better himself.

He looked young, younger than Light. As a matter of fact, he didn’t look much older than when he’d first Fallen.

This wasn’t Lucifer, this was still Samael.

Raguel saw that there were shackles around his brother’s wrists and ankles. The wings on his back were bound by chains at the joints so they were forcefully folded together in what had to be the most painful way possible. It was too reminiscent of the exorcism that had left Lucifer teetering on the edge of permanent destruction. Raguel didn’t like it.

One of the priests stepped back at the sight of him. “What is this?” He asked in shock.

He was young, in his early to mid-twenties maybe.

“What does it look like?” Phillip asked. “It’s the Devil.”

“He’s a child.” The other priest said, getting angry.

“That is a diversion. Satan is attempting to gain our sympathy by taking a young form.” Phillip said annoyed.

Just then, there was a groan and Phillip turned back to Samael. The Fallen Angel had woken up.

His eyes were bloodshot and Raguel saw no trace of the laughter he was so used to hearing from him once upon a time. They were dull, weary and tired.

He looked around in confusion. He still looked so damn innocent. Nothing like he was now.

He tried to get up, only for the chains to keep him down. He tugged and pulled and struggled to break the chains, but nothing happened. He was stuck.

He looked around again and this time he seemed to notice that he wasn’t alone in the room.

“You’re not demons.” He said. “Who are you?”

“It is attempting to cast a spell on us!” One of the priests yelled.

Raguel almost growled at hearing these people refer to his little brother in such a way.

Though he couldn’t really blame them for thinking that Samael was placing a spell on them. He wasn’t speaking any language known to man.

He was speaking Enochian, the Angels’ Mother Tongue.

“What are you saying?” Samael asked, still sounding so confused. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

Raguel could hear the beginnings of panic in his voice.

“Let us begin.” Phillip said, pulling out a knife with a golden blade. A celestial weapon.

Michael growled and suddenly, Raguel understood.

This was an exorcism. One of the first, by the looks of it.

“No!” The young priest yelled. “I will not aid you in killing a child!”

Phillip sighed. “Very well then.” He said coolly. He gestured to the other priests.

They nodded and three of them stepped forward.

Two grabbed the younger man by the arms, while the last pulled out his own knife and rammed it into the young priest’s stomach.

The Angels watched as the young man crumbled to the ground, clutching his midsection. It didn’t take long before he gave one last twitch, and went still.

Phillip turned back to Samael. “Now look what you made me do.”

Samael stared at the man’s corpse with wide, terrified eyes. “Why did you do that?” He asked, horrified. “He didn’t do anything!”

“Oh Sammy.” Seraquiel whispered.

Seeing her older brother, who looked so much younger than all of them, look so scared was heartbreaking.

When one of the priests started towards Samael, knife raised, Azrael blurted out “I don’t want to watch this!” There were tears already running down her face and she was hyperventilating.

God raised His hand and next second, she was gone.

The other Angels turned back to the memory. They had to watch it all. They needed to know the extent of the damage, lest the punishment be too light.

That did not make it any less difficult to stand there and watch as these mortals mutilated their brother, it did not stop them from flinching at the sound of metal cutting into his skin, it did not make Samael’s screams any less haunting.

It did not ease the bile that clawed its way up their throats when Samael started screaming his siblings’ names, begging them to come and help him.

It lasted for hours, the priests hacking away at Samael while the Lightbringer screamed in pain. Raguel couldn’t figure out how he and his siblings hadn’t found out about this. Churches were holy ground and no holy ground should ever be tainted by angelic blood.

He would definitely have to speak to his Father about this, and possibly even take a look around this church, if it was still standing. He almost shuddered at the thought.

With that plan in mind, Raguel turned his attention back to the memories, just as the door of the church basement burst open.

The priests whipped around to find a demon standing in the doorway. Half her face was rotted but the other half looked surprisingly human.

She looked no older than twelve.

She took one look at Samael’s bleeding body and her face contorted with a rage very similar to what Raguel was feeling now.

It was a rage one could only feel in the face of an injured sibling.

She screamed with fury and ran at the priest closest to her.

She fought- she fought like a celestial, Raguel realised.

The way she cut down the priests, one after another was very reminiscent to how Samael used to fight.

Only once all the others were dead, did the demon make her way towards Phillip, twirling her curved blades.

She made a series of growling noises, but didn’t attack. She waited a few moments, then growled again.

“What are you doing?” Phillip asked quietly, confused.

The demon girl blinked. She looked from him to Samael and then back again.

Then she lunged at the mortal.

And still she didn’t kill him. Instead she pulled the knife out of his hand and dragged him over to where Samael lay, barely stirring.

She pushed the priest to his knees and grabbed one of Samael’s arms and, far more gently than Raguel would ever have thought possible of a demon, she pulled it to herself. She pointed to the shackle on the Angel’s wrist.

No, Raguel realised with shock, not the shackle. She was pointing to the keyhole.

She growled again.

“You…want to know where the key is?” The priest asked, finally catching on.

The demon narrowed her eyes and cocked her head.

“I’ll never tell you.” The priest said, shaking his head.

The demon growled again and pointed back to the keyhole, more aggressively now.

The priest shook his head again and the demon snarled before her face split into a wicked grin.

She twirled one of her knives and the priest backed up in fear.

Then the demon pounced and the projection went black.

Nobody said a word.

Then, almost as one, they turned to the soul before them.

No lie. Raguel remembered Lucifer saying. Raguel had asked the mortal if he’d ever done anything undeserving of Heaven and the man had truly believed that he’d done nothing wrong.

Even now, the soul looked confused in the face of their rage.

Raguel growled, his neutral mask falling away. He would make absolutely sure he knew what he was being punished for.

———————————————

When Lucifer reappeared in the courtroom, right beside Michael, the first thing he did was hug his Twin tightly, because Michael looked ready to go on a rampage.

One wrong move would set him off.

He looked around, but the exorcist soul was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’d he go?” Lucifer asked.

Michael smirked in a pleased kind of way and sent Lucifer a memory of just what had happened to the soul.

Lucifer couldn’t quite suppress a shiver. He’d never seen his siblings look so mad.

“You destroyed him?” Lucifer asked surprised.

“Of course.” Michael said frowning. “Why wouldn’t we?”

Lucifer shrugged. “It was a long time ago.” He muttered.

“And he’s never once regretted it.” Michael growled.

“Well, to be fair, he probably thought he’d done everything right, considering he made it to Heaven.” Lucifer said and Michael cringed.

That was on them, Michael knew that. He still deserved to be eradicated, though.

He’d knowingly attacked a celestial on two occasions and mortally wounded one. The sentence had been fair for him and satisfying for the Angels. Michael only wished he’d suffered more.

“Shall we start with the next soul?” Father asked.

The majority of Lucifer’s siblings agreed.

Lucifer couldn’t help the anxiety that clawed at him, trying to pull him under.

He felt Michael’s soothing Darkness wrap around him and eased into it. What’s wrong? He asked.

Nothing, it’s just…I’ve made a lot of friends in my time on Earth. They didn’t always make the best decisions, but they were good people. They deserved a happy afterlife. Lucifer answered heavily.

And you’re afraid that they didn’t get one. Michael finished for him.

Lucifer nodded. It’s why I never go into the cells. In the past, I’ve always been able to hope that they made it to Heaven, even if that wasn’t likely. Now, I’m finally going to find out. I just don’t know if I’m ready to know. The Devil said.

Michael put a hand on his shoulder. Look at it this way. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can get some of those people out of Hell. He said reassuringly.

Lucifer smiled at him.

God summoned the next soul and Lucifer was surprised to see that he recognised this one as well.

“Rose Davis.” He said pleasantly, feeling a little relieved.

The girl looked at him, confused. “Do I know you?” She asked.

“No.” Lucifer answered. “No, I don’t suppose you do.”

That just seemed to confuse her even more.

“I’m sorry, why am I here?” She asked, looking around in confusion.

“You are here because there was an unworthy soul in Heaven and we have decided to Reevaluate every soul to ensure that there aren’t more.” Raguel answered.

“Oh, okay.” Rose answered.

“Your name is Rose Davis?” Raguel asked, glancing at Lucifer.

“Yes.” The girl said nervously.

“How long have you been in Heaven?” He asked.

“Um, I’d say about thirty years. I think. My dad should have come by now though, I think, so I’m not sure.” Rose answered anxiously.

“Thirty years is about right. Time moves about ten times slower in Heaven than on Earth.” Lucifer told her.

Rose relaxed slightly. She was a little surprised. She’d thought that Angels would be much more…suppressive. But the one with the red and white wings seemed nice enough. So she’d only been dead for three years on Earth. That explained why her dad hadn’t joined her yet.

“Have you ever done anything…undeserving of Heaven?” The Angel in the middle asked. He was tan, with deep brown hair and dark ocean-blue eyes. His voice was completely neutral.

“Uhh…define bad.” She said evasively. She had become a satanist behind her father’s back after all.

“If you need to ask, then there is something. If you wouldn’t mind telling us.” The blue-eyed Angel said.

“Um, I’m a satanist.” She said wincing slightly.

An Angel that looked exactly like the one with the two coloured wings, except that his wings were black, blinked. “A what now?” He asked confused.

Rose looked around at them all. “A satanist. We’re a community that, well…”

“Yes.” The Angel with the black wings prompted.

“We’re a community that worships Lucifer.” She said hurriedly, wanting to get it out. No doubt they were going to be really mad.

To her surprise the Angels…laughed.

Rose stared at them in shock. Why were they laughing?

“Are you telling me that Samael has his own religion?” An Angel with the wings of a falcon laughed. “No wonder his ego is so bloated!” She descended into laughter once more.

Rose stared at her in shock.

“Yes, laugh it up Remi. For your information, I don’t want a bloody religion!” The Angel with the two coloured wings snapped at her.

Rose turned to him slowly. “Hang on. You’re-“

“Lucifer Morningstar, at your service.” The Angel said.

Rose gaped. “You don’t look like the Devil.” Was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

The Angel, Lucifer (holy fuck) smirked. “I’m sorry, would you have preferred something more like this?” He asked and immediately his skin seemed to burn away to reveal a hellish, burned, red visage and his eyes turned a burning red. His eyes seemed to burn deep into her soul, pulling at all the things she wished she could forget and dragging them to the surface.

And then his face was back to normal and Rose snapped out of it.

“Yeah.” She said dazed. “That’s more like it.” Hey, she was a satanist. She knew what she was getting herself into and she barely regretted any of it.

“But, why are you all acting so nice to each other?” She asked, looking at the Angels.

“You see, one thing that you mortals always seem to forget in your need to blame the Devil for all your sins is that, despite everything, he is family.” An Angel with emerald eyes and iridescent wings told her gently.

“Can we get on with the reevaluation now?” The Angel with dark blue eyes asked.

“Sure.” Lucifer said and it was clear by the look the first Angel sent him that he hadn’t expected a response.

———————————————

By the end of the day they had gotten through several hundreds of souls. It would take a while to get through all of them, but they could do it.

The Host left the room and spread out, intermingling.

Remiel didn’t know where she was going, all she knew was that she had to get as far away from the courtroom as possible.

She could still hear Samael’s screams inside her head.

It was her fault.

She’d given Enochian Magic to the humans.

The worst thing was that, for once, it hadn’t been a slight against her brother. Her Father had instructed her to give something to humanity to make hunting easier.

She’d wanted them to be able to kill things like demons or Hellbeasts, since they’d already proven that they could leave Hell.

The thought that humanity would try to use those chains on a celestial had never even crossed her mind.

Remiel landed in a forest. Heaven had hundreds of different types of forests. Some were tropical, some were coniferous, others were deciduous.

The forest she’d landed in was of the latter kind. It was dense, with barely any sunlight reaching the forest floor.

This place was teeming with life. She could smell the animals’ scents on the wind, hear every breath they took, feel their every movement through the ground.

“Mind if I join in?” Remiel jumped.

She whipped around, spear in hand, only to come face to face with the one person she was trying to avoid.

“Well this is a warm welcome.” Lucifer drawled, smirking as he pushed the tip of her spear out of his face.

“Lucifer? What are you-?” Remiel cut herself off as his first question registered in her mind. “You want to Hunt with me?” She asked. Lucifer nodded. “You want to Hunt with me?” She repeated. She eyed his designer suit doubtfully.

Lucifer grinned. “Come now Remy, you should never judge a book by its cover.” He said.

She glanced at him. “Fine. Just don’t get in my way.” She growled.

“You have my word.” Lucifer answered.

“Do you even have a weapon?” Remiel asked.

“Mm, no actually I don’t.” Lucifer said unbothered.

“You’re gonna get mauled.” Remiel deadpanned.

“Come on, give me a chance.” Lucifer said.

The Angel of the Hunt sighed. “Alright, but I’m not babysitting you.”

Lucifer grinned smugly.

Remiel glared at him and turned around. Then she took off into the air. She really hated it when people made fun of her domain.

She flew through the air on silent wings, looking for anything she could slay.

When she saw a doe grazing in a clear patch of forest, Remiel grinned. With a speed only she was known for, she descended on the oblivious creature, revelling in the way her spear sunk into it like it was made of butter. She made sure to kill it fast, so it didn’t have to suffer. That was every hunter’s code.

She wondered for a moment how Lucifer was doing.

She smirked. If he thought he could go blundering around the forest without giving her a significant amount of blackmail, he was sorely mistaken.

She took to the air again and looked all around for her older brother.

She found him walking through a thick clump of trees. He hadn’t even bothered to fly.

She landed near him, completely silent and followed him from a distance.

It was as she watched him advance through the thicket that she had her first doubts. There was something almost predatory in the way he moved, just as silently as she did, despite his inadequate clothing.

She heard the sound of hooves hitting rock up ahead and wondered if Lucifer had heard it too.

Apparently he had, because he stiffened and crouched.

Now Remiel was really interested to see what would happen. It seemed as though Lucifer really did know what he was doing.

She watched as her brother pounced on what she now realised was a stag. Lucifer slammed into it and grabbed it by the back of the neck.

Remiel heard a loud crack as the creature’s spine snapped under the celestial’s strength and it went limp in his grip.

Remiel stared in disbelief.

“You know it’s rude to stalk people.” Lucifer said, still with his back turned to her.

Remiel blinked and came out from where she was hiding. “I didn’t think you knew what you were doing.” She said looking at the motionless form of the stag.

“Were you worried?” Lucifer asked turning to her, smirking.

Remiel snorted. “No I wanted blackmail.” She said. “Guess I won’t be getting any.” She added. She looked at Lucifer very closely then. There was something almost…feral in his eyes.

“When did you become a Hunter?” She asked. She suspected it was sometime while he was in Hell, though she hadn’t thought it would be necessary to become one. Not for him anyway. He was one of the two strongest Archangels ever to be created, after all.

The smile slid off Lucifer’s face. “I didn’t.” He said.

Remiel glanced back at the stag. “I seriously doubt that.” She deadpanned.

Lucifer also glanced at it. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He said.

“Then what?” Remiel asked. She could tell that this was leading on to something. She just couldn’t figure out what.

Lucifer sighed. “Hunters have moral codes.” He said, still looking at the stag. “I didn’t.”

Remiel frowned. “Why are you really here?” She asked.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “I want to spend time with my little sister.” He said.

“Okay, what else?” Remiel asked.

“I wanted to apologise.” He answered and Remiel tensed.

“What for?” She asked.

“Everything.” Lucifer said. “For what happened during the Rebellion, to start with.” He told her.

“That wasn’t your fault.” She said decisively, because it really, really wasn’t.

“Just because I never intended to hurt anyone, doesn’t mean it wasn’t my fault.” Lucifer muttered. “It doesn’t mean I’m not to blame.”

“Why did you leave me?” Remiel asked.

Lucifer flinched. “I’m-“

“I don’t care for an apology, I want to know why.” She cut him off, the beginnings of anger stirring within her. She knew that Lucifer couldn’t lie. He would have to answer her honestly.

Lucifer took a deep breath. “I couldn’t risk my life for someone who might leave me to die the second they were free.” He said.

Under any other circumstances, Remiel might have screamed in his face for such an answer and flown away, but there was something about the way he said it, almost mechanically. He spoke like he’d rehearsed that answer in the mirror.

Remiel narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s the real<\em> reason?” She asked shrewdly.

Lucifer shifted. “I wasn’t in the best state of mind at the time.” He replied.

“That’s not what I asked.” Remiel growled.

Her brother sighed. “Retribution.” He said finally. “I wanted you to pay for a perceived slight against me.”

Remiel stared at him. “What slight?” She demanded angrily.

Lucifer stared at his hands. “There was no slight.” He said quietly. “There was no need for punishment. I think I just wanted someone to pay.”

“Oh, you think<\em>?!” Remiel said shrilly, towering over him.

Lucifer looked up at her, a little annoyed. “I was mad with pain Remi, I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Is that supposed to make it better?!” Remiel yelled.

Lucifer growled suddenly, his wings flaring out behind him. “No!” He yelled back. “I’m not trying to make it better<\em>. I can’t! I can’t fix it, and I can’t change it! You wanted to know why I left you and now you have your answer.”

“Then why do you keep trying to justify it?!” Remiel exclaimed.

“Because I want you to understand that I didn’t do it for revenge, or to get back at you for something you didn’t even do!” Lucifer replied agitated. “I want you to understand, because I don’t have a good reason for being an ass, and I don’t want to lose you again!<\em>”

Remiel blinked at him. “You thought you’d lose me because you didn’t have a reason for leaving me?” She asked bewildered.

Lucifer glared at her. “Don’t pretend like that incident isn’t the reason why the whole world hates me.” He said hotly.

Remiel flinched. “I didn’t think it would get this bad.” She mumbled.

Lucifer took a deep breath. “You could have just asked, you know.” He said softly. “All you had to do was come find me.”

Remiel wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I was afraid of what you’d say.” She replied evasively.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at her. “So instead of giving me the benefit of the doubt, like a decent person, you assumed I had the worst intentions and took it upon yourself to tell the whole world what an evil older brother I am.” He said coldly.

Remiel crossed her arms defiantly and Lucifer sighed, not sure how to continue. What would Linda do? “How about a compromise?” He said finally. “I left you, you vilified me. Can we just admit we were both wrong and stop letting it get in our way?”

Remiel unfolded her arms, a hesitant expression on her face. “How about a deal instead?” She suggested.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “What kind of deal?” He asked interestedly.

His sister’s lips twitched. “I promise to let it go, if you swear you’ll never do it again and you promise to let it go, if I swear I’ll never spread rumours about you again.”

Lucifer tilted his head and considered her for a moment. “Sounds fair.” He said eventually and she relaxed as they both sat down on the grass.

They were silent for a while, before Lucifer spoke up suddenly.

“I went back, you know.” He said. “I went back to where I’d seen you.”

“I didn’t see you.” Remiel said, surprised. She’d made sure to stay in one place and make it easier for her siblings to find her when they came to get her as she knew they would.

“I arrived just in time to see Amenadiel, Zadkiel and Raguel leaving with you.” He said.

Remiel winced at how bitter he sounded.

She glanced back at the downed stag. “You want to keep going?” She asked, gesturing to it. “We’ve probably scared off anything within a five mile radius, so it might not be easy.”

Lucifer grinned at her. “I like a challenge.” He said. “Besides, it’s been a while since I had a good hunt.” He said with a slight growl in his voice that Remiel had never heard there before. It made a shiver run down her spine.

“Alright, but this time we’re Hunting from the air.” She said.

Lucifer blinked. “I don’t really know how to hunt with my wings.” he said, embarrassed.

“How come?” Remiel asked.

Lucifer shrugged. “There’s nothing white or even remotely light in Hell. My wings always stuck out like a sore thumb, so I made it a habit to hide them. It’s why I never had any trouble hiding them whenever I came to Earth.” He explained.

Remiel blinked. That…made a surprising amount of sense.

“Alright, then I’ll teach you.” She said.

Lucifer sent her a relieved grin.

Then he looked at her consideringly. “How would you like to meet Mazikeen?” He asked.

Remiel frowned. “You want me to meet your pet demon?” She asked scathingly.

“She’s not a pet.” Lucifer growled.

Remiel blinked and Lucifer took a deep breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.” He said. “I simply happen to be rather protective of her.”

“But seriously, I think if you could both get over your prejudices, you’d get along quite well.”Lucifer said.

Remiel crossed her arms. “I refuse.” She said, turning away slightly.

“She hunts damned souls for a living.” Lucifer said in a sing-song voice.

Remiel glared at him. “Shame on you for using my own domain against me.”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes. “Very well, I will spend one hour with her and if by the end of that hour I haven’t killed her, I will consider getting to know her.”

The blinding smile Lucifer sent her almost made the nightmare that this was going to be worth it.

She had no doubt that there could be no way that she would ever get along with a filthy demon, but if it kept Lucifer from badgering her, she would do it.

———————————————

When Michael saw Remiel and Samael come back from wherever they’d gone, laughing together in a way that no one had seen them do since long before the Rebellion, the first thing he did was gape.

When Remiel flew away, Michael came up to Samael. “Are you okay?” He asked concerned.

Lucifer blinked. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” He asked.

“You were getting along with Remiel.” Michael stated, as if that explained everything.

Samael rolled his eyes. “It isn’t that far fetched.” He said.

“You left her in Hell to die alone.” Michael deadpanned, for once ignoring the way his Twin flinched. “And she’s responsible for the majority of rumours about you.” Michael finished.

“We’re working on fixing things.” Samael said. “Besides, it turns out we have a lot more in common nowadays than we ever did before the Rebellion.” He shrugged.

Michael remembered the feral look in Lucifer’s eyes in the face of the exorcist priest who’d made it to Heaven, (he didn’t think he’d ever get his Twin’s agonised screams out of his head) and winced. He could easily believe that.

“Father said that the next set of souls will be reevaluated in three hours.” Michael told him.

Lucifer nodded.

“What do you want to do in that time?” Michael asked.

“I want to speak to my humans and Maze.” Lucifer said. “I don’t think they’re entirely aware of what’s happened yet. I want to tell them.

Michael nodded and together they made their way to the afterlives, where the humans and demon were spending time with Charlotte.

Chapter Text

The reevaluation of the souls in Heaven took several weeks to complete.

Lucifer had told his humans to go back to Earth a few days into the reevaluation as it could take months until the entire process was complete.

His humans had to get back to work and Trixie had to get back to school.

Maze had stayed behind with him, of course.

So now Lucifer found himself in the courthouse with his Father and siblings, discussing the results of the reevaluations.

“Seven percent.” Seraquiel said stunned. “Seven percent of Heaven’s souls did not deserve to be here.”

Proportionally, that wasn’t much, but when one took into account the sheer number of souls who lived in Heaven, seven percent was a lot.

“And over half of them were exorcists!” Azazel exclaimed.

Lucifer winced. Yes, that had been a bit of a shock to realise.

For his siblings at least, Lucifer knew that they did not regret what they did to him.

“It is time to start with the souls in Hell.” Their Father said.

He turned to Lucifer.

“I was wondering if you would be able to tell if a damned soul really deserved to be damned. You seem to be aware of their Hellloops.” He said questioningly.

Lucifer nodded. “I’ve seen some of their Hellloops. Especially in the early days, when I put the souls in the cells in the first place. But that doesn’t matter. I would like every soul reevaluated. It’s only fair.” Then he frowned. “Except for the ones whose doors are locked, and… a few others.” He said.

“Why? What’s different about them?” Azrael asked. She never really knew how the system in Hell worked. She couldn’t deny that it interested her though.

“The ones behind locked doors are the ones that Michael has Judged. They truly deserve to be there.” Lucifer said.

“And all the other doors are open?” Raguel asked in surprise.

Lucifer shrugged. “If I’m going to rule a prison, I’ll do it by my own principles. The damned souls could leave their cells and ascend to Heaven whenever they want. They just choose not to.” He said.

Azazel almost laughed at that. Trust Lucifer to allow the mortals to punish themselves.

“If you wouldn’t mind bringing the first soul here then?” Father asked and Lucifer nodded.

The Devil closed his eyes and felt deep within himself for the darkness that had come when he took Hell as his own. It wasn’t the Darkness he knew from Michael either.

That was the thing with Hell.

Many always said that Hell was the opposite of Heaven, but that wasn’t true. Hell was the opposite of Earth. He supposed you could call it a kind of balance.

Earth was made from Dark and Light and Will and Power.

Hell had its own version of those domains, but they were twisted, unnatural. The only reason Lucifer had any power down there was because it leeched off his divinity, absorbing it over such a long period of time that his Divinity had become a fundamental part of Hell’s physical structure.

It had terrified him the first time he’d realised that he could feel his own essence within its walls. When he’d stretched his senses and felt his Domains in the air around him. Somehow, the combination of Will and Light and celestial Grace had given Hell a literal life of its own. He didn’t think it was sentient or that it could think for itself, but he could feel the life that emanated from the walls, the air, the ground.

And Lucifer had given it its lifeblood. He’d filled the crevices that marred the landscape with fire. He’d warmed the air with it, the biting cold that had killed him in the very beginning had given way to a suffocating heat. He’d lit the entirety of Hell with his flames.

He was to Hell what God was to Earth. He alone had Power over it.

He could almost see the landscape as he flew over it, straight toward the Hellloops. He picked a random door and Willed it to open.

A startled yelp had him grinning as he opened his eyes to find a soul standing in the courtroom, with its back to the Angels.

They looked haggard and confused. Lucifer couldn’t blame them, he had just pulled them through two dimensional barriers.

Michael made to impatiently demand that the soul turn around when it put its hands on its knees.

Lucifer put his hand on his Twin’s shoulder and pushed his earlier thoughts to Michael.

The Sword of God relaxed marginally. Lucifer knew that his Twin had no patience for the more sinful part of humanity.

Getting impatient himself, Lucifer cleared his throat.

The soul turned around and Lucifer almost laughed when he found that he recognised them.

“Hello Jimmy.” Lucifer said pleasantly.

The soul’s eyes widened and he staggered back. “Y-you!”

Lucifer grinned. “That’s right, me. I see the guilt finally did you in. Or did you get a taste of your own medicine?” He asked, still grinning, though there was a hard edge to his voice now.

It disturbed his siblings slightly, to see him looming over the soul like a predator over cornered prey.

“What do you want from me?” The soul whimpered, looking up at Lucifer in terror.

His fear satisfied the Devil. He’d met many terrible people in his time on Earth, but it was people like Jimmy Barnes that he hated with a passion.

He remembered Delilah, who had her entire life ahead of her, who could have turned her life around and made it to Heaven if she’d just been given the time she needed. Only for Jimmy to take that chance from her.

Hell was full of people like Delilah.

Michael’s soothing Darkness wrapped around him and Lucifer took a step back, tearing his eyes away from Jimmy and taking deep breaths.

Raguel was speaking to the soul, but Lucifer wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying. The memory of Delilah had almost overwhelmed him for a few moments.

He was ashamed to say he hadn’t thought much about her lately. There had been a lot going on in the last couple of years.

Lucifer tuned back in to the happenings around him when they started watching Jimmy’s memories.

He felt his own distaste mirrored in the Host bonds at how much store the man put on the materialistic things. He worked for money, married for looks and exploited his employees.

Several of his siblings started when Lucifer made an appearance in the man’s life.

Lucifer felt regret bloom in his chest when they came to the part where Lucifer introduced Delilah to the man.

He could feel the amusement ripple through the Host bonds when the Devil crashed his wedding.

And then she was there. When he and Chloe confronted Jimmy about the murder of Delilah.

Lucifer flinched at the sight of her, taking several steps back, as guilt, anger, grief, sadness, love and betrayal swirled within him.

Michael hissed and moved to stand beside Lucifer, wrapping his wings around his Twin, hiding the sight of the projection behind a curtain of black feathers. The others continued to view Jimmy’s memories and when they started getting close to the souls date of death, Lucifer asked Michael to remove his wings. He wanted to see what had finally ended the man’s life.

In the end, Jimmy had died in a psychiatric ward, staring blankly at a wall until his body failed him due to sleep deprivation.

The courtroom was still for a few minutes after Lucifer sent Jimmy back to his cell.

Then Azazel said hesitantly. “Was that her then?” Jophiel, who stood next to him, elbowed him harshly in the ribs.

“Yes.” Lucifer answered shortly and took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Azrael asked gently. Lucifer knew what she was really asking: Would he be okay to watch the memories of people who had met the Detective.

“I’ll be fine.” He said. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“I didn’t know you could do that, by the way.” Camael said, cocking her head to the side.

“Do what?” Lucifer asked, frowning.

“That thing you did, when you whispered in Jimmy’s ear.” She answered. “What was that?”

“Oh.” Lucifer ducked his head. “I um, I damned him to Hell.” He said almost sheepishly.

“Wouldn’t he have to be already damned for you to call on his guilt?” Michael asked frowning.

Lucifer pursed his lips. “Not necessarily. The whole point of whispering in his ear is to make him feel guilty. Or, at the very least to make him believe that he feels guilty.” The Devil answered.

“What do you mean by that?” Ezekiel asked.

“The voices.” Lucifer answered. “They tell you you’re guilty, even if you don’t feel it. It’s called the illusory truth effect, I believe. Basically, it describes how, when a person hears something untrue over and over again, they will eventually believe it to be true.” He explained.

“Are there really so many people who don’t feel guilty over what they’ve done?” Seraquiel asked quietly.

Lucifer smiled slightly at her. “No, but I do prefer to make sure the person ends up in Hell when they die, just to be sure.” He said.

“Has it ever not worked?” Zadkiel asked.

Lucifer’s demeanour changed in a heartbeat. His expression darkened and the light filtering through the windows gained a red hue. “Once.” He growled.

He said nothing more on the matter and God waited for the light to turn back to normal before asking His Son to call another soul from Hell.

While they waited, the Almighty watched Lucifer silently. Lucifer’s display of his power over Light had called up a memory of when His Twins had still been small children. Back then, the Light would change with Samael’s mood. God had to wonder when that stopped. Sometime after Samael and Michael had formed the stars, He would guess.

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, assuming that Samael had simply gained better control over his Light. Now He had to wonder if Samael hadn’t simply been trying to hide his pain.

God frowned, deciding to speak to Lucifer about it later and tuned back into the happenings around Him.

They got through several souls without much incident, though their lives were distinctly more tumultuous than those of most blessed souls.

After about a dozen souls, Lucifer hesitated before calling on the next soul. This one took longer to reach Heaven and when it finally arrived, it was encased in a ball of Light.

A wave of confusion rippled across the Host bonds, the Angels wondering at the change.

When the Light faded, revealing the damned soul, the entire Host went deathly silent, not quite comprehending the sight before them.

The soul was a child. A little boy, who could have been no older than five.

His clothes were old and worn and several sizes too big for his small frame. His eyes were red-rimmed and there were fresh tear tracks on his face. His entire demeanour was defeated, his shoulders hunched and his face set in a frown.

He looked around blearily, but when his eyes landed on Lucifer, his entire demeanour changed.

He lit up like a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and bounded forward with a delighted “Luci!” and wrapped his tiny arms around the Devil.

Amenadiel half expected Lucifer to stiffen up, like he always did when Trixie hugged him, but his little brother just smiled down at the kid and picked him up.

The child clung to him like his life depended on it.

He looked around at them all and caught sight of Michael. He frowned. “Why do you have Luci’s face?” He asked.

Michael blinked, still dazed by the revelation that there was an actual child in Hell. He couldn’t find his voice to answer the boy’s question, so Samael did it for him. “This is Michael.” He said.

The child’s eyes widened. “Michael’s real?” He asked amazed.

Azrael snorted.

The boy looked around again. “Where are we?” He asked.

Lucifer hesitated. He glanced around at his siblings. “I’ll tell you later, alright?“ He looked at Azrael, who nodded, understanding what he wanted. He looked back down at the boy. “Do you remember Azrael?” He asked.

“Yep.” The child said, waving at her.

“Why don’t you two get to know each other while I sort a few things out?” He suggested and the boy’s face fell almost immediately.

“Okay.” He said dejectedly and allowed Azrael to take him.

Once Azrael had left the room, every head turned to Lucifer. The Devil sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“What in Dad’s name is a child doing in Hell?” Raphael asked faintly.

“Believe it or not sister, that happens more often than you’d think.” Lucifer told her.

“I’m going to assume he’s one of the souls that don’t deserve Hell?” Azazel said tonelessly.

“Yes.” Lucifer answered. “And we are not watching his memories.” He continued. “If you want more information on the matter, I’ll tell you.”

“I want to know how a five year old kid could feel enough guilt to go to Hell.” Remiel said.

“His mother.” Lucifer said darkly. “When she found out she was pregnant, her boyfriend bolted and left her to deal with the baby alone. Her family wouldn’t allow her to get an abortion, so she was forced to keep the baby. When he was born, the woman blamed her son for all her problems: that her boyfriend left, that she lost her job, that she was evicted and so on. It’s the only thing he ever heard from her, so of course he believed it. His guilt over causing all her suffering is what dragged him down to Hell.” Lucifer explained.

By the time he’d finished talking, a heavy atmosphere had settled over the room.

Finally it was Raphael who broke the tense silence. “How many more are there?” She asked softly.

“He’s the youngest soul currently in Hell.” Lucifer answered. “It happens occasionally that someone around his age or younger goes to Hell, but I can usually convince them that their guilt is misplaced, so they don’t stay long.”

Seraquiel bit her lip. “But you couldn’t convince him?” She asked.

Lucifer shook his head. “I tried, but nothing ever worked.”

“Why not?” Azazel asked.

Lucifer sighed. “Because he loves his mother.” He said tiredly. “And she’s his Hellloop. When I first suggested that he could go to Heaven he asked me if she would be there. I told him no and from that moment onwards he refused to even entertain the idea. The only way to see her was through his Hellloop, so he refused to leave.”

Azazel frowned. “Does that mean that he doesn’t even want to be here?” He asked.

Lucifer winced. “I couldn’t leave him down there like that.” He said almost desperately. “He doesn’t deserve it.”

“No one ever said that he does.” Amenadiel said soothingly. “But I know you better than to think that you would keep him here against his will.”

“So, what are you going to do to convince him?” Michael asked.

Lucifer hesitated and looked at Azazel. “I went to visit his mother’s Hellloop when she arrived.” He said slowly. “I noticed she bore an uncanny resemblance to Ivanna.”

Azazel blinked at the mention of his wife. “So?” He asked, wondering what she had to do with this.

Lucifer sighed. “The only way for the boy to realise that he has nothing to be guilty about is if he realises that his mother is a terrible person. I was hoping that a point of reference would help him understand that.” He explained.

“You mean, let him spend some time with a mother figure who actually cares about him?” Ariel asked. “That could work. But what does that have to do with Ivanna?”

“He wants his mother.” Lucifer replied. “He doesn’t trust anyone else. I was hoping that he’d be more at ease with someone who resembles her.” He turned to Azazel. “Only if she agrees, of course.”

“No harm in asking.” Azazel said shrugging. He narrowed his eyes at his older brother. “Have you visited the Nephillim at all since you came here?” He asked and Lucifer wouldn’t quite meet his eyes.

“Right.” Azazel said slowly. “I’m going to go talk to Ivanna, and you’re coming with me.”

Lucifer frowned at him, but conceded after a few moments.

God looked between Azazel and Lucifer. “Perhaps we should take a break from the evaluation until this matter has been resolved.” He said.

Lucifer shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind if you continued without me. Azazel?” He asked, turning to his brother.

The other man nodded. “Go ahead and keep reevaluating the souls. We shouldn’t be long.” He said.

As Lucifer and Azazel landed in front of the Nephillims’ afterlives, Lucifer turned to Azazel. “What did you tell your lovers about the Rebellion?” He asked.

Azazel frowned in confusion. “What does that have to do with this?” He asked.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “I want to know if I have to prepare myself for a verbal tongue-lashing or if I’m safe.” He answered.

Azazel opened his mouth, closed it, then tilted his head from side to side in a so-so motion. “Ehhh, it could go both ways.” He said finally.

“Good to know.” Lucifer commented as he reached out and knocked on the door. It swung open and Lucifer took a step back. “After you.” He said to Azazel.

They stepped through the doorway and found themselves in a large, round living room.

Several of the younger Nephillim were playing in a far corner and Lucifer almost felt like he’d stepped back in time. They hadn’t aged a day.

He turned when he heard Azazel mutter ‘uh oh’.

Ivanna was standing in a doorway to their right and alternating between glaring at Azazel and Lucifer.

She glanced over at the Nephillim, who seemed unaware of their presence. Then her gaze snapped back to Lucifer and she pointed at the room behind her and mouthed In here, now.

Lucifer exchanged a quick glance with Azazel, before quietly making his way toward his sister-in-law, Azazel close behind him.

As soon as they were in the room, Ivanna sharply closed the door and turned to once again glare at Lucifer who sent her a nervous smile.

Her glare deepened, before she turned to stare at her husband. “Explain.” She said shortly.

“Uh, which part?” Azazel asked and Lucifer facepalmed.

Ivanna looked like she was on the verge of spitting fire. “The part about how your damned brother ended up in my house.” She growled.

Azazel blinked. “It’s a bit of a long story.” He said.

“Bloody Hell brother, are you trying to get us killed?” Lucifer groaned.

“What? It is!” The Watcher exclaimed, turning to his brother.

“You have ten seconds to tell me what the heck you think you’re doing here, or so help me God…” Ivanna said, rounding on Lucifer.

The Devil frowned at her. “I’m sorry, but has Azazel not told you anything?” He asked.

“Dude!” Azazel exclaimed.

“Told me what?” Ivanna asked. “That the man who blabbed about my children’s existence to some random bitch was in Heaven? No, he didn’t.”

Lucifer stared at her, not quite comprehending what she’d just said. “What?” He asked, turning to Azazel, who looked just as stunned as he felt.

“Where in Dad’s name did you hear that?” The Devil demanded, turning back to her.

“Does it matter?” Ivanna asked.

“Yes!” Lucifer exclaimed.

Ivanna crossed her arms and glared at him. “Fine. I met a very interesting woman on one of my trips to Earth.” She said. “She told me a very interesting story about you. And the Nephillim. She told me you’d told her all about them.”

Lucifer gaped at her. “I-you-I’ve never-“ He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I would never tell a random stranger about the Nephillim.” He said.

“Then how did she know they exist?” Ivanna demanded. “How did she know you were the first to reach them when the Nephillim died?”

Lucifer frowned. “I-“ He cut off suddenly. “Hang on, what did she look like?” He asked.

Ivanna frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?” She asked.

“Did she have dark brown hair? Bright blue eyes? Copper skin?” He asked.

“Oh, so you do know her.” Ivanna said, glaring at him.

Lucifer closed his eyes. “Yes, I know her.” He sighed. Then he let out a sharp laugh. “Unfortunately.”

Azazel frowned at him. “When was this?” He asked, looking from his brother to his wife and back again.

“I’d say somewhere between my first and fifth century in Hell, Earth time.” Lucifer answered.

“Fourth.” Ivanna nodded.

Azazel frowned again. “That can’t be right.” He said.

Ivanna immediately rounded on him. “And why not?” She demanded.

“Because Samael didn’t leave Hell until about four hundred years later.” He answered.

Ivanna frowned. “But-but how else could she have known about the Nephillim?” She asked.

Lucifer sighed. “She’s your ex’s daughter.” He said tiredly.

Azazel and Ivanna stared at him. “Excuse me?” Ivanna demanded.

“That bastard had a kid?” Azazel yelped.

Ivanna looked hesitantly at Lucifer. “So…you didn’t tell her about the Nephillim?” She asked.

“No.” Lucifer answered.

Ivanna relaxed slightly.

“But how did Ivanna run into her if she’s a demon?” Azazel demanded.

Lucifer sent him a deadpan look. “Remiel.” He said, sounding as if he was speaking to someone extremely slow.

Azazel blushed. “Yeah, okay.” He said embarrassed.

Ivanna looked a lot less hostile now that she had some answers. “And…your banishment?” She said with a raised eyebrow.

“Is officially over.” Lucifer answered. “I think.” He added.

“Yeah.” Azazel said dryly. “I think so too.”

“Why though.” Ivanna asked, furrowing her brows.

Azazel hesitated. “It really is a long story.” He said, glancing at Lucifer.

Ivanna put her hands on her hips. “I’ve got time.” She challenged.

Azazel sighed and started explaining the last couple of weeks to his wife.

As Ivanna and Azazel spoke, a loud, high-pitched shriek sounded from the doorway.

The three adults immediately turned toward the noise.

The youngest of the Nephillim, Naomi, had wandered over to see what her mother was doing and was now standing in the doorway, gaping at Lucifer.

The Devil sent her a nervous smile and the next thing he knew, he was being squeezed to death by a very excited three year old.

He blinked down at her, not quite sure what was going on. Naomi was babbling incoherently as she hugged him, giving off the occasional squeal or giggle.

When she finally released him, she started pulling on his hand to get him to come with her. Lucifer sent a look at Azazel that very clearly said ‘help me’, which quickly turned into a glare when Azazel did nothing but smirk at his older brother’s predicament.

As Naomi kept pulling Lucifer into the other room, the other Nephillim looked up from what they were doing.

Ten seconds later, Lucifer was surrounded by about half a dozen children with no clue what to do.

How the Hell he used to be so good with kids, he had no idea. They were firing questions at him, talking over each other and forming a closed circle around him. It was making him feel claustrophobic.

Luckily, Naomi seemed to realise something was wrong.

She took Lucifer by the hand again and led him to a far corner of the room, away from the other Nephillim.

He took several deep breaths until he no longer felt like the walls were closing in on him. Bloody Hell, it had been ages since he’d had this kind of episode. He’d never had them when he was just Lucifer.

I blame you for this. He thought to Light. He felt a brief flash of indignation with an undercurrent of amusement from Light.

When Lucifer looked over to the Nephillim, they were watching him with confused and slightly hurt expressions. He sighed and spread his wings, inviting them in.

They happily made their way over to him and Naomi, though they were much more cautious this time around. Lucifer felt bad for scaring them. They had greeted him just as they would always greet Samael in the past and he’d never had a problem with it then.

He watched them play with his wings. Nobody but him had laid so much as a finger on them since he took the throne of Hell and now he had to make a conscious effort not to pull his wings away from the virtually unfamiliar contact.

Lucifer almost groaned in annoyance. He hadn’t had to deal with these knee-jerk reactions since he’d split his soul. When Samael split into Lucifer and Light, Light had encompassed everything that had made Samael’s life in Hell more difficult. His weaknesses, impulses that he had attained over eons of living on the edge of an abyss, where every wrong move would end in death.

Lucifer had had the memories, the experiences, but without the physical reactions. Now, all those impulses were rushing back and now that he was no longer in hostile territory, acting on them would be dangerous.

He soon realised that the Nephillim were being suspiciously quiet and looked around at them. They were sitting around him, running their fingers through his feathers, but every now and then they would glance at him and start bouncing in their seats.

The Devil sighed. “Alright, what do you want to know?” He asked, and when he saw several of them open their mouths at the same time, he quickly added. “One at a time.”

The Nephillim were quiet for a few seconds, before one of the boys, Eilam spoke up. “Where were you?”

Lucifer frowned. “Didn’t your parents tell you?” He asked.

Eilam shook his head. “They just said you had to go away. So, where’d you go?” He asked curiously.

Lucifer hesitated. “I went to Hell.” He said carefully, hoping they wouldn’t go deeper into the topic.

“Was it nice there?” And there went that hope.

“Um…” Lucifer said, wondering how to downplay just how not-nice Hell really was.

Luckily, he was saved the effort by Sodia, one of the younger Nephillim. “You went to Hell? Cool! Did you see a Hellbeast?”

Lucifer looked at her strangely. “How in Dad’s name do you know what a Hellbeast is?” He asked bewildered.

Sodia shrugged. “I heard daddy talking about them once.” He answered.

“Why are you different?” Naomi asked innocently and Lucifer sighed.

He knew she’d notice, she always noticed. However, just because he’d expected the question, didn’t mean he was ready to answer it. “What do you mean?” He asked, just to be sure.

“You feel different.” She said. “Like there’s more of you.”

Lucifer almost smiled. Yep, she’d noticed. “More of me.” He repeated thoughtfully. “Well, I suppose that’s one way of putting it.” He said somewhat softly.

“I don’t see any differences.” One of the Nephillim said, squinting as if that would help him see what Naomi had.

Lucifer smiled slightly. “It isn’t exactly something you can see.” He told the boy.

“Could you show us what it is?” Shamira, of the older girls asked excitedly.

Lucifer stiffened. “No.” He said harshly. The Nephillim looked taken aback, but right at that moment, Lucifer didn’t care. Just the thought of using his Will in an enclosed space with his nieces and nephews right beside him made his skin crawl.

At that moment, Azazel and Ivanna entered the room. “Everything alright out here?” Ivanna asked.

“Just about, yes.” Lucifer answered.

He came over to them and as he did, he didn’t miss the way Ivanna’s eyes travelled over his entire body, much like a mother checking her child for injuries. “I take it Azazel has filled you in on everything that happened?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ivanna nodded. “He told me about the boy as well.” She said sadly. “I’d be happy to take him, but I’ll have to ask the other parents if they’d be alright with having him near their children.” She told them. “I’ll get back to you when we’ve made a decision.”

“That’s all we ask.” Lucifer told her. He and Azazel turned to leave, but then Ivanna spoke up. “Before you go, Lucifer, could I speak to you in private?” Lucifer turned back to her confused. “I-alright.” He said.

“Perfect. Azazel, love, wait here, we won’t be long.” With that, she turned and walked back to the room where she and Azazel had just been. Once Lucifer had followed her inside, she closed the door and turned to him.

“Is everything alright?” Lucifer asked.

Ivanna bit her lip. “I think that depends on how this conversation goes.” She answered.

She took a deep breath. “That woman, the one who told me about the Nephillim, you said you knew her.” She said.

Lucifer frowned. “Yes.” He said slowly.

“Did you know her well?” Ivanna asked.

Lucifer’s frown deepened. “Not particularly, no.” He answered.

Ivanna looked at him carefully. “Did you ever sleep with her?” She asked.

His reaction was subtle, but instantaneous. His entire body tensed and his hands started to shake. His expression became guarded. “Occasionally.” He said stiffly.

Ivanna’s face fell as his reaction confirmed her suspicions. “Oh Hêlêl, I’m so sorry.” She said softly.

That was it. That terrible, wretched name that he hadn’t heard since his first few millennia in Hell, the one he’d completely erased from humanity’s memory. That name was what sent him over the edge.

He’d been trying so hard not to think about it, about them. What they’d done to him.

He thought he’d moved past it, it had been so long ago, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t get them out of his head.

For a second, he wasn’t with Ivanna anymore. He was in Hell, chained to a stone column, and he could see the demons in his peripheral vision, heard their whispered words, as they called him by his Hebrew title, saw their hungry, perverted eyes watching him in ways that made him want to peel the skin off his bones.

And then they were inside him and he was inside them and everything ached and there was just pain, pain, pain-

Lucifer came back into himself with a jolt and he shuddered violently as he tried to get his erratic breathing under control.

Suddenly, Ivanna was in front of him, her hands raised in front of her, like she wanted to hug him but wasn’t sure if the touch would be welcome.

She looked worried and her hands were trembling slightly as she watched him try to get ahold of himself.

Lucifer took a few deep, steadying breaths. “Don’t ever call me that again, please.” He said shakily, once he’d calmed down somewhat.

Ivanna frowned. “What Hê-“

“Ah-ah-ah. Yes, that.” He cut her off before she could send him into another flashback.

He looked up at her, finally. “How did you know?” He asked.

“She was pregnant.” Ivanna answered carefully. “When we talked. She was rather far along.”

She watched him for a reaction, but his expression didn’t change. She frowned. “You already knew that, didn’t you?”

Lucifer sighed. “Not then, but I do now.” He said quietly.

“Do you know what happened? To the child?” Ivanna asked.

Lucifer hesitated. “Not for certain, no.” He said eventually.

Ivanna nodded. “Well, if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me.” She told him.

Lucifer smiled slightly at her. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He said.

Chapter Text

When Lucifer and Azazel returned to the courthouse, the rest of the Host were in the middle of an evaluation.

Azrael, it seemed, hadn’t returned yet.

The brothers waited until the damned soul was sent back to Hell to make their presence known.

“Well?” Camael asked. “How’d it go?”

“Ivanna says she’d be happy to take him, but she won’t do it without the other parents’ approval.” Azazel answered.

Raphael smiled. “That’s good.” She said relieved.

Just then the door opened and the Angels turned to see Azrael enter talking animatedly to the little boy in her arms, who, despite actively engaging in the conversation, looked rather sullen.

The second he caught sight of Lucifer, he crossed his arms and scowled. “You said you wouldn’t.” He called angrily.

Lucifer sighed. “Come on.” He said to the boy, gesturing for Azrael to put him down.

Then he took the boy by the hand and led him outside to explain.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Azrael’s happy smile disappeared and was replaced by a scowl. “Whoever that kid’s mother is, I hate her guts.” She said scathingly.

Several of her siblings blinked. Their little sister wasn’t usually this harsh.

“He’s the sweetest little thing I’ve ever met and his bitch of a mother didn’t even give him a name!” She exclaimed.

At those words, Ariel joined in the scowling.

“We walked past a forest earlier and he acted like he’d never seen a tree before. When I asked him why, he said his mother never let him leave the house. He literally didn’t know what a tree looks like.” She ranted.

Raphael made a sad noise.

“And he’s so sweet, too.” Azrael went on. “I swear, whoever locks a kid like him in a house is pure evil.” She stated.

They remained silent for about half an hour, waiting for Lucifer to come back in.

When they finally returned, the boy looked like he’d been crying and Lucifer looked relieved.

He’s agreed to stay with someone up here for two months to see if he wants to stay. Lucifer thought to his Father, who passed the message on to the rest of the Host.

But who will he stay with until Ivanna makes her decision? God asked.

“With me, who else?” Azrael said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The boy looked up, startled and confused. “What are you talking about?” He asked.

Azrael smiled brightly at him. “You’re going to be staying with me and Gabby for a little while.” She said happily.

The boy frowned. “But, Luci said that I was gonna stay with somebody else.” He said.

Azrael nodded. “Mhm, you are, but she still has to set some things up for you first, so until then you can stay with me, okay?”

The boy smiled hesitantly at her. “Okay.” He said.

Azrael grinned. “Great, come on, I’ll show you where I live.”

She took him by the hand and led him back out the door.

Gabriel stared after them. “Do I even get a say in this?” She blurted out.

“Not unless you want her to kick you out.” Cassiel snickered.

Gabriel glared at him. Then she sighed. “I better go make sure they don’t tear the place apart.” She muttered, before spreading her wings and taking off.

“Hm, I suppose this is as good a time as any to stop for the day.” God said thoughtfully.

The remaining Angels slowly made their way to the courthouse door.

Soon only God, Michael and Lucifer were left and Lucifer took a deep breath and turned to his Father. “I-“ He started, only to cut himself off, wondering how he was going to do this.

God raised an eyebrow and waited patiently for Samael to say whatever was on his mind.

“I-I need-“ Lucifer tried again, only to cut himself off again, with a growl.

Michael seemed to realise that this wasn’t something that his Twin would be able to do alone, so he turned to his Father as well.

“Samael wanted to ask You to teach him how to control his Will.” He explained.

Samael shot him a grateful look, before turning his attention back to his Father.

The Almighty was watching him with a sad smile. “I’d be happy to.” He said, to which Samael relaxed, looking almost painfully hopeful.

Michael bit his lip, turning to his Twin. “Do you want me to be there?” He asked. “I could help to balance your Will with my Power.”

Samael frowned. “I don’t want to hurt you.” He said quietly.

Michael smiled. “You won’t.” He assured his Twin, who made a sceptical noise.

“Michael is right.” God agreed. “You’ll be less likely to lose control with Michael there to balance out your Will.”

Lucifer hesitated, before shaking his head. “I can’t risk it.” He said softly. “Not yet.”

Michael nodded in understanding. “Alright. Come find me in my quarters when you’re done, if you feel like it.” He had no doubt that his Twin would need his presence. Michael had spent most evenings after practice with Samael, allowing his Twin’s presence to calm the raging Darkness and Power, back when he’d barely been able to control his Domains.

Once Michael had left, Lucifer turned back to his Father, steeling himself.

God watched His son silently for a few moments before waving His hand and teleporting them to a quiet area of Heaven, one that no one had needed to set foot on in a very long time.

It was where all of His Children had first learned to control their Domains.

It used to be a plain, rocky landscape that stretched farther than the eye could see. Now, it looked like a giant patchwork of craters, strange rock formations, and deformed plants: the very first stages of some of His Children’s greatest creations.

He watched as Samael looked around with interest. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually been here before.” He said quietly. He knew where he was, obviously. He’d heard his siblings talk about it, back when learning about their Domains was all any of them talked about. Still, he’d never been there himself.

He turned as his Father approached him. He felt that familiar sense of dread rise up inside him as he stared at his Father apprehensively.

God frowned. “You’re afraid of something.” He commented.

Lucifer looked away. “What if it can’t be controlled?” He asked. “I’ve tried everything I could think of and nothing ever worked.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “What if it’s too late?” He asked quietly. He couldn’t do this forever. He’d known ever since he realised that Light was fading from reality that he was going to die someday. He’d accepted it. Hell, he’d anticipated it. Sometimes the knowledge that there was an end in sight was the only thing that kept him going and now…

Now he was back to being Eternal.

God came to stand beside His Son and pulled him into a hug, carding His fingers through Samael’s hair, even as His Son’s thoughts replayed over and over in His head.

“How do You do it?” The Lightbringer asked. “How do You control it?”

God frowned. “I don’t.” He said slowly.

Lucifer stiffened and God could feel the panic rising within His Lightbringer, so He took a deep breath. Give Me a moment. He told His Son. I don’t think I’ve ever actually had to explain how I do it.

Lucifer tentatively relaxed and He sighed, before sitting down on one of the rock formations, looking out over the area. “In the beginning, before the Earth and the other planets were created, I channeled My Will through the Orders that I gave you.” He explained. “With Will, it’s simply a matter of finding a middle ground between using it up faster than it can replenish itself, but not so fast that it was constantly drained.”

Lucifer stared at Him. “It-it’s supposed to replenish itself?” He asked hesitantly.

God glanced at him and frowned. “Did your Mother not tell you anything about how Will works?” He asked deliberately.

Lucifer stiffened at the mention of his Mother, before he sighed and shook his head. “She said that She knew very little of how it worked, that I inherited my Domains from You and not Her.” He explained. He paused, before he growled with frustration. “She lied, didn’t She?”

God’s frown deepened. “Not necessarily.” He answered. “She most likely just didn’t tell you what little She did know.”

“So lies by omission, then.” Lucifer said with a scowl. “Makes sense, since I can’t tell if someone’s keeping things from me, as long as they aren’t being directly dishonest.” He scoffed. Figures he’d end up trusting the one Person who knew even more about lying than his Twin.

The Devil closed His eyes and took a steadying breath, before focusing his attention back on his Father. “I-I’ve tried using it up before it can replenish itself, but it seems like no matter how hard I try, I just can’t keep up with it.” Lucifer admitted.

God let out a thoughtful hum. “How often do you use it?” He asked.

Lucifer said nothing for a few moments, thinking. “Whenever I feel it start to overwhelm me.” He said slowly. “In Hell I would just let it burst out if it became too much for me to handle. When I went to Earth, though, I had to be more careful, so I taught myself small things that wouldn’t endanger the mortals or catch their attention and use it at every opportunity. It wouldn’t prevent an outburst, but it would prolong it until Amenadiel came around and dragged me back to Hell.”

God was silent as He listened to His Son’s words. When he was done, the Almighty tilted His head. “You use your Will the way Michael would use his Power.” He observed.

Lucifer frowned. “So?”

“Power is volatile and unpredictable, constantly shifting, so Michael uses it according to its current state.” God explained. “Your Will is much more regular. It grows at a constant steady rate, so you need to constantly keep it from growing.”

Lucifer frowned. “How do I do that?” He asked, then turned to his Father. “How do You do that?”

God smiled. “Rainstorms, earthquakes, the rotation of the planets, solar flares…”

Lucifer blinked. “You-you use your Will to create the weather?” He asked surprised.

God smiled. “I do, though I’m not sure if your Will is strong enough to have much of an impact.” He said.

Lucifer gave a slightly nervous laugh. “You’d be surprised.” He commented idly.

God turned to Him with a raised eyebrow. “Care to enlighten Me?” He asked.

Lucifer winced. “I-“ He hesitated and God studied His Son’s expression and sighed.

“You won’t get in trouble.” He said comfortingly. “I just want to know if there have been any instances similar to your Fall.” He explained and Samael flinched.

“That was the first time I’d ever taken over someone’s mind.” He said quietly and God did not miss the implications behind that answer.

“But not the last?” He asked gently and Samael stiffened, before burying his head in his hands.

“Can you tell Me what happened?” God asked calmly and He waited as His Son took a deep breath and collected his thoughts.

“I went to Earth during the second world war.” He said after a moment. “April of 1945, to be exact.”

God raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware that you’d been to Earth in that time.” He said.

Lucifer grimaced. “I didn’t stay long.” He answered. “But, ah…Hitler didn’t…actually…kill himself.” He said haltingly. Then he paused. “Or, I suppose he did, since he pulled the trigger. He just… wasn’t pulling the strings.” The Devil amended.

He looked down at his hands. “I didn’t even realise it was me until it was over.” He said quietly. “I just wanted him to get what was coming for him.”

Lucifer bit his lip. “I keep telling everyone that Cain was the first human I’ve killed, but-“

“But nothing.” God interrupted gently. “You had no intention of killing him and it’s quite clear that you regret it.”

Lucifer scoffed. “I only regret it because he never had to suffer the consequences of his actions. His death should have been the result of a public trial. He got the easy way out.” He muttered.

God chose not to comment on that as He considered His Son. “What other instances were there?” He asked and Samael sighed.

“There was the Flood.” He said.

God frowned. “What flood?” He asked confused.

Samael grimaced. “The Flood.” He said reluctantly.

God continued to frown in confusion, before it clicked and He stared at His Son. “The Flood.” He said blankly and Samael cringed.

“Not one of my finest moments.” He admitted nervously.

God furrowed His brow. “You say that like you did it on purpose.” He said.

Samael wouldn’t meet His eyes.

“Samael…” God said slowly and Lucifer flinched. “I just… wanted them to die.” The Fallen Angel said quietly and God blinked.

“What?” He asked.

Lucifer took a deep breath. “I wasn’t exactly in the best mindset.” He admitted. Of course he wasn’t. He’d been mad with grief in the wake of what had happened to the Nephillim. “I barely remember going down, or seeing the demons. I just remember wishing I could drown them.” He said coldly. “Next thing I know, everything’s underwater.”

God watched him for several more minutes, before He sighed heavily. “I seem to have massively misjudged the strength of your Will.” He said tiredly.

Lucifer frowned, taken aback by the sudden change of subject. “What do you mean?” He asked.

“I mean, I never thought that your Will could ever be this advanced. I always assumed that your strength lay more with Light. I didn’t think you were capable of Creating without Michael’s Power giving you a boost. The idea that you could drown an entire planet with your rage alone never even crossed My mind.” He smiled sadly at the Lightbringer. “It’s no wonder it overwhelmed you.” He said gently.

Lucifer looked over at Him. “You’re not mad about it?” He asked confused.

His Father sighed. “I’m not mad, no. I wish you’d told Me when it happened, but I can understand why you wouldn’t.”

They were silent for a few moments, before God spoke again. “You mentioned that you’d taught yourself small ways to use your Will.” He said.

Lucifer nodded.

“Could you show me what those are?” He asked interestedly.

Lucifer hesitated for a moment, but then he bent down and picked up a flat stone that fit easily in the palm of his hand. He let his Will flow into the stone and watched as it slowly started to rise into the air until it was floating about three inches above his hand vertically.

He flicked his index finger upward and the stone spun on its axis and bobbed up and down like a buoy in the water.

He let it float for a couple more seconds, before catching it in his hand and dropping it back on the ground.

He looked over at his Father, who was watching him with a small smile. “That’s pretty much all I know.” He said, feeling a little embarrassed. It really wasn’t much.

God nodded. “It’s impressive.” He said gently, almost in answer to Lucifer’s thoughts.

Lucifer scoffed.

“I’m serious.” His Father said. “It’s a lot more complicated to use your Will in such a precise way than to use it on a wider, more unrefined scale.”

Lucifer furrowed his brow. “But, whenever I try to move anything bigger than a tennis ball, it gets away from me.” He said frowning.

God looked back down at the stone. “It’s possible that you simply need to learn to control your Will on a broader level. You have taught yourself to use it in small bursts, just like a human might teach themselves to play an advanced piece on an instrument without ever learning the notes themselves.” He explained.

Lucifer was pensive for a minute, before his face cleared and he turned to God. “You wouldn’t happen to have a piano, would You?” He asked and God could see a Light in his eyes that He hadn’t seen in eons.

It was the sparkle that always came when His Son had had an idea.

“I do, yes.” God answered. “Or rather, Seraquiel does.” The Angel of Harmony had gathered a very wide collection of instruments and musical pieces over the millennia.

Lucifer nodded and stood up, before turning back to his Father. “I don’t suppose we could ask if she could lend it to me?” He asked.

God tilted His head. “I don’t see why not.” He said consideringly. “Why do you ask?”

Lucifer shrugged. “I want to try something.” He said. “I can’t be sure if it’ll work, but it’s something I haven’t tried yet.”

God nodded and stood up. He took His Son’s hand and transported them both to the Silver City’s theatre.

They could hear music playing from inside.

Lucifer blinked and looked around. “This wasn’t here before.” He muttered, frowning.

God shook His head. “No, it wasn’t. Seraquiel was so excited when humanity invented them, that Zazel, Nathanel, Jeremiel and Phanuel decided to surprise her with one. Now, she hardly ever leaves.” He explained as He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The interior was unlike any human theatre Lucifer had ever stepped foot in. To start with, there was no stage. Just a round, spacious, ballroom-like hall with a white marble floor.

Instruments of every kind, shape and size lined the walls, leaving a free space in the centre of the room, where an Angel stood, playing the violin. Several more instruments were situated around the Angel, playing along to the Angel’s tune.

Lucifer closed his eyes and listened to the melody. He recognised it as the instrumental version of Alexander Rybak’s Fairytale. Except he’d never heard it played so well. The music made him feel light in a way he hadn’t felt in eons.

God and Lucifer waited for Seraquiel to finish her song, before approaching her.

She turned around when she heard their footsteps.

Lucifer had barely opened his mouth to greet her, when his sister practically tackled him in a hug.

The Fallen Angel didn’t even get the chance to recover from his shock before Seraquiel pulled away again. She looked him over, her nightingale wings fluttering as she examined every inch of her older brother.

She payed no heed to Lucifer’s increasing bewilderment as she started to inspect his wings.

God cleared His throat and Seraquiel looked up, seemingly remembering where they were and finally registering Lucifer’s discomfort. “Oh! Sorry.” She said, moving away from Lucifer.

Her Father smiled at her.

“It’s fine.” Lucifer muttered. “I actually wanted to ask you for a favour.” He said and Seraquiel perked up.

“Sure, what do you need?” She asked.

“Could you lend me one of your instruments?” Lucifer asked and Seraquiel deflated slightly, before lighting up again. “Sure, pick anything you want.” She said.

Lucifer frowned. “You don’t have to give it to me.” He told her.

“I know.” Seraquiel answered. “I want to.”

It wasn’t a lie, but the slight pressure in the back of Lucifer’s head told him what she really wanted. She wanted to help. She didn’t want to give away one of her instruments, but she wanted to help.

Lucifer hesitated, before taking a step towards the door. “It’s fine, I’ll find another one.” He said awkwardly.

Seraquiel’s face fell and she grabbed onto his arm. “No, no, no! I can lend you one, don’t worry.” She started dragging him over to her collection. “Here, pick one.”

Lucifer gently pulled away from her. “You don’t want to give up your collection.” He said.

Seraquiel went to respond, but Lucifer cut her off. “What I plan on doing with it is probably going to end up destroying it.” He told her gently. “I don’t want that.”

Seraquiel frowned. “But-“

“You could do it here.” God spoke up suddenly.

Lucifer’s head snapped towards Him so fast, a regular mortal would have cracked it. “No!” He said harshly.

God sighed. “I understand that you’re afraid.” He said gently. “But I won’t let anything happen and you need to let go of your fear, or you’ll never be able to safely use it.”

“What are you planning to do?” Seraquiel asked carefully.

Lucifer sighed. “I-I’m trying to learn how to control my Will.” He said grudgingly. “And Dad wants me to do it here.” He looked at her. “Tell Him it’s a bad idea.” He practically begged.

Seraquiel hesitated. “I think you should try it.” She said. “I could stay to keep you calm.” She suggested.

Lucifer’s expression seemed to freeze. “No.” He said immediately. “Absolutely not.”

Seraquiel furrowed her brows. “Why not?” She asked.

Lucifer stared at her. “Wh-you-“ He stammered, not quite believing that she’d actually just asked him that.

“I mean…” Seraquiel started. “I could help you keep it at bay. My Harmony might soothe it somewhat.”

Lucifer looked at her, wondering if she was messing with him. Why would she want to help him? He remembered the Rebellion, how Michael’s Dark had seeped into her, rotting away her wings and staining her blood black.

How could she stand to be near him after he’d done that to her?

“Sam?” Seraquiel’s voice cut through his thoughts and he looked up to find her watching him worriedly. “Are you okay?” She asked gently.

Lucifer stared at her. “Why aren’t you afraid of me?” He asked desperately.

His sister’s shoulders slumped. “Oh Sammy.” She said softly, before she reached out and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. “I could never be afraid of you.” She said quietly.

Samael shuddered. “I’m sorry.” He whispered.

Seraquiel held him tighter. “You don’t have to do this alone.” She said softly. “You don’t have to hide anymore.” She looked up at him and gently pressed their foreheads together. “Please.” She begged. “Let me help you.”

Lucifer shivered. The last person who’d said those words to him had been his Mother. He’d let Her help and it had torn their Family apart.

But he looked into Seraquiel’s pleading eyes. His sweet little sister, the Kindness of God, and he found himself wavering.

He didn’t want to do this alone anymore. He desired his siblings’ help. But he was so terrified of hurting them again.

“If I hurt you-“ He started, but Seraquiel cut him off, frowning.

“Do you remember when we were younger and Gadriel asked you to help him with his domains and he ended up cursing you by accident?” She asked. “Or that time Nathanel decided that it’d be a good idea to fly as fast as he could while you were trying to teach him to fly and he knocked you out of the air?”

Lucifer’s lips twitched. “No one ever said bravery equalled intelligence.” He said wistfully.

Seraquiel smiled. “And do you remember when I went through that phase where everything was too much. I’d wanted to see how far my Domain reached and for the next couple of decades I saw harmonies in everything, and it was all too much and you came to check on me, because I hadn’t left my quarters in days, and I accidentally unloaded all my Harmony on you and you actually got high off it?” She continued.

Now, Lucifer smiled as well. “That was a rather enjoyable experience if I’m being honest.” He said thoughtfully.

Seraquiel’s smile softened. “The point is, we hurt you. We’ve all hurt each other. It’s a part of learning to control our domains. It’s a part of being siblings.”

Lucifer’s smile faded. “But never like that.” He said softly.

Seraquiel nodded. “You’re right, but we didn’t know. We didn’t know what to look out for, or to be careful around you.” She looked down, ashamed. “We honestly thought you were just being difficult.” She said quietly.

She took a deep breath. “But the fact of the matter is that we know now. We can see the warning signs for what they are, and we can help.” She told him.

Lucifer closed his eyes. “Fine.” He said and Seraquiel grinned. “But if even one thing goes wrong-“

“We’ll stop.” His sister agreed, still smiling. “Now, go pick an instrument.”

Lucifer did. He picked a grand piano and sat down at it. But he didn’t start to play. Instead, he let his hands hover over the keys and allowed his Will to flow through the piano.

He felt it press the keys down, felt the sound vibrate in the air.

It worked for a few seconds, until Lucifer felt his control slip and it all came rushing out at once. The piano exploded and Lucifer tried to pull his Will back in, even as he felt it fill the entire room, wrecking everything it came into contact with.

When the raging force finally died down, the entire room was unrecognisable: the floor was cracked, the walls were crumbling and Seraquiel’s entire collection was in pieces.

Lucifer felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around at his sister, who was watching him with worried eyes. “Are you okay?” She asked, not sparing the wrecked piano a single glance.

Lucifer said nothing for a few seconds, trying to regain his bearings. “I’m fine.” He said once he’d calmed down.

He looked her over. She didn’t look hurt. “Are you alright?” He asked.

His sister nodded. “Dad redirected it before it could reach me.” She assured him.

Lucifer looked over at his Father, who was in the process of fixing the room.

Once everything was back in its rightful place, the Almighty turned to His Children. “I think I know why you’re having such a hard time controlling your Will.” He said smiling.

Lucifer perked up. “You do?” He asked.

His Father nodded. “Whenever your Will gets out of hand, you try to pull it back in.” He explained. “But the harder you try to pull it back, the harder it’s going to try to get out.”

Lucifer frowned. “But if I don’t pull it back, it’s going to wreak havoc every time I lose control.” He said.

Seraquiel spoke up, then. “Maybe you could try shutting it off?” She suggested.

“What do you mean?” Lucifer questioned.

“Instead of trying to get the Will that’s already escaped back under your control, maybe you should focus on keeping the rest contained.” She explained. “Like closing a floodgate.”

Lucifer considered her words. He hadn’t thought of that. He’d always just tried to lock it all back up inside of him, to keep it from spreading too far and causing more damage that way.

“That could work.” The Devil mused.

He turned to his Father. “Do You have any ideas about how I can stop the outbursts altogether?” He asked.

God furrowed his brow. “You seemed to have done everything right in regard to how you used your Will.” He mused. “You didn’t overshoot it, you didn’t use more than necessary… All in all you seem to have a very good handle on calling it to the surface.”

Lucifer scowled, glaring at the ground. “Could have fooled me.” He muttered and God gave him an apologetic look. “I really don’t know why it gets away from you the way it does.” He told His Son.

Then He tilted His head. “Although…”

Lucifer looked up at Him. “What?” He demanded.

“Well, you were cut off from your Will for a very long time.” God started and Lucifer scowled.

“I’m aware.” He said bitterly.

God winced, but continued undeterred. “In that time, you went from being Will’s Host to being its cage. It’s possible that your Will has grown to fear you as much as you have grown to fear it, and when Will sees an opening to leave its cage, it will seize that chance before it’s too late.” He explained gently.

Lucifer was quiet as he considered this. He’d never thought of it from that perspective, but he could easily see how that might be the case.

Seraquiel, meanwhile, was looking between her Father and brother in confusion. “I’m sorry, why are you talking about Will like it’s alive?” She asked confused.

Lucifer glanced up at her and smiled humourlessly at her. “Because it is.” He told her. “In a way, at least. It-it’s a bit hard to explain.” He said uncertainly.

“Can you explain it to me?” His sister asked.

Lucifer considered her for a few moments. “Well you can think of Will as being the opposite of Power.” He started. “Power is a physical force, it’s what allowed Michael to create the matter of the Earth. He took a piece of his Dark and my Light and imbued it with his Power to make it solid, to make it tangible. Will is everything that isn’t physical. It’s conscience, wishes, desires, hopes, interests, imagination. Everything that can’t be touched, that exists in the back of a person’s mind, shaping their personality, their preferences, their aversions. Will is what makes people think and feel and want. Free Will is what allows us to acknowledge those things, to speak them aloud for others to hear.” By the time Lucifer had finished explaining, Seraquiel was staring at him with wide eyes.

The Fallen Angel frowned. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

Seraquiel lowered her gaze. “I didn’t know there was that much to it.” She said quietly.

Lucifer noticed she sounded slightly guilty. Why did she sound guilty?

Seraquiel shifted from one foot to another. “But what does that have to do with Will being alive?” She asked.

Lucifer blinked. “Right!” He said, having completely forgotten about that. “Well, it’s not alive, so much as it’s sentient.” He explained. “The thing that sets Will apart from any of your domains is that Will grows, it learns and evolves continuously. And when I was cut off from my Will, the first thing it did was try to direct itself at the only thing that it could still affect, which was itself. So, for the first few millennia, it used its Will on itself, changing it, giving it something of a conscience. And when it started to think for itself, it learned why it couldn’t reach the outside world.” Lucifer shuddered. “And that’s when it started trying to get out. For a while, that was all it needed, so it stopped changing itself.”

Lucifer took a deep breath, wondering why he was going into so much detail, but unable to stop himself from talking. From finally telling someone about the thing living inside of him. “Until I went to Hell.” He said quietly, not meeting anybody’s gaze. “Something happened.” Lucifer said, swallowing. “In my first few millennia in Hell. Something that nearly shattered Samael, and Samael, he-he couldn’t take it, so he let Will take control and Will…grew. It started to do more than just think and learn. It started to feel, becoming more and more sentient, while Samael faded further and further away. And then-“ And then he’d met Mazikeen, the one being who’d always stayed by him, his saving grace, who’d given him a glimpse of the child he’d lost to his abusers. Who’d woken up that parental instinct within him that had had no place in Hell, but that had somehow kept them both alive.

“Will started to care.” Lucifer said instead of voicing his thoughts. “Will started pulling Samael back from the void, and pushing him to the surface. I don’t know why.” He said softly, fondly almost. “But it did.”

Seraquiel stepped up to him and wrapped her big brother in a hug. “I’m sorry.” She said softly, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that alone.”

Lucifer didn’t know what came over him, but he couldn’t stand watching her cry. He wrapped his wings around her and pulled her close, tucking her head under his chin and gently running his fingers through her hair.

He looked over her head at his Father, who was watching him with an unreadable expression on His face.

Lucifer had to wonder if He’d been listening to Lucifer’s thoughts.

Lucifer continued to hold his little sister as she cried into his shoulder, until her tears dried up.

Once she’d calmed down, Lucifer moved back toward the repaired piano and tried again to let his Will flow through it.

Once again, he couldn’t keep it in, but this time he did as his sister had suggested and tried to shut it in before it could get out of hand.

It was difficult, like trying to make a river stop flowing, and his Will kept pushing to get out, but it worked.

His Will settled once it realised that there was no way out, and the backlash of the Will that did escape barely reached the edge of the room.

Lucifer almost cried with relief. He’d finally figured it out.

He kept trying and every time he did, it got a little easier. It was several hours before Seraquiel put a hand on his shoulder. “I think that’s enough for one day.” She said smiling softly.

It was only then that Lucifer realised how exhausted he was. He’d used more of his Will in one day than he’d ever done before and he could admit that it was taking a toll on him.

Not to mention that he still hadn’t entirely recovered from the exorcism.

The Fallen Angel smiled back at his sister. He was done with using his Will for today, but he found he didn’t feel like leaving yet.

So instead, he gestured to the piano. “How about a duet?” He asked and the Angel of Harmony lit up like a Christmas tree.

She sat down next to him eagerly. “What do you want to play?” She asked excitedly.

Lucifer shrugged. “You choose.” He smiled at her.

Seraquiel thought for a moment, before turning her attention to the keys and starting to play. Lucifer listened to the melody for a few seconds, before he recognised it and raised his eyebrow at his sister. The other Angel pretended not to notice, though the slight reddening of her cheeks betrayed her embarrassment.

She was playing Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding.

“I sincerely hope you didn’t watch that movie.” He said lightly as he started playing alongside her.

When Seraquiel’s blush deepened, Lucifer grinned maniacally.

“You didn’t.” He said gleefully.

Seraquiel shrugged. “I took Michael with me.” She said and the smile immediately slipped off Lucifer’s face as he gaped at her.

“Michael?” He reiterated, just to be sure he hadn’t misheard her. Seraquiel nodded, even as she continued to play the song’s melody. “Mhm.” She answered.

“My asexual Twin brother Michael?” Lucifer asked, just to be absolutely certain.

Seraquiel grinned. “Yep.” She said, sounding almost proud of herself.

“How in Dad’s name did you manage that?!” Lucifer exclaimed.

Seraquiel grinned. “He pissed me off, so I told him there was this new movie I wanted to watch and if he wanted to make it up to me, he could treat me.” She said.

The tune they were playing was interrupted by a loud, discordant note as Lucifer accidentally went off-key, because he was laughing so hard, he fell off the bench.

Seraquiel waited for him to calm down.

“Oh I wish I could have seen that.” Her brother cackled breathlessly, once he’d pulled himself together again.

“Well, you’re in luck, because I filmed the entire thing.” Seraquiel told him. “Come by my quarters sometime and we can watch it together.”

Lucifer continued to grin. He would never, ever let Michael live this down.

“You want to start from scratch?” Seraquiel asked, gesturing to the piano. Lucifer nodded, sitting down beside his little sister again. “Let’s.” He said, still sounding a bit breathless.

“Do you want to sing along?” He asked.

Seraquiel shook her head. “I can’t hold a note to save my life.” She said lightly. “But you can sing along if you want.”

Then she turned back to the piano and started to play. When Lucifer started singing along, however, she faltered for a moment and turned to gape at him. Her fingers continued to glide over the keys, but her attention was focused solely on her brother as his voice washed over her.

He frowned when he noticed her staring. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

Seraquiel had to mentally shake herself out of her shock. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you sing before.” She knew she hadn’t. There was no way she wouldn’t have remembered that.

Lucifer shrugged. “I never really got the chance.” He answered. “We never really did anything outside of our domains back then. After I conquered Hell, I had the chance to try something new.”

Seraquiel frowned. “Well sure, but I’m made for my domain. Nothing else could compare to composing a piece, or playing my favourite songs. I don’t want to do anything else.” She answered, sounding almost disappointed at the thought of trying something new.

Lucifer smiled wryly at her. “Have you ever actually tried anything else?” He asked. “I mean, look at Amenadiel. He took up improvisational theatre and he loves it.”

Seraquiel snorted. “Amenadiel took up acting?” She asked sceptically.

Lucifer shrugged. “I don’t think he’s particularly good at it, but he still enjoys it. For some reason.” The last part he said to himself.

“Even the Watchers picked up some interests from their spouses.” Lucifer continued.

Seraquiel hesitated. “I have been thinking about trying my hand at baking.” She said quietly, hesitantly, while shooting furtive glances at the instruments lining the walls. As if she was afraid the inanimate objects would be offended by her words.

Lucifer almost smiled at the notion, but he couldn’t help the slight worry he felt at how thoroughly his sister was entangled in her domain.

If she didn’t pull herself back soon, she could become so immersed with her Harmony that she could lose herself in it.

“Why don’t you come to Earth with me for a while, once this is all over?” Lucifer suggested.

Seraquiel looked startled. “You’re not staying?” She asked shocked.

Lucifer smiled a little sadly at her. “Not permanently, no.” He told her. “I’m rather fond of my home on Earth.”

“But-but you’re coming back, right? To visit?” Seraquiel asked desperately. She’d just gotten her brother back! She didn’t want to lose him again.

Lucifer shifted a little uncomfortably. “If you’ll have me.” He said uncertainly.

His sister threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.

“And you?” The Devil asked. “Will you come visit me on Earth?”

Seraquiel beamed at him. “Definitely.” She promised and Lucifer relaxed at the assurance.

They went back to playing, with Lucifer singing along occasionally. They continued on like this for several hours, well into the Silver City’s version of the night.

As Lucifer made his way through the streets of the City after he’d said goodbye to Seraquiel, he considered returning to the infirmary for a moment, before deciding against it.

He didn’t feel like being alone tonight, so he spread his wings and made his way toward his Twin’s quarters.

When he landed in the doorway, Michael was on the verge of dozing off on the couch, only to jerk awake the minute he heard the rustle of his Twin’s wings and registered the faint reddish glow of the feathers.

That would definitely take some getting used to.

“How’d it go?” The Archangel asked as he sat up and gave his other half a once-over. He looked like he was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, but he was smiling.

Samael shrugged. “It was alright.” He said. “I spoke to Seraquiel.” A wicked grin split the Lightbringer’s face.

“So, Fifty Shades of Grey, hm?” Michael groaned and dropped his head in his hands.

“Tell me about what happened today.” Michael said, not even bothering with a verbal response to his Twin’s jab.

Samael was still grinning madly, but he allowed Michael to change the subject.

They talked for ages, before Samael finally drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Samael blinked his eyes open wearily, the dull red sky and the toxic air of Hell making it hard to see his surroundings clearly.

His arms and shoulders ached from how they were chained to the black stone column he was pressed against, the rough surface of the rock grating against his bare skin, irritating his already infected injuries even further.

He could feel the little grooves and fissures digging into the shredded stumps between his shoulder blades, where his wings used to be. The exposed nerve-endings screamed with every tiny movement.

It was agony, but at least Samael was alone. It would be so much worse if he wasn’t.

He tensed when he heard two pairs of footsteps approaching. They couldn’t be back already, they’d only just left!

The footsteps stopped just around the corner and Samael held his breath, sure that his heart’s erratic beating would draw their attention to him.

“Say that again.” One of the demons said to his companion and Samael stilled to listen.

“Ninaeve is having a baby.” The other demon replied annoyed.

Samael shivered at the name of his newest torturer.

The first demon laughed. “That’s impossible. The only person Nina’s had sex with in the last two years is…the…Angel.” The demon trailed off, the implication heavy in the air.

Samael stared at the ground, only half listening, his mind having gone blank with shock. That was impossible. Angels weren’t compatible with any other creature unless they chose to be.

Flashes of the last couple of months raced through his head. All those instances where he could have sworn he’d felt a divine presence in the air.

He’d thought he’d lost his mind, but-

“So, what are we gonna do with the hybrid?” One of the demons asked.

Samael bristled at the word 'hybrid'.

“Kill it, what do you think?” The other demon answered.

“You know, we could keep it.” The first demon answered.

“And what? Raise one of those feathered cunts?” The other demon laughed.

“Eh.” His companion answered. “Or we could strap it to a column like we did with its father.” He said laughing.

“Quiet!” The other one hissed suddenly. “He might hear ya!”

The first demon laughed. “So?” He asked. “He can’t do shit.”

“He’s still an Angel.” The second demon responded.

Samael figured he was one of the smarter ones.

“A beat up, broken Angel whose family don’t want him.” The other snickered.

Samael felt himself shrink into himself at those words.

“He’s dangerous.” The smarter one snarled.

“He won’t do anything.” His companion waved him off. “Come on, I’ll prove it.” He said and Samael stiffened when he heard the footsteps resume in his direction.

Then the demons rounded the corner.

Samael raised his head, ignoring the pounding pain that shot through it at the motion. A remnant from the last time one of his captors had slammed his head against the stone.

The demon that was ahead grinned sadistically. “Morning Hêlêl.” He said cheerfully.

Samael barely suppressed a shiver at the sound of that wretched name.

Suddenly the demon was right in front of him, grabbing him by the hair and pulling his head up to look him in the eye.

A sickening wave of vertigo made him black out for a few moments and when he came back to, the demon was kneeling in front of him and Samael tilted his head back, despite the pain.

He didn’t want to see this.

Next second, the demon had swallowed him down and Samael couldn’t suppress the shiver that rocked his entire frame.

He didn’t want this. He didn’t want- didn’t want- didn’t-

Samael whimpered when the demon brought his hands up to grab the Angel’s hips and swallowed him even further.

The demon took one of his hands off Samael’s hips and brought it down to wrap around the Fallen Angel’s balls. The demon started to play with them, squeezing and pulling and Samael was hyperventilating from the effort it took him not to scream.

The demon brought his hand back to Samael’s hip, gripping him tightly, then started moving his head back and forth, in and out.

Samael whimpered.

The demon’s hand had just found its way to Samael’s anus, beginning to dig its way inside, when a voice called out to the demons in that weird growling language Samael had never understood.

The demons often used it around him. They knew he hated not knowing what they were going to do to him.

The demon withdrew from Samael, stood, and turned to his companion, before looking back at Samael, who was staring resolutely at the dark, cloudy sky.

The demon grabbed Samael by the chin and forced him to look down at him. Something in Samael’s eyes must have satisfied the creature, because he smirked and reached down, wrapping his fingers around Samael’s dick and squeezing.

Samael couldn’t quite keep himself from twitching away from the touch, nor could he stifle the pathetic whine that tore its way up his throat.

The demon’s grin widened and his hand tightened, pulling slightly, as he leaned forward. “I’ll be back for you later.” He purred, before there was another call, this one more insistent and angry and the demon stepped away, releasing the Fallen Angel.

“Your baby’s here Hêlêl.” The demon crooned. “I have half a mind to ask Elijah to let it live.” He licked his lips. “I wonder if it’d taste as good as you do.”

It took every ounce of self-restraint Samael had, not to react.

He couldn’t let them see how much those words terrified him.

The demons moved away and Samael waited for their footsteps had recede, before he let out a shuddering breath.

He closed his eyes and, for the first time in millennia, let his senses expand to test his surroundings.

At first, he felt nothing but Hell’s dark, dreary presence.

Then he sensed it.

A small flicker of pure Light, the likes of which should never have existed in Hell. It was pure innocence.

Samael reached out to it, and it reached back, hesitantly at first, but then more insistently, like a child asking to be picked up.

Samael caressed it with his own divinity, and the little Light flared up and Samael imagined he heard a baby’s laugh echo in his heart.

The child reached out to him again and he let his Light cradle it like a crib and then the little Light giggled, its essence fluttering rapidly.

For the first time in thousands upon thousands of years, Samael allowed himself to smile.

And then he felt another presence close by, a cold, heartless being, and the smile slipped off Samael’s face, even as the little Light stilled, its essence dimming in a way that Samael recognised as curiosity.

The Fallen Angel felt tears gather in his eyes, rising in his throat and making him choke.

He desperately pulled and tugged at the chains that bound him, trying to get to the little Light.

But all that happened was a searing pain in his back as he knocked against the column that kept him from reaching his baby.

He felt the little thing’s essence spike with concern, even as Samael tried to stifle a scream of pain and despair.

The little Light was worried for him.

Samael could feel the malicious energy of the demons closing in on his child and screwed his eyes shut.

Then he exhaled and allowed his Light to wrap around the little one’s essence completely, encasing it in his own divinity.

And then Samael started to sing. It was a simple melody that he’d originally put together for Rea-Rea, and he tried to keep his voice from breaking as he allowed the Enochian to travel to his little Light, trying to distract it. He wasn’t sure how long he sang, before the little Light flickered, only for a split second, before it vanished entirely and Samael found himself alone once more.

He opened his eyes and stared at the ground in front of him. Why did everything look darker all of a sudden?

He could have sworn that the sky wasn’t this murky before. Or that the shining, polished brimstone wasn’t this bleak.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, choked on it, then let out a low, guttural sob, and then another and another, until his tears stained the ground and he shook with the force of his grief, his cries echoing off the walls as he screamed for the child he’d never get to meet.

Begging to join his baby in whatever afterlife awaited them.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, chained to a stone column, completely and utterly alone in his grief, before he heard footsteps.

The demons were back. No doubt the dumb one had come to make good on his promise.

He forced himself to still his cries. He couldn’t let them see his weakness.

This time, three demons rounded the corner, all looking angrier than Samael had ever seen them.

The second the demon in front, the same one who’d assaulted him earlier caught sight of him, however, his face split into a wicked grin. “Hello Hêlêl.” He said, his eyes roving over Samael’s bare form like a starved wolf watching its prey.

One of the other demons stepped around the column that Samael was tied to and the Fallen Angel heard the rattling of chains, before his arms were free and Samael fell against the column to keep himself upright.

He looked up at them, wondering what they were playing at.

“Where’s my baby?” He asked. What had they done with the-with the body?

One of the demons stepped forward and backhanded him across the face. “Shut up!” He screamed.

Samael staggered, his legs too weak to hold him, but his resolve not to fall at their feet keeping him mostly upright.

That was until another demon grabbed him by the arm and flung him to the ground.

Samael made to push himself back up, but one of the demons grabbed him by the hair and started dragging him away from the pillar he was usually chained to.

Samael tried to pry the demon’s hand off as his scalp began to burn.

He didn’t know where they were taking him, but he knew it couldn’t be anything good.

They rounded a corner and Samael saw a flickering orange glow in his peripheral vision.

No.

Not there.

Not again.

The Fallen Angel started struggling more desperately against the hand that had him by the hair.

He almost asked them to rape him instead.

Anything but this.

They rounded one last corner and Samael could already hear the crackling of white-hot flames as the Lake of Fire came into view.

Samael kept beating and clawing at the demon’s hand and arm, tears streaming down his face, evaporating in the air from the heat of the flames.

The demon didn’t budge however.

He flung Samael down at the lake’s edge and the Fallen Angel scrambled away from the roaring inferno where he’d spent so many years both burning and drowning at the same time.

The demons didn’t let him get far. They grabbed him by the arms and pulled him forward, toward the blistering heat.

Once they were directly at the edge of the lake, one of the demons forced Samael down into a kneeling position while another pinned his arms behind his back.

Then Samael felt a hand on the back of his head, trying to push him down.

Samael tried to push back, tried to pull his hands free, but with every second that ticked by, his face came closer and closer to the blazing fire.

And then his vision went red and Samael screamed with pain as half his face was engulfed by the flames.

They held him there for what felt like hours, laughing at the sound of his screams. They kept trying to push his face all the way under, but Samael fought with every ounce of strength he had left in his body.

Finally they pulled him back out, though they still kept him kneeling on the burning hot ground, his face pressed dangerously close to the flames.

“Should we burn the other side too?” One of the demons asked gleefully.

“Make him match.” Another cackled, already tilting Samael’s head so that the uninjured side was now facing the fire.

Samael whimpered, and the last demon knelt down in front of him.

He tilted Samael’s head back and forced him to look up at him.

“No.” The demon crooned, stroking the unblemished side of Samael’s face with his thumb. “We wouldn’t want to ruin that pretty face.”

He tilted his head and smiled wickedly. “Though I see no reason not to play with the side that’s already spoiled.”

He brought his hand up and Samael caught a brief flash of white, before the demon brought Samael’s own feather down on his left eye.

Samael screamed more from terror than from pain as half his vision went black and he felt hot blood beginning to trickle down his ruined face, mingling with his tears.

Then the demon leaned forward and licked the blood off Samael’s cheek, before moving his lips further down toward his jaw until finally he kissed Samael full on the mouth, forcing his tongue down the Lightbringer’s throat.

Samael choked, but for once he didn’t struggle. Anything to not have to go back in that lake.

He didn’t fight, even when he felt another demon rake their claws across his back, even when the demon with his tongue down Samael’s throat started running his hands across the Fallen Angel’s body, feeling every inch of him.

He didn’t fight when one of them started carding their fingers over the exposed nerve endings of Samael’s burnt face.

There were more than three now, touching him all over, scratching him, beating on him, cutting him with what could only be his own feathers and Samael wanted to scream from the pain, but managed to keep it in.

That is, until one demon reached forward and dug his nails deep into the stumps on Samael’s back.

The Fallen Angel screamed around the tongue in his mouth, desperately trying not to bite down.

As they continued to torture him, Samael heard someone call his name.

The demons didn’t react, too engrossed in what they were doing to him, but Samael looked around as best he could.

He looked to his right, slightly behind one demon who had dug one of Samael’s feathers into his thigh and found himself staring into his own face, except that the Angel standing behind the demon was nowhere near as broken.

Michael!

He wanted to scream, and cry and beg, but he couldn’t get a sound out.

Michael just stood there, frozen in place as the demons continued to tear at him.

Samael didn’t understand. Why wasn’t Michael doing something? Why was he just standing there?!

As if his Twin had heard his thoughts, the Sword of God screamed with absolute rage, his face contorting with a fury the likes of which Samael had never seen before.

Samael thought he must have blacked out, because one second he was being mercilessly tortured by his captors, and the next he was in his Twin’s arms, so much more gentle than anything he’d felt in eons.

The demons’ bodies lay scattered and bloodied all around them.

Michael had literally cut them in half.

He shuddered, sobbing uncontrollably as his Twin ran one hand through his hair, being careful to avoid touching his injuries.

The other hand was gently cradling Samael’s head to his chest, which was rising and falling rapidly with Michael’s effort to control his rage.

Samael shifted his head so he could hear his Twin’s heartbeat, feeling his warmth, so used to the demons’ cold, harsh, lifeless touch.

Samael didn’t even think to wonder how Michael had found him, too busy basking in his Twin’s presence.

“Sam?” Michael said and Samael frowned. Michael’s voice sounded far away, like an echo.

“Hmm?” Samael asked, pressing himself further against his Twin.

“Samael. Wake up.” With those words, it was like a flip had been switched and Samael felt like he was submerged under deep water.

He choked, his lungs burning with the inability to draw breath as he tried to reach the surface and-

Lucifer sat bolt upright, breathing hard.

He looked around wildly, before remembering where he was.

He was in Heaven. In Michael’s quarters.

He hadn’t seen any of those demons in eons.

Lucifer looked around again and this time he caught sight of Michael, standing at the end of the bed Lucifer found himself in with an absolutely horrified look on his face.

Lucifer frowned at the expression on his Twin’s face.

Why did he-?

Suddenly, Lucifer remembered his nightmare.

Oh.

Oh no.

Chapter Text

Michael stared at Samael as his Twin looked back at him anxiously.

Flashes of what he’d just seen in Samael’s dream shot through his mind and he closed his eyes and counted to ten in his head.

His left hand found his sword and he clenched his fist around the hilt, trying not to lose himself in his rage.

He looked back at Samael, who was still sitting in his Twin’s bed, looking anxiously up at the Sword of God.

Michael took a deep steadying breath. “Samael, please tell me that was just a nightmare.” If it was just a fragment of his Twin’s imagination, he could keep telling himself that everything was fine, or at least that it hadn’t just gotten a thousand times worse.

Samael swallowed, looking away. “Well, it was definitely a nightmare.” He said quietly and it was strange how those words affected Michael.

He felt eerily calm as he stepped around the bed and took his Twin in his arms.

He felt cold inside, like there was ice forming inside his chest, encasing his heart, entering his lungs and turning his breath into icy mist.

He felt Samael shift in his arms, before Michael felt a searing heat where his skin touched Samael’s, melting the ice away.

Michael took a deep breath and held his Twin tighter.

He felt nothing. No rage, no grief, no pain, no guilt. Michael knew they were there, all of those feelings and emotions. He could feel them crawling around under his skin, but at that moment they couldn’t reach him.

He just felt empty.

“How much did you see?” Samael asked hesitantly.

“Everything.” Michael answered, his voice as empty as the rest of him. “You pulled me down with you.” He hadn’t meant for it to sound like an accusation, but somehow it still came out like one.

He felt a spike of concern shoot through their bond as Samael registered his Twin’s lack of emotion.

“Are you okay?” The Fallen Angel asked worriedly.

“I’m fine.” Michael answered. It wasn’t a lie, and at the same time it was.

He wasn’t fine, but he wasn’t not fine either.

Nothing. That’s what he was. He was nothing.

“Michael!” Samael’s panicked shriek echoed in his ears, but he could find nothing within himself that could bother to react.

There was a black hole inside him that was slowly swallowing everything that he was.

Michael wasn’t sure what happened next. All he knew was that when he came back to reality, his quarters had been replaced by swirling colours.

Michael groaned and sat up, wondering distantly when he’d fallen over.

Mike? Michael looked around at the voice and saw Samael sitting beside him looking worried.

Michael looked around again and realised, suddenly, where they were. They were in the Heart of the Demiurge.

At least, that was what Samael had once called it.

It was the place where all their domains overlapped. The only place in the universe where Will and Light and Dark and Power could coexist.

Michael suddenly remembered what had led to this.

Samael’s nightmare.

The Sword of God groaned and fell back onto his back.

He’d thought the exorcisms were the worst he’d missed, but of course they couldn’t be that lucky.

“Are you okay?” Samael asked hesitantly.

Michael laughed humourlessly. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He asked rhetorically.

Samael shrugged. “I’m not the one who almost imploded.” He responded softly.

He was still watching Michael worriedly.

Michael sighed and didn’t say anything. Humans always said that Darkness was black and that Light was white, but that wasn’t right.

Dark was Nothing. Dark was the vast emptiness of Space, an infinite, endless Void.

Light, in contrast, was Everything. It was the bright blaze of a Star, the incandescent burst of a supernova. It was Everything that filled the Void.

And, if one combined just enough of Everything and Nothing, it would result in Something. Something tangible and solid.

It was how Michael’s Parents had created their Children, and later the planets, and it was how Samael and Michael had formed the Earth.

But Dark was inviting. It was what awaited people when they slept. It was the promise of release from everything that made life hard.

And sometimes, like now, Michael found himself falling into the Darkness and becoming Nothing.

He sighed and glanced over at his Twin. “Do-do you want to talk about it?” Michael asked gently.

Lucifer looked away and took a deep breath. “I-“ He tried to speak, but he couldn’t get the words out. He didn’t even know where to start. “Ask me.” He said eventually.

Michael frowned. “What?”

“Ask me a question and I’ll answer it as best I can.” Lucifer elaborated.

Michael considered for a moment, before asking. “How did they catch you?”

Lucifer hesitated. “I don’t know for sure. I was unconscious when they found me, but I think they must have pulled me out of the Lake of Fire.” He said slowly.

Michael frowned, the tactician in him running wild. Why would the demons pull Samael out of the lake? What did they have to gain from potentially freeing an Angel?

Some of his thoughts must have transferred to Samael, because his Twin smiled bitterly. “They thought I was in Hell by accident.” He explained. “At first they wanted to use me as leverage, but when nobody came to get me, they eventually figured out that I’d been sent there on purpose. They figured you wouldn’t care, so they just started doing whatever they wanted to me.”

Without a word, Michael moved over to him and pulled him into a hug. “And…the child?” He asked hesitantly.

Samael stiffened against his chest, before all the fight seemed to leave him and he curled in on himself. “What about it?” He asked wearily.

“Did they kill it?” Michael asked softly.

Samael was quiet for a few seconds, before he answered. “No.”

Michael looked down at him, startled. “Is it dead?” He asked next.

Again, his Twin didn’t answer immediately. Then: “No.” He said quietly.

Michael hesitated for a moment. “Did you ever find it?”

Samael smiled slightly. “I think it’s more that she found me.” He said fondly.

Michael stared at the Fallen Angel in disbelief. “You have a daughter?” He said, as the reality of the situation suddenly hit him like a sack of bricks.

The smile slid off Samael’s face. “You can’t tell anybody about this, Mike.” He said seriously. “Anybody.”

Michael frowned. “Why not?” He asked confused.

Samael shook his head. “The only reason she’s still alive is because nobody knows she’s mine. If the demons found out she survived…” He trailed off, shuddering.

Michael’s eyes darkened as his confusion lifted. “I won’t tell, I promise.” He assured his other half, who relaxed almost immediately.

“Is she in Hell?” Michael asked after a few moments of silence.

Samael hesitated. “Not currently, no.” He said evasively.

“Is she on Earth, then?” The Sword of God continued.

“She lives on Earth, yes.” Lucifer answered, hoping that his Twin wouldn’t notice the indirect answer.

But Michael knew his Twin and he knew to never take his answers as they were. He narrowed his eyes at the other Angel. “And where is she right now?” He asked slowly.

Lucifer entertained the idea of giving another evasive answer, but even he could admit when he was caught. “In Heaven.” He said reluctantly.

Michael continued to watch him critically, an impossible idea forming in his mind. “And how long has she been in Heaven?” He asked softly.

Samael closed his eyes and leaned his head against Michael’s shoulder. “Since about a week after the exorcism.” He said quietly.

Michael stared at him as the pieces clicked into place. “Mazikeen is a Nephillim?” He asked stunned.

Lucifer ducked his head, not meeting his Twin’s eyes. “We didn’t know she was mine until a while after we met.” He mumbled. “Although, in hindsight it was rather obvious.”

Michael closed his eyes, trying to keep his shit together as he looked at everything he knew about the demon in a new light. She’d always seemed too rational, too observant, too…alive to be a demon. All of which would make a lot more sense if she was half-Angel. Fucking Hell. But then…

“How come I’ve never sensed her divinity?” Michael asked.

Samael flinched slightly. “Because I locked it away.” He said softly.

“You what?!” Michael yelped.

Samael wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Souls can’t survive in Hell.” He said quietly. “And there’s a chance the demons could have sensed her Light.”

Michael frowned. “You could have told us.” He told him. “We could have-“

“What?” Samael snarled, his head snapping towards Michael as he shot up. “What would you have done? Taken her to Heaven? Taught her to hate me? Because Dad forbid I ever get what I want!”

Michael stood and took a step towards him. “Sam, that’s not- we wouldn’t have-“

“Don’t lie to me.” Samael growled. “It’s always me, isn’t it? No matter what I do or say, it’s always me everybody hates!”

Michael said nothing, letting his Twin rant.

“You hated me for leaving Remiel, you hated me for the Rebellion, you hated me for what happened in the Garden. I know you blamed me for Adam and Eve having to leave Eden and I know you blamed me for the way Mum lost her marbles after the Fall and I know you blamed me that the whole Family fell apart after I left!” He whirled around to face Michael, who hadn’t moved from where he was standing, watching his Twin.

“Ask me why.” Samael growled.

Michael frowned. “What-?”

“Stop expecting me to tell you everything that’s bothering me!” Samael snapped. “Ask. Me. Why.”

“Why?” Michael asked quietly.

“I left Remiel because she was the one person who had to have known about Maze.” Samael growled. “She could sense the Nephillim long before they were even born, but apparently that ability stopped with me, and she had the nerve to ask me for help! She had the nerve to call herself my sister, when I could barely remember the last time she called me brother!” The Fallen Angel yelled.

“I went to the Garden, because I finally found an out!” He continued, his voice growing louder by the moment. “I’d finally found a way use my Will without hurting somebody and the second Amenadiel found out, no matter how much I begged him not to, he went straight to Dad.” By now, Samael was breathing hard, tears rolling down his face. “He locked me away, like I was a fucking eyesore! He took my choices from me!” He said, his voice trembling. “I begged you to let me out, and you ignored me! You ignored me while Dad tortured me and Mum stood by and let it happen! She waited for a fucking century, before She told Dad to let me out. She waited until I was mad with pain and begging Her to end me, before She even tried to get me out!”

Michael stared at him and for the first time, he saw more than just the mask his brother wore like it was his own face. He saw the scars that had been carved into his soul by their Family’s hands.

“You resented me for getting out of my punishment early.” Samael said quietly, his voice shaking with suppressed emotion. “You hated that Mum was the only person I talked to after that, like you weren’t the ones who showed me how little I meant to you.“

He turned to Michael, his chest heaving. “I was terrified, you know, when Azazel started courting Ivanna.” He said quietly. “I was terrified of what Dad was going to do to him if he got caught.” Samael laughed brokenly. “Turns out, I needn’t have worried, because as it turns out I’m the only person Dad hated enough to punish for something like that. And to think, I’m the favourite!” He continued to laugh manically until he was crumpled on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Michael immediately knelt down beside him, pulling him into a hug, rubbing his Twin’s back as he cried, continuing to talk through his sobs like he was afraid any second someone would force him to stop.

After over an hour of just talking between broken sobs and hiccups, Samael had finally cried himself into exhaustion. His words slurred and he curled up against Michael’s chest, before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The moment Samael’s breathing evened out and Michael was sure he was asleep, the Sword of God pulled his Twin closer against his chest and let his own tears fall.

He had no idea how long he sat with his sleeping Twin and cried, before his surroundings faded back into his quarters and Samael stirred awake.

The minute he laid eyes on Michael, his face shifted and he gained a guilty look.

Without a second’s hesitation, Michael took Samael’s hands in his and squeezed. “Stop.” He said sternly.

Samael frowned. “Stop what?” He asked.

“Whatever self-deprecating thing you’re thinking right now.” Michael shot back. “You don’t owe me anything, least of all an apology.”

Samael bit his lip and looked away. “I shouldn’t have yelled.” He said quietly.

Michael shifted his wings until they were wrapped around his Twin. “No, you had every right to. You were the only one of us who actually saw us as a family. The rest of us just treated each other like strangers living in the same house. You gave us everything and we took it all for granted.” He said gently.

“It wasn’t always like that.” Samael answered quietly. “We used to be so close, but then Mum and Dad started fighting over everything. Dad started spending less time with us and suddenly everyone was competing over His attention. Mum got bitter that they were all trying to get Him to acknowledge them, even though She was the only one trying to find time for us, so She started pulling away out of spite.” Samael shook his head.

“The entire Silver City was like an active minefield.” Michael agreed. “Over time we just got used to not having Dad around and kept living like nothing was wrong, but the second Dad showed any sign of coming back, it was every Angel for themselves. Eventually, we went from trying to one-up each other to actively trying to get each other into trouble.”

“I-“ Samael started hesitantly. “I tried to help however I could, but I probably only did more harm than good, if I’m being honest.” He said.

Michael frowned. “Sam, you’re the only one who never tried to do any harm at all. You were always helping people with their problems.”

Samael shook his head. “No, I didn’t help you fix your issues, I fixed them for you. You never learned to fix them yourselves, so you just pushed them aside and waited for me to make them go away.”

He looked down at his hands. “From what I’ve seen so far, you act more like a family now than you ever did when I was around. I guess I really was the problem child.”

Without warning, Michael slapped him over the top of the head. The Fallen Angel yelped and rubbed at the spot where Michael had hit him. “What the bloody Hell was that for?” He demanded, looking at his Twin.

“You’re not a problem!” Michael hissed.

Samael made a face. “Why else would the entire bloody family dynamic have flipped over after I was kicked out?” He asked annoyed.

Michael sighed and leaned his head against his Twin’s shoulder. “We didn’t get better after you left. If anything, things got worse. Mom and Dad were fighting worse than ever, none of us trusted each other, and some of our siblings refused to leave their rooms for years. Worst of all, we stopped trying to get Dad’s attention and we stopped doing anything without His Orders, because we were terrified that if we pissed Him off we’d be next.”

Samael shifted slightly in Michael’s arms. “So, when did things start getting better?” He asked.

Michael thought for a moment. “When Mom was cast out, I think.” He said slowly. “It was like someone had flipped a switch in Dad. I think He finally realised how badly He’d fucked up.”

Lucifer frowned. “Why would kicking Mum out make Him realise He messed up?” He asked confused.

Michael stilled at his Twin’s question. “Do you know why Mom was sent to Hell?” He asked carefully.

Lucifer’s frown deepened. “She started killing humans, didn’t She? She created all those plagues and put them on Earth.”

Michael’s face darkened. “Did She tell you that?” He demanded furiously.

“Well, no.” His Twin answered wearily. “But there were rumours. Why, what happened?” He asked.

“She attacked one of our siblings.” Michael replied.

The Devil froze. “She what?” He growled. He remembered asking Her if the rumours were true and She hadn’t denied it. Granted, She hadn’t confirmed it either. Bloody Hell, She’d lied to him. Again! “I almost helped Her get back and now you’re telling me She actually attacked somebody!?” He exclaimed.

Michael sighed and stood up, offering his Twin a hand to pull him up. “Come on.” He said. “The amount of souls waiting to be let in is getting out of hand, so Dad brought them all to the gates and He’s asked me to Judge them all manually.”

Samael frowned as he allowed Michael to pull him upright. “Isn’t that going to take time away from the reevaluations?” He asked.

Michael shrugged. “Maybe, but if we wait until we’re done, we’ll be too far behind with the newly dead and it’ll mess up the whole system. And if we continue to let guilt decide who goes to Hell and who goes to Heaven, the reevaluations will never end, so Dad asked me to Judge them all until we can change the system. Besides, it’ll help take my mind off things.” He explained.

Samael tilted his head. “When did He tell you this?” He asked.

“He came around last night, right after you fell asleep and talked to me.” Michael responded.

Samael looked thoughtful for a moment. “Makes sense I suppose, but it’s still going to draw out the reevaluations.” He was silent for a second, before he continued. “Do we really need the whole Host to be present for the reevaluations?” He asked. “Or do you think we could split up so some of us Judge the new souls and the rest can be there for the reevaluations?”

Michael considered his Twin’s words. “I don’t really need a lot of help with Judging the souls, but I was hoping you would come along.” He said slowly.

Samael’s lips twitched. “And since the souls in Hell have already been Judged and Punished, we’re technically not needed for the reevaluations.” He allowed.

“And I could use some input for possible Punishments for the unworthy souls.” Michael added, smiling.

While your idea is definitely a very good alternative, perhaps you could make it seem less like you are plotting a crime. God’s voice echoed in both their heads, clearly amused.

The Twins winced. We just- Lucifer started.

I understand. God interrupted gently. It’s a very good idea, and I agree that the sooner we finish the better. He told them. l’ll let your siblings know about the change. You go on and get started.

Michael exchanged a look with Lucifer and grinned. The Devil smiled back as they began to make their way toward the gates.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Michael said after a few moments of silence.

Lucifer glanced at him, before answering pensively. “It’s just…strange.” He said thoughtfully. “Dad was never this…laid back when I was around.” He explained and Michael may have been imagining it, but he thought he heard a note of insecurity in his Twin’s voice.

“It was Mom, I think.” Michael said. “Dad became a lot more lenient after He kicked her out. I guess He was less tense when He wasn’t expecting a fight around every corner.” He explained.

Lucifer hummed noncommittally. “I suppose.” He said as they finally reached the gates.

Lucifer raised his eyebrows when he saw the virtual crowd of people waiting at the entrance. “How many souls are there?” He asked.

“Approximately 1 062 000.” Michael responded even as three more souls joined the crowd.

They approached the gates and, almost subconsciously, Lucifer furled his wings away.

Michael raised an eyebrow at him and Lucifer ducked his head, embarrassed. “Force of habit.” He said by way of an explanation and quickly unfurled them again.

They found Uriel waiting by the gates, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else as the souls demanded to know what was taking so long.

Why Uriel had been put in charge of keeping the souls calm, Lucifer would never understand. There were plenty of Angels who’d be more qualified for this kind of thing.

Plenty of Angels who didn’t have the Angelic version of mild autism and social anxiety.

The minute Lucifer and Michael joined Uriel, a hush seemed to fall over the crowd.

They could feel the Demiurge, Lucifer knew. They sensed the Essence of the Earth and its Creators.

Next to Lucifer, Michael smiled dangerously. It had been eons since anyone had felt that presence and Lucifer found himself smiling as well.

“You good?” Michael asked Uriel in Enochian.

Uriel sighed. “Fine.” He responded. “I just can’t wait until we’re done with this whole thing.”

“That desperate to get rid of me, are you?” Lucifer spoke up grinning, though he was only half-joking.

Uriel levelled him with an unimpressed glare and there Lucifer went, making himself easy to hate again.

“Don’t be an idiot, I’m coming with you.” Lucifer choked at Uriel’s words, that being the last thing the Devil expected him to say.

Uriel left for the courthouse with Lucifer still gaping after him.

Michael grinned at the look on Samael’s face.

Then he turned to face the souls and pointed to a woman standing at the front. “What’s your name?” He asked brusquely.

“Uh…Margaret. Margaret Simmons.” She answered uncertainly.

Michael nodded, closed his eyes and summoned the Book of Life.

See, Judgment wasn’t one of Michael’s inherent Dominions, like Dark or Power, but rather an assigned role that his Father had given him. Therefore, Michael didn’t have the power to access the information he needed to Judge a soul worthy or unworthy.

To make matters easier for the Sword of God, his Father had created a book in which a soul’s every choice was noted down. If guilt wasn’t enough to send someone to Hell, their choices would determine their fate.

As Michael read through Margaret Simmons’ chapter, he felt Samael rest his hand on his shoulder to better look over it. His Twin must have been reading faster than he was, because without warning his hand clenched and Samael’s grip became painfully tight.

Michael looked over at him to see him staring at something about halfway down the page, his eyes dark.

Michael followed his gaze and found what had upset him. He felt his wings flare out.

Michael looked back at the woman, trying his hardest to keep his voice neutral.

“Margaret Simmons, you were a devout Christian and a righteous believer your entire life. You disowned your eldest daughter for losing her chastity to a rapist. You donated a great deal of money to charity every year. You assigned your niece to conversion therapy upon learning that she loves another woman.” Michael said, trying to keep his voice neutral.

He loved his job. He hated seeing people get away with things almost as much as his Twin, and it was no secret that he was by far the more vindictive of the two, so while Samael loved giving them their just deserts, Michael loved being the one to shatter their perfect world. It was Judgment that revealed the worst of humanity.

But it was cases like this that really grated on his nerves. When a person twisted their beliefs to suit their own agendas and prejudices. You’d think that if Father didn’t want mortals to love people of the same sex, He’d have made them that way.

It wasn’t even the actions themselves that disgusted him, so much as it was the fact that she genuinely believed her actions had been justified.

Michael looked over at his Twin who was scowling at the woman in front of them.

What do you think? He asked. She’s done some good, but it’s significantly outweighed by the bad. She’s definitely Hellbound, but… Michael trailed off with a shrug.

But religious belief is a fickle matter, built on manipulation and fear-mongering. Samael finished idly. What would you normally condemn her to? He asked.

Michael pursed his lips. I’d send her to Hell to feel her daughter’s pain for eternity. He answered. But I know you’re the more reasonable one between the two of us.

Samael tilted his head. Had she only acted on the belief that abiding by the rules of her religion would allow her to enter Heaven, I’d say your punishment is excessive, but she acted as an enforcer of those rules, rejecting her own daughter and forcing others to convert to her belief. Samael sighed, rubbing at his eyes. But I refuse to damn someone to an eternity of rape. It’s up to you, though.

Michael frowned and focused back on Margaret Simmons’ soul. “Margaret Simmons, you abandoned your daughter in her time of need and you tortured your niece for who she chose to love. For your transgressions I condemn you to the fate you were so desperate to avoid.” He said.

Margaret’s face fell and a second later, she was gone.

There was a ripple of nervous muttering from the souls as they shifted anxiously.

The next soul Michael called forward was a man in his twenties, who shuffled forward nervously.

“What’s your name?” Michael asked the soul.

The young man hesitated, his eyes darting every which way, as if searching for an escape route.

The seconds ticked by and still the soul said nothing. Michael was beginning to lose his patience, when Samael leaned forward.

“State your given name.” He told the soul.

The man hesitated. “S-Silena Wright.” He said quietly.

“And your chosen name?” The Lightbringer prompted.

The soul swallowed. “Um…Silas.” He answered.

Samael turned to his Twin, who was already reading through the man’s chapter.

His life had been too short to have made many defining choices, aside from his decision to change his gender. Against his parents’ wishes and the beliefs of his community.

When Michael finished reading, he looked up at Silas and smirked. “Welcome to Heaven.” He said, stepping aside.

His eyes widened. “I-I’m not going to Hell?” He asked surprised.

Michael raised his eyebrow. “Not unless that’s where you’d rather be.” He answered.

Silas blanched and quickly made his way to the afterlives.

You’re being mean. Samael chided his Twin when the soul was gone.

I just don’t understand why they insist on clinging to these ridiculous notions. Michael responded. I mean, if Dad didn’t want something, He’d make it impossible, simple as that.

You’re thinking like someone who knows that Dad actually exists. Samael answered. But they can’t be sure if any of what they believe is actually real. They see the world as it is, and they try to find an explanation for why things are the way they are. So they use their beliefs to explain away the things that they don’t understand. And when they’re confronted with something that doesn’t fit their reasoning, they’d rather tell themselves that it’s unnatural or wrong than admit that their reasoning is flawed.

Michael frowned and shook his head. It still doesn’t make sense to me. Wouldn’t it make everything easier if they just accepted things as they are instead of trying to fight against them?

Samael sighed. Don’t ask me to fathom why humans think the way they do. He answered.

Well I’m not going to coddle them when I tell them what their common sense should have been telling them all along. Michael grumbled.

Samael shrugged. Suit yourself.

They moved through several more souls without issue, until they got to a German woman who had to be in her mid to late thirties.

She was a serial killer who’d ended the lives of nine men and women.

It was an easy verdict and Michael was about to send her to Hell, when Samael spoke in his head. Go easy on her.

Michael choked and turned to stare at him incredulously. What? He demanded.

You heard me. Samael replied undeterred.

Sam, she’s a serial killer. Michael told him.

She’s a psychopath. Samael answered.

So? It doesn’t change the fact that she willingly killed eighteen people. Michael was staring at Samael openly now, wondering if he’d lost his mind.

His Twin crossed his arms and looked back at him steadily. No, but it changes the conditions of her choice to kill those people. Samael responded.

She is no less capable of choosing for herself than anyone else. Michael shot back.

Samael sighed. You’re right, but she was less likely to choose not to kill than anyone who isn’t a psychopath. He said. People choose based on their emotions. Psychopaths only have a limited capacity for emotions, Mike. They can’t comprehend the meaning of a human life, just as they can’t relate to the fear or pain or grief of others. He gestured to the woman in front of them. She could have chosen not to kill, but unlike most others, she had no reason to. Which is why I agree that she deserves to be punished, but not as harshly as you would punish someone who was fully aware of the consequences their actions would have on those who were affected.

Michael frowned, but did as his Twin asked.

She was taught the difference between right and wrong, just like everyone else. Michael said quietly once she was gone.

Yes, but the difference is that she was incapable of understanding why right is right and wrong is wrong. To her they were just meaningless rules that everybody was required to follow. Samael answered. She wasn’t a cruel person Mikha, she was just a person. She wouldn’t have regretted her actions no matter how severely you punished her, because she can’t.

Michael didn’t respond to his Twin’s words, though he couldn’t deny, they held some truth. He wasn’t so shallow as to assume that his Judgment was infallible. He had bad days, and he didn’t have the necessary patience to think more deeply about his decisions.

Michael glanced sideways at Samael and couldn’t suppress a smile. He was fairly sure Samael was the only Angel in Heaven who could challenge the way an Angel shaped their Domain without being condescending.

Or maybe that was just where mortals got their 'human decency' from.

They certainly didn’t get it from him.

Samael caught the smile and frowned. What? He asked.

Nothing. Michael shrugged. Just happy you’re here.

Samael rolled his eyes at his response. Of all the siblings I expected to get sappy over my return… He trailed off, but his lips twitched up slightly, which Michael counted as a win.

They continued Judging the souls for the rest of the day and by the end Michael had almost forgotten about Samael’s nightmare.

Almost.

———————————————

Just as Lucifer and Michael were making their way back to Michael’s quarters, the Twins ran into Phanuel near the courthouse.

“Oh, hey guys.” He said when he saw them approaching. “Where you headed?” He asked curiously.

“Home.” Michael said shortly. “It’s been a long day.”

“Right, makes sense.” The Angel of Repentance nodded. He glanced at Lucifer. “How did the Judging go?” He asked conversationally.

“It went well.” Michael answered, not really listening. He was too busy wishing he were in his bed.

“How did the reevaluations go?” Lucifer asked and Michael spoke up before Phanuel could answer. “Whelp, I’m out.” Then he spread his wings and made his way to his quarters. If his Twin started talking to Phanuel, they’d never stop.

Phanuel looked after Michael’s retreating form and shook his head. “Someone’s being cranky. You’d think that the Angel of Darkness would be a night owl.”

Lucifer snorted. “And you’d think the Angel of Light would be a morning person. Neither fact is true.” He said amused.

“Mhm.” Phanuel hummed. “You know, some of us are planning on checking out the reevaluated souls.” He said, looking back at Lucifer. “You know, welcome them to Heaven and all that. You wanna come along?” He asked hopefully.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “I’m the Devil. They’re terrified of me.” He deadpanned.

Phanuel shrugged. “Yeah but they know you. Besides, you’re here aren’t you?”

Lucifer sighed. “How many are there?” He asked.

“Nineteen, I think.” Phanuel answered. “And about five of those are on probation.”

Lucifer frowned. “Probation?” He asked confused.

Phanuel nodded. “Younger people who were trying to get their lives together when they died. Dad’s decided to give them one chance to change if He thought they really were trying to do better. He figured if people who died after turning their lives around got to go to Heaven, someone who was genuinely trying when they died, but never had the time deserved it too. You know, since they never actually had a chance.” The Angel explained.

He looked expectantly at Lucifer. “So, are you coming or not?” He asked. “Pleeease? Everybody wants to talk to you.”

Lucifer scowled. “If they want to talk to me so badly, they can come to me for a change.” He bit out.

Phanuel hesitated. “Well, I mean… it’s not really anybody you haven’t talked to already. It’s only Seraquiel, Azzy Remi and Uri. And Camael, though I don’t think she’s ever going to try to talk to you.” He said.

“Why not?” Lucifer demanded. Honestly, he couldn’t think of anything that Camael might have against him. She was one of the few who wasn’t hurt during the Rebellion.

He looked at Phanuel, who was watching him expectantly.

Finally, Lucifer gave in and sighed. “Fine, but if one of them comes at me with a crucifix, I’m using you as a shield.” He said and promptly made his way towards the Silver City.

“But, crucifixes can’t hurt us.” Phanuel said bewildered as he followed his older brother.

“You’d be surprised.” Lucifer said darkly.

His brother frowned, wondering what that even meant.

When they reached the building where the reevaluated souls were staying, Lucifer was promptly tackled by two of his little sisters.

He had to keep himself from shoving them off. He hated hugs with a passion. He couldn’t exactly tell them that, though, so he just remained completely still until they released him, trying to keep his breathing even.

When Azrael and Seraquiel finally ended the hug, Lucifer took a step back and smiled tightly at them.

He glanced over at the rest of his gathered siblings. Uriel was standing a few feet away from everyone, as usual.

Remiel had her spear out and her falcon feathers sharpened and was glaring at Lucifer as if daring him to ask her for a hug as well.

Camael wasn’t looking at him at all.

“So, are you going in or are you just gonna to stand there like a bunch of creeps?” The Angels turned to the new voice to find Mazikeen standing nearby.

She was leaning against the side of a tall building. She was the picture of bored indifference, but Lucifer could see the tension in her shoulders. Something was bothering her.

His siblings immediately turned defensive when they saw her.

“What do you want, demon?” Remiel snarled, raising her spear.

“Relax Stabby, I’m here to talk to Lucifer.” Maze replied dismissively.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at her, wondering what she had to tell him. “Excuse me for a moment.” He told his siblings, before moving to follow Maze as she started walking towards a secluded alley.

When they were out of sight of the other Angels, she turned to Lucifer and took a deep breath. “You were never planning on taking me back to Hell, were you?” She asked.

Lucifer tilted his head and considered her carefully. “No.” He said eventually. “No, I wasn’t.”

“Why not?” Maze demanded.

Lucifer sighed. “Do you remember the first time we came to Earth together?” He asked.

Maze frowned. “Well duh, it’s kinda hard to forget the day I figured out I’m your rape baby.” She said dispassionately. “So what?”

“Do you remember how much you loved it there?” Lucifer continued, ignoring her first comment. “You couldn’t believe that there was a place where the animals were smaller than you, or that they didn’t try to kill you every chance they got, or that the food actually tasted good, or that the air was breathable, or that the ground didn’t cut your feet every time you took a step.” Lucifer looked down at her and smiled a little sadly. “When we went back to Hell, you hated it almost as much as I did.”

Maze furrowed her brows. “What does that have to do with anything? I got over it ages ago.”

“No Maze, you didn’t. You’ve never gotten over it. You just stopped caring when I locked down your soul.” Lucifer responded.

Maze scoffed. “I like Hell.” She said. “I didn’t want to leave it behind.”

“Do you, though?” Lucifer asked quietly. “Have you forgotten what the true Hell was like? You like fighting, Maze. You like sex, and drugs, and alcohol-”

“All of which I got to do in Hell without Earth’s stupid rules and restrictions.” Maze cut in, looking pissed.

“You like Beatrice.” Lucifer said, talking over her. “You like Linda, Dan and Ella.“

“What’s your point?” Maze asked.

“You’re not meant for Hell.” Lucifer answered. “You don’t belong there and you don’t like it either.”

“My mother is a demon.” Maze pointed out.

“No, your mother is a human. Lilith is human and Elijah, despite how he might act, is also human. That means, so is your mother.” Lucifer corrected.

Maze went to retort, but Lucifer cut her off. “Do you want to go back?” He asked.

Maze glared at him. “I want to go home.” She said angrily.

Lucifer smiled. This wasn’t about Hell, after all. “And we will.” He promised.

“Will we?” Maze challenged. “Because so far, you seem to be getting overly fond of Heaven.”

Lucifer frowned at her. “What do you really want, Mazikeen?” He asked.

Maze growled. “I want you to stop pretending these people are your family.” She snapped.

Lucifer scowled. “Mazikeen…” He said warningly.

“What?” Maze asked. “Don’t tell me you forgot who left you in Hell in the first place. Over a fucking accident.” She hissed.

“They didn’t know it was an accident!” Lucifer snapped back.

“They never asked!” Maze yelled. “They didn’t care enough to find out!”

Lucifer stared at her and she glared back. “You think I don’t know that?” He asked quietly. “I am well aware of what they did to me.”

“Then why are you forgiving them?” Maze demanded. “Why are you acting like nothing ever happened?”

“Because they’re my siblings, Maze!” Lucifer exclaimed. “They’re my family!”

“And I’m not?” Maze asked.

Lucifer frowned. “Of course you are.” He said bewildered.

Maze glared angrily at him. “But you still want them back. When did I stop being enough?” She growled. “They abandoned you for eons!” She hissed.

Lucifer scowled. “Need I remind you that you have betrayed me several times in the past three years.” He said darkly.

“But I came back. I was the one who begged you to forgive me, not the other way around.” She snarled. “When will you wake up and see that they don’t deserve you?”

“They didn’t know that I lost control. Their anger was justified, they wouldn’t do it again.” Lucifer said angrily.

“You mean like Chloe wouldn’t?” Maze said savagely.

Lucifer stared at her, dumbstruck, before his face darkened. “Maze…”

“No.” Maze snapped. “No, you don’t get to act like nothing they did to you mattered. I’m sick of being the one who pulls you back to your feet whenever one of shitty siblings beats you down! You nearly died this time. Chloe got this close to killing you and you still love her! The next person to abandon you will kill you and then not even I can pull you back.” She glared at him. “And then I’m going to lose you, because you can’t stop chasing the love of people who have none to give in the first place.”

Lucifer softened slightly. “You’re not going to lose me.” He said softly. It was a tone he hadn’t used with her in a very long time.

“That’s the thing, see.” Maze said. “I already have.”

Lucifer frowned.

“Samael promised me I wouldn’t lose him and he actually killed himself. And you can pretend to your ‘siblings’ all you want, but I know you’re not him. He’s dead and it’s their fault!” She growled pointing to where she and Lucifer had come from. To where his siblings were waiting.

“I’m not letting them kill you too.” She snarled and made to move past him, but Lucifer caught her by the arm and pulled her back.

She glared at him. “Let me go.” She growled, but Lucifer ignored her.

“I haven’t forgiven them.” He said and she glared at him.

“Yeah right. So what was that back there, huh? You let those two hug you. You hate hugs.” She snapped.

“Just because I’m being civil with them, doesn’t mean that I’ve forgiven them.” Lucifer responded.

“And how long is that going to last?“ Maze challenged.

Lucifer frowned. “Why don’t you come with me to meet my siblings yourself?” He asked suddenly.

Maze scoffed. “Which part of what I just said made it seem like I wanted to meet them?” She asked scathingly.

Lucifer considered her silently for a moment. “You’ve only ever seen them hurt me. Maybe meeting them will make you change your mind.” He answered finally.

Maze raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think your siblings would be very pleased about being introduced to a, what did Uriel call it, scum-sucking demon.” She said smirking.

Lucifer huffed. “They can stuff a sock in it.” He said dismissively.

Maze pretended to consider it, the tension leaving her body as she came to stand beside him. “You know what, why not? I could use some fun.” She grinned viciously.

“Behave Maze.” Lucifer said mildly.

“Sorry, that word isn’t in my vocabulary.” Maze responded and Lucifer sent her an unimpressed look.

“Don’t look at me like that, I got that from you.” She told him.

Lucifer rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her and spread his wings.

When they returned to where the reevaluated souls were staying, Lucifer let go of Maze and Azrael immediately rushed forward to greet them.

“Hey, there you are. We were just about to go looking for you.” She said. She turned to Maze, who tensed. “Hey Maze, what’s kickin’?” She asked conversationally.

Maze raised an eyebrow. “Why are you talking to me?” She asked and she sounded genuinely confused.

Azrael shrugged. “‘Cause you’re cool.” She answered nonchalantly.

Then she grabbed onto Maze’s hand and started dragging the bewildered demon into the house.

The second she was out of sight, Remiel rounded on Lucifer. “What were you thinking?” She asked. “Why is she here?”

“Because I say so.” Lucifer answered coldly. “And I won’t tolerate you talking badly about her.”

“Wh-? She’s a demon!” Remiel exclaimed.

“She was my family when you weren’t.” Lucifer shot back, making his sister freeze in place. “She stays or I leave. Your choice.” He said, then followed after Azrael and Mazikeen without waiting for an answer.

When Lucifer entered the building, the first thing he noticed was that it looked like a hotel lobby. There was no one there. Azrael and Maze must have already entered another room.

There were wide stairs at the end of the room, leading to a raised platform with an elevator at the end. The walls on both sides of the platform were missing, opening up into a corridor that extended to both sides.

Lucifer could see rooms lining the walls of the corridor with golden numbers on the doors.

Lucifer was tempted to knock on one of the doors, when he heard the ding of the elevator and turned toward the noise.

He stared at the soul that exited the elevator and she stared back at him, stunned.

“Delilah?” Lucifer asked, barely believing it.

Delilah blinked, before her gaze slowly drifted to the wings at his back.

Then she turned on her heels and walked back into the elevator.

Lucifer cursed as he watched the doors slide shut, and turned to his siblings. “What room is she staying in?” He asked hurriedly.

“215.” Uriel answered. “Second floor, third window to the right.”

Without a word, Lucifer spread his wings and flew to where Uriel had directed.

When he reached the, thankfully unlocked, window, Lucifer slipped inside. All the windows in Heaven were designed to be big enough for Angels to fly in and out of.

He landed just as the door swung open and Delilah stepped into the room.

She jumped when she saw him and immediately reached for the doorknob.

Lucifer surged forward and put his hand on the door, so she couldn’t pull it open.

Delilah backed away from him. “What do you want from me?” Delilah asked terrified.

Lucifer sighed. “I just want to talk.” He said, taking his hand off the door and raising his hands up, palms open, to show her that they were empty. “If you’ll let me.”

Delilah stopped backing away, although that could have been because she’d reached the opposite wall.

“You said I didn’t sell my soul to the Devil.” Delilah said shakily.

“Which you didn’t. Your soul is and always has been entirely your own.” Lucifer answered.

“How are you here then?” She asked sceptically.

Lucifer blinked. “I came in through the window.” He said bewildered.

She glanced at the glass as if it had personally betrayed her, then shook her head. “I mean, what are you doing in Heaven?”

Lucifer sighed. “It’s a bit of a long story, darling.” He said softly. “To give you the short version, my Father and I cleared up a few…misunderstandings.”

“You weren’t there when the Angels reevaluated me and the others.” Delilah said. “All the other Angels were there. Why weren’t you with them if you’re allowed to be here?”

Lucifer quirked an eyebrow. “I was with Michael. There were over a million souls who needed to be assigned to Heaven or to Hell and thanks to the reevaluations we were falling behind. Michael asked me to come along for the ride.” He answered honestly.

Delilah narrowed her eyes. “Michael.” She said flatly. “You expect me to believe that?”

Lucifer’s lips twitched. “Not really, though I can’t say I regret starting that rumour.” He said smiling.

Delilah frowned. “What rumour?” She asked.

“That Michael is the one who kicked me out of Heaven.” Lucifer answered. “He did no such thing.”

“You would say that, wouldn’t you?” Delilah responded.

Lucifer sighed. “Just- can you just believe that I don’t want to hurt you?” He asked frustrated. Getting people to believe he wasn’t evil was such a chore.

Delilah was silent for a long moment. “Why me?” She asked finally. “Of all the people on planet earth, why did you notice me?”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “Because you were the only nineteen year old in LA who was dumb enough to sneak into a high-end club and not even try to hide that you were underage.” He said deadpan.

Delilah moved over to a small table near the window and slumped onto one of the chairs, propping her elbows on the tabletop and burying her face in her hands. “I didn’t think a man who called himself the Devil would care much about underage drinking.” She grumbled, her voice muffled by her hands. She looked around at Lucifer. “You really are the Devil, aren’t you?” She asked resigned.

Lucifer watched her silently for a second. “I am, yes.” He said softly.

“Was anything you told me true?” Delilah asked.

Lucifer pursed his lips, annoyed. “I don’t lie.” He said shortly.

Delilah narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s not an answer.” She said suspiciously.

Lucifer sighed. “Everything I have ever told you was the truth.” He said. “I have never lied to you.”

“I-“ Delilah let out a sharp breath. “I need some time to think.” She said tiredly.

Lucifer inclined his head and turned to leave, but paused for a moment and turned back to Delilah. “Do you remember what you promised me before you died?” He asked and Delilah turned to him, confused.

“That I’d do better.” She answered.

Lucifer nodded. “I’m holding you to that promise, Delilah. My Father has decided to give you one chance to redeem yourself. If you don’t, your next damnation really will be eternal. So please, pull yourself together.” With that warning, he left, leaving her staring after him in slight trepidation.

Chapter Text

While Lucifer spoke to Delilah, the rest of his siblings had dispersed to speak to the other souls.

So, when Lucifer returned to the lobby, he found it mostly empty.

For a moment, he considered waiting for them, but then Mazikeen turned the corner and came up to him. “Come on, this place is a bore.” She said gruffly as she grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him toward the exit.

Lucifer followed after her, frowning. To anyone else, Maze would seem like her usual angry self, but Lucifer knew her well enough to see the signs.

She was walking just a tad too fast, and every now and again she would discreetly glance over her shoulder as if to make sure no one was following them.

“What happened?” Lucifer asked as he fell into step beside her.

Maze took a deep breath. “I think your sister knows I’m a Nephillim.” She said in her mother-tongue.

Lucifer didn’t let himself react to that news, despite the tension that crawled its way up his spine at her words. “Which one?” He asked easily.

If it was Azrael or Seraquiel, he could handle that without issue. They were the least likely to demand an explanation.

Remiel was the most likely to spread the word to as many people as possible. Father only knew she had the most experience with spilling all his secrets (and yes, he was absolutely still bitter about that). If it was her, he’d have to catch her before she could talk to anyone. He could feed her the same excuse he’d told everyone else who’d managed to clue in to Mazikeen’s true nature.

Camael would be a bit more tricky to keep quiet. Partly because he had no clue where he stood with her and he ran the risk of setting her off since he didn’t know why she was being cold with him, but mainly because she’d always been good at deciphering his wording and knowing when he was talking around the truth.

“The one with the red wings and the scars on her face.” Maze answered, bringing him out of his musings.

Camael then, Lucifer thought, cursing internally. “You’re sure she knows?” Lucifer asked, just to be sure.

Maze huffed. “Not completely.” She answered. “But she was watching me like a hawk the whole time you were gone. She just suddenly got this look on her face, like recognition. She definitely looked like someone who’d just realised they had a secret niece.”

Maze snorted in remembrance. She’d looked like her whole world just came crashing down around her. It was an expression the she-demon had seen a thousand times on damned priests and religious fanatics when they realised that the rules of Heaven and Hell really did apply to everyone.

Maze sighed. “You might want to go tell her our usual excuse.” She told him. “Do you know where to find her?” She asked, just as Lucifer stopped walking suddenly.

He had a faraway look on his face, like he was seeing something she couldn’t. It was an expression she’d come to associate with Angels receiving a prayer.

“I do now.” Lucifer said when he snapped out of it, before quickly taking off.

Maze sighed again and swiftly made her way towards Charlotte’s afterlife. She needed to get away from all this celestial drama for a bit.

————————————————————————————

When Lucifer landed behind Camael, he saw that several Watchers were with her too. Azrael stood to the side, looking uncomfortable and confused.

He clenched and unclenched his fists to keep from physically attacking his older sister for dragging them into this.

At least the Watchers looked confused rather than angry, so Camael couldn’t have told them yet. He could still save this.

Camael turned to him, her arms crossed. “Lucifer.” She said shortly.

Lucifer raised his eyebrow at her. “Camael.” He said neutrally.

Camael narrowed her eyes at him. “Anything you’d like to tell us?” She asked.

Lucifer was tempted to give a snarky reply, but this was too serious to risk setting his sister off. “No.” He replied resolutely.

His older sister narrowed her eyes at him. He glared back at her defiantly.

“If you don’t tell them, I will. They aren’t leaving without knowing, I promise you that.” Camael growled, taking a step forward.

Lucifer felt something inside him harden at those words. “Careful sister dearest, I remember you seem to have a habit of making empty promises.” He said, and though his expression barely changed, his tone was ice cold.

Camael’s face faltered. Lucifer could see her waver.

It didn’t last though, and Camael quickly regained her composure. She glared at him. “Are you going to tell them, brother?” She asked.

Perhaps it would have been wiser for him to just agree and tell them his excuse. But Mazikeen’s voice echoed in his ears: They didn’t care enough to find out.

He’d thought that maybe they’d learned better after realising that the Rebellion had been an accident, and yet here they were, jumping to conclusions. Camael hadn’t asked him for his version of events, she just wanted him to confirm what she thought she already knew. He wanted to know if they really wanted him back, or if they just wanted their scapegoat.

“No.” He said resolutely, watching as Camael’s face hardened. “Dammit Samael.” She growled.

Lucifer felt his face darken. “No.” He said again, more harshly now. A reprimand rather than a refusal. Camael blinked, but Lucifer continued before she could speak. “You don’t get to do this. I am not Samael. I let you call me that because I know you’d rather have him than me, but I am not him.” He said, taking a step towards his sister. He knew his eyes were glowing with Hellfire and found that he didn’t care. “Samael is dead, Camael. Stop pretending it wasn’t you who killed him.” The whole area had suddenly gone deathly quiet, and Lucifer watched several emotions pass over Camael’s face, before she seemed to steel herself. “I didn’t-“ She started, but Lucifer cut her off.

“Yes, you did.” He said harshly, wondering why it was so hard for her to take the blame just once. Why did he always have to spell it out for them? “You ignored my prayers.” He said, taking a step towards her. “You condemned me. You made Earth dangerous for me. You disowned me over an accident!”

Camael clenched her fists. “We didn’t know it was an accident!” She shot back, but there was a desperation to her tone of voice that Lucifer didn’t really want to interpret right then.

“But you could have.” He said quietly. “You could have known if you had only asked.” He knew he was going too far. He was playing on all the guilt he could see just behind Camael’s eyes, every regret. But he couldn’t help it. Why was it so hard for his siblings to take responsibility for their own actions for once in their lives? Why was the blame always placed on his shoulders?

“You knew that my wings were broken.” He bit out. “You knew I couldn’t catch myself when Dad cast me out, and you did nothing to stop it.” Lucifer saw Camael tense and knew that she was thinking the same thing as him: She hadn’t just known that his wings were broken, she’d been the one who broke them in the first place.

A fact she clearly hadn’t shared with the rest of the Host.

“You stood by and let me fall.” Lucifer growled. “You promised me you’d never let me get hurt, and you still let me burn!”

He turned away from her, hating how good it felt to finally get to hurt her back. “You’re as bad as Mum.” He bit out.

He felt a sudden harsh gust of wind behind him and spun around to find Camael gone and the other gathered Angels glaring at him.

He scowled and crossed his arms, still seething from this whole situation. “What?” He snapped.

“That was out of line.” Jophiel snapped.

Lucifer scowled. “You don’t even know what this is about.” He retorted.

“That doesn’t give you any right to mention Mom!” Cambiel cut in.

Lucifer frowned. That was nowhere near the worst thing he’d said to her. “Really? Of all the things I just said, you focus on Mum?” He scoffed.

Jophiel frowned at him. “You know, out of all of our siblings, I really thought you’d be the last to say something like that to her.” She said with an air of disappointment.

Lucifer groaned. “What on Earth are you talking about?” He demanded.

Azrael was looking between them all nervously. She could sense a fight coming. “She’s talking about when Mom was sent to Hell.” She told Lucifer. “When She attacked Camael.”

Lucifer’s eyes snapped to her. “She what?” He hissed.

Jophiel blinked. “Hold on, you didn’t know-“

“How the ever loving fuck would I know that?!” Lucifer exclaimed, rounding on her.

“Well, I mean, we-we figured Mom told you.” Cambiel stammered, wide-eyed.

Lucifer glared at him. “Why in Dad’s name would She tell me that? She wanted me to like Her, not send Her back to Hell. You really thought She’d risk losing my favour by telling me the truth?”

“Or Amenadiel.” Azazel muttered.

Lucifer growled. He was sick of his siblings.

He spread his wings and took off, not sure where he was going. All he knew was he had to get the Hell away from his Family.

Somehow, he ended up in one of Heaven’s deserts, staring up at the Morning Star.

It was a habit he’d developed a long time ago. Whenever Hell became too much, he’d go to Earth, find a place in the desert where he’d be undisturbed and just stare up at the stars. He’d stay there for a few hours, never long enough for Amenadiel to come looking, and then go back to Hell.

Maze always told him he was torturing himself, and maybe she was right, but he’d never had the strength to stop.

He came to Earth to think without the constant weight of Hell’s presence hanging over him.

So that was what he did now. He thought.

He thought about his siblings, his Will, his Parents… Chloe.

Why was he like this? Why couldn’t he just hate them as easily as they hated him?

Why couldn’t he just walk away from everyone who’d ever hurt him and be done with them?

For the first time in years he wished that his walls were still up. He wished he could go back to feeling nothing. Even the numbing emptiness that had slowly replaced everything that made him the Lightbringer was better than this constant pain.

He missed the time when he couldn’t give a damn what others thought of him and his survival was all that mattered.

He closed his eyes. Chloe. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

All of their past conversations kept running through his head and he couldn’t help searching for any signs he’d missed. How much of what she’d said to him had been a lie? Had he been a fool for trusting her?

Had he been a fool for thinking that he would ever not be alone?

The sound of an Angel’s wings brought him out of his musings and he tensed when he heard whichever sibling had stumbled across him approach him.

“I thought I might find you here.” Camael said and Lucifer thought he could hear a smile in her voice.

“What gave you that idea?” Lucifer asked without turning around.

He heard his older sister sit down beside him. “You always seemed to come to a desert when you needed to think.” She answered.

Lucifer clenched his fists in the sand. “Congratulations, you’re a stalker.” He grit out.

Camael pretended not to hear him. “I kept considering whether I should go and talk to you, but I kept telling myself you wouldn’t want to see me.” She said mildly.

Lucifer scowled. “I would have loved to see any one of you.” He said sarcastically. “If only so I could throw something at you.” He added more quietly.

Camael smiled faintly. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk to me like that.” She commented.

Lucifer took a deep breath to calm himself down and Camael seemed to catch the motion.

She shifted to look around at him. “Why did you hide this?” She asked quietly.

Lucifer frowned, momentarily distracted by the strange question. “What are you talking about?” He asked.

“Why did you never let me see this side of you?” She asked. “I know you-“

Lucifer’s frown deepened. “You knew Samael. You never knew me.” He said harshly.

Camael shook her head. “You are Samael.” She said. “You’re different, sure, but you’re still him.”

Lucifer scowled. “You’re in denial, sister.” He told her bluntly.

Camael shook her head again. “No, I’m not. I know death, Sam. I know what happens when someone dies. They leave. Dead people disappear, but you’re still here. You were broken, nobody can deny that, but your pieces are still there. You’re not dead, just… different. Your pieces may have been rearranged to make a different shape, but they’re still the same pieces. You’re still you.”

Lucifer scoffed. “You’re delusional, sis.” He said.

Camael considered him silently for a while, before she sighed heavily. “Maybe I am.” She conceded. “But you’re still my favourite little brother and until you can change that, you’ll always be Samael to me.” She said gently.

Lucifer huffed. “What do I have to do to stop being your little brother?” He asked bluntly.

Camael smiled and he could hear the amusement in her voice as she answered. “Stop caring, stop loving and stop being a rebel.” She said almost fondly.

Lucifer huffed in irritation.

His sister’s smile widened. “That’s what I thought.” She said smugly.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at her. “You still don’t know me.” He said annoyed.

Camael shrugged. “Maybe, but then I’ll just have to get to know you again.” She smiled.

Lucifer growled in frustration. “Fine.” He conceded. “Don’t think I’ll be making it easy for you, though.” He glared at her out of the corner of his eye. “You have a lot to make up for.” He told her.

Camael’s smile faltered and she frowned. “I know.” She said softly. “I’m sorry.” She went on. “For how I handled the thing with your…” She trailed off, not seeming sure what term to use for Mazikeen.

“Daughter.” Lucifer said shortly. “She’s my daughter. If you want to patch things up with me, you can stop objectifying her.”

Camael frowned unhappily and Lucifer growled. “Out with it, Camael. If you have a problem with her, spit it out.”

Camael blew out a harsh breath. “I just-she-I mean-“ She growled. “A demon, Samael? Really? Of all the beings you’ve slept with, a demon ends up carrying your-“

“I was raped.”

The words were said so calmly, that Lucifer could have been commenting about the weather, but they reverberated inside Camael’s head and she snapped her head around to stare at him.

He’d curled up on the sand and was staring straight ahead, not meeting her eyes. There was something almost… resigned in his expression.

No shame, or fear, or discomfort, like she’d seen in many rape victims. She was the Angel of War, and War inspired the worst in people.

Things like rape, unfortunately, were inevitable side effects of warfare.

She stared at her little brother’s calm face and felt her heart break. No matter the reaction, Camael knew what rape did to people.

“Sam-“ She started and Lucifer frowned.

“Don’t.” He snapped.

Camael blinked. “Don’t what?”

Lucifer scowled. “I don’t need your pity.” He muttered.

Camael hesitated, before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug.

He didn’t fight the embrace, but he didn’t lean into it either.

“I don’t pity you.” Camael told him as she held him tightly. “It-I’m just-I-“ She took a deep breath. “Be honest with me, Sam, did they only get to you because your wings were broken?” She asked quietly.

Lucifer tensed, before he sighed. “Not quite so directly, but essentially, yes. They only caught me because my wings were broken.” He said slowly.

Camael held him just a little bit tighter in response. “I’m sorry.” She said softly. “Father above, I’m so sorry.”

Once again, Lucifer found himself scowling. “For what?” He asked coldly. “I don’t blame you for breaking my wings, Camael. I blame you for abandoning me in Hell.” He pulled away and glared stonily at her.

Camael looked away from him. “I’m sorry-“ She started, but Lucifer shook his head.

“I know you’re sorry Camael, and it fixes nothing. It doesn’t change anything.”

He took a deep breath. “I called you.” He said quietly, sounding so much more vulnerable all of a sudden. “Every time they forced themselves on me, I would call each and every one of you, and you ignored me every. Single. Time.”

Camael stared at him, not quite sure what to say. “I-“

“Be honest with me Cam.” Lucifer interrupted her. “Did you really not receive my prayers, or did you just refuse to hear them?”

Camael swallowed and looked away and, really, that was all the answer Lucifer needed.

“Right.” He said tonelessly. “Don’t know what I was expecting. You’ve always only ever acknowledged me when you needed something.”

Camael flinched. “Sam, that’s not-“

“Yes,” Lucifer cut her off. “It is. That’s all it’s ever been. You only ever approached me when you had a problem you needed me to fix.”

He sighed, looking suddenly tired. “I can’t go back to that. I can’t go back to just being the family’s punching bag.”

Camael tilted her head. “What do you want from me, then?” She asked. It wasn’t said in an antagonistic way. It sounded more like a genuine question.

Lucifer looked around at her. “Stop treating me like you can’t decide whether you want to hug me or punch me.” He said somewhat bitterly. “And stop treating me like I’m fragile. If you want to get to know me again, you have to be the one who puts in the effort.”

He frowned at her. “I don’t need you anymore, Camael. Whether you want to be my sister again or would rather spend the rest of our lives ignoring me… it doesn’t make a difference to me, either way.”

Lucifer watched her face fall and wrapped one of his wings around her. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t want you around,” He said quietly. “but I’m not going to go chasing after you to get you to talk to me anymore. That’s up to you now.”

Camael leaned into his wing. “I want to get to know you again Sam.” She said softly. “I’ve missed my little brother.”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “But?” He asked cynically, though he felt Light relax at her words. He knew that that part of himself had always doubted that their older sister really cared about them.

Camael smiled faintly. “But nothing.” She said amused. “The only thing I wanted to ask is whether you plan on staying in Heaven.”

Lucifer tilted his head. “No.” He admitted. “Once this is all over, Maze and I are going back home.”

“Home…” Camael said quietly, almost to herself. “You’re happy on Earth.” It wasn’t quite a question, but it wasn’t a statement either.

“Happier than I can ever remember being up here.” Her brother answered. “As for Hell, I think that goes without saying.”

Camael hesitated. “Speaking of Hell…do you want to talk about it?” She asked gently.

“No.” Lucifer answered decisively. “I’ve already talked to Michael about it.”

Camael didn’t seem even remotely surprised that Michael knew, but she did look a little amused. A moment later however, she turned serious again. “And what do you want me to do about Mazikeen?” She asked.

Lucifer looked at her wearily. “What do you mean by that?” He asked carefully.

“Well, I’m guessing you don’t want me to tell our siblings about her.” His sister answered. “But I think you’ll have to let them know eventually.”

Now Lucifer scowled. “What gives you that idea?” He demanded.

Camael glanced at him. “She speaks Enochian Sam.” She said gently.

Lucifer blinked. “She what?” He asked surprised.

“When we were talking to the reevaluated souls, Azrael was talking to me in Enochian, and you know she has trouble switching between languages.” Camael sighed, before continuing. “So, when Mazikeen came in and Azzy started talking to her, she was still speaking Enochian and Mazikeen responded like she’s been speaking our language since the day she learned to talk.”

Lucifer stared at her. “I-That-that doesn’t make sense.” He said weakly. “That’s never happened before.”

“Maybe you’ve never spoken to her in Enochian.” Camael said with a shrug of her shoulders. “The point is that it comes as naturally to her as it does to any other celestial. This is bound to happen again and I think it’d be better if they hear your side of the story before they can make up their own.”

Lucifer closed his eyes and groaned in frustration, dropping his head in his hands. “I can’t.” He said, his voice muffled.

Camael frowned down at him. “Why not? You don’t have to tell them any details, and nobody will think any less of you.” She tried to reassure him, but Lucifer just shook his head.

“You don’t understand, Camael.” He said, finally looking up at her. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Camael repeated, looking puzzled.

Her brother sighed. “I swore I’d never tell anyone that she’s my daughter. And since I can’t lie, any promises I make are binding.” He explained.

Camael blinked. “That…does complicate things, I suppose.” She said after a moment of silence.

Lucifer heaved another sigh. “Besides, it’s Maze’s life. At the end of the day, it’s her choice who finds out.”

Camael pursed her lips. “People are going to notice.” She said stiffly.

“Then I’ll deal with it when the time comes.” Lucifer said stubbornly.

Camael sighed defeatedly, knowing that if Sam didn’t want something, it wasn’t going to happen. “Do you want to explain to Azrael, at least?” She asked. “She was there when Mazikeen spoke Enochian.”

Lucifer hesitated. “No.” He said finally. “Just don’t bring it up again. If she asks about it, I’ll think of something.” He said with finality.

Camael sighed. “Fine.” She said. “I just know this is going to come back to bite you.”

Lucifer didn’t respond and Camael shifted her wings a little.

“I wanted to talk to you about something before all of this.” She said carefully.

“Should I be worried?” Lucifer asked cynically.

Camael shrugged. “Depends on how eager you are to talk about it.” She answered. Then she sighed and turned to Lucifer. “During the reevaluations I saw a few memories of you and the Miracle and-“

“Don’t.” Lucifer cut her off. “Whatever you’re about to say, just don’t.”

Camael sighed. “Sam, I know you don’t want to talk about her, but you can’t just ignore it.”

“Name one reason why I can’t ignore it.” Lucifer said stubbornly.

“You’re going to see her again.” Camael said forcefully and Lucifer stiffened. “I’ve seen the reevaluations, I know how much of your life on Earth revolves around her.”

Lucifer went to speak, but Camael cut across him. “I know that this is painful for you, Sam. But the fact of the matter is that you can’t go back to Earth without interacting with her. You need to be alright with that.”

Lucifer took a deep, shuddering breath and Camael waited patiently for him to talk. “I can’t talk about this.” He said in a strangled voice.

Camael sat back a little. “Alright, why not?” She asked mildly.

Her brother looked at her as though she’d lost her mind. “What scares you about talking about her?” Camael elaborated.

Lucifer glared when he realised that she wasn’t letting this go, but Camael just watched him steadily and he sighed. “I’ll forgive her.” Was all he said.

Camael tilted her head. “What do you mean?” She asked confused.

Lucifer pursed his lips. “Every time I let myself think about her, I start justifying everything she’s done. I keep making excuses for her actions.” He looked down at his hands. “I’m afraid that if I even let myself think about her I’m going to forgive her and that’ll open the door for her to hurt me again.” He said softly.

He waited for Camael to say something. To laugh at him or mock him for being so pathetic, but to his surprise Camael only sighed and said, “You really do care about her, don’t you?”

Lucifer looked up at her startled, before he eased a little and huffed. “It seems everyone I care about either gets hurt or hurts me.” He said bitterly.

He thought of Eve, who’d been forced to leave Eden after being caught with him, of Delilah and Father Frank, of Charlotte and Linda. All of them had become close to him and all of them had been hurt or killed, sometimes just for associating with him.

Camael seemed to have read his mind. “I think that’s mostly because you tend to connect best with people who are similar to you.” She said gently.

Lucifer scoffed. “In what way?” He asked sceptically.

“They stand out.” Camael answered. “The people you associate with tend to break away from what’s normal and that makes them more likely to take risks.”

She leaned forward and wrapped an arm around him. “It’s not your fault they get hurt, they’re just more inclined to get into trouble just by being themselves.”

Lucifer let out a hollow laugh. “Most of them never had any trouble until after they met me.” He said resentfully.

Camael smiled and leaned back so she could look at him properly. “Do you know why people are so drawn to you?” She asked.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow at her. “Because I literally reflect their desires?” He drawled.

Camael however, shook her head. “No it’s because you be whoever they want to be without a single ounce of judgment.” She told him softly. “I’ve heard people say that you bring out the worst in people just as often as I’ve heard people say you bring out the best in them. But in reality you bring out everything that makes a person. You find all that they are and pull it to the surface. It’s why people just can’t help but like you.”

She watched him ponder this for a few moments before she spoke again. “It’s also why Michael is more prone to scaring people away.” She said with amusement. “He’s much more conform than you. He makes people feel judged and draw into themselves.”

She hesitated for a moment, then ploughed on. “I think that’s also what happened during the Rebellion.” She said softly, watching as Samael stiffened at her words. “Will exists as intent. We were all so wound up and confrontational back then.”

Gently, Camael pulled her little brother close to her chest and started carding her fingers through his hair. “I don’t think you really forced us to fight with each other.” She said gently. “Will doesn’t work like that. It just takes what’s already there and pulls it to the surface.” She rested her chin on Samael’s hair when she felt him start to tremble.

“You didn’t want us to hurt each other.” Camael told him. “You just did what you’ve always done and forced us to acknowledge what we were trying to hide.” By now, Samael had started to cry into her shoulder and she tightened her grip on him.

They stayed that way for a couple of hours, Camael stroking her little brother’s hair and Samael tucked away in her arms.

Chapter Text

Hey all!

So I just wanted to let you know, I just reposted my reaction fic, with a new chapter to compensate for its brief absence.

I don’t know if you realised or not, so I just thought I’d let you know.

PS.: I have also updated my list of Angel characters, so it now holds the Angels’ names as well as the Grigoris’ spouses names, who they’re married to, the Nephillims’ names and who their parents are. 

Chapter Text

Okay, I know what this looks like, but I promise this is not a glitch or me being an ass.

I added a chapter in the middle of my fanfiction because the overall story is missing some context and I can’t continue writing without filling in some of the blanks.

To see the new chapter, check out chapter 5.

Chapter Text

When Lucifer returned to the infirmary, Raphael was waiting for him, arms folded and eyes sharp with frustration.

“Where were you last night?” she demanded. “Just because I told you you’re ready to leave the infirmary does not mean that you don’t have to come back at night. You’re still recovering, what if something had happened?”

He shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze. “I stayed with Michael.” He said simply.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “If that’s the best excuse you can come up with, I’ll be severely disappointed.” She said dryly.

Lucifer’s lips twitched. “Dad started teaching me how to control my Will yesterday.” He explained. “Michael was the first person I went to afterwards. I just… needed to be near him.”

He didn’t mention the nightmare, nor what it had entailed.

His sister didn’t need to know about that.

Raphael’s stern expression softened slightly. She could only imagine how desperately Lucifer must have wanted and needed to learn how to control his Will and she remembered how Michael used to cling to Samael’s side after his own lessons.

She supposed it made sense that Lucifer would need Michael’s presence as badly as Michael had needed his on days like this, where their Domains were particularly volatile. She didn’t need the details spelled out.

Still, she pressed her lips into a thin line and sighed. “I understand, but next time, let me know, alright? You scared me.”

Lucifer offered a small, sheepish smile and nodded. “I will. I promise.”

At that moment, the infirmary door opened and Azazel entered the room.

He looked at Lucifer. “Hey.” He said.

He looked between Lucifer’s sheepish smile and Raphael’s stern posture wearily and Lucifer knew immediately what he was thinking.

Raphael’s reprimands were legendary and definitely not something one would want to get in the middle of.

“Am I interrupting something?” Azazel asked cautiously.

Raphael sighed heavily. “No.” She answered with a slightly annoyed tone.

Then she turned on her heal and stalked towards the other end of the infirmary, where another door led to her personal laboratory.

Lucifer could hear her muttering about annoying little brothers doing whatever they wanted without any consideration for anyone else.

Azazel whistled. “Whatever you did, I hope it was worth whatever she comes up with as revenge.”

Lucifer shrugged. “I won’t know until she does it.” He said carelessly.

Then he turned to Azazel. “Did you need anything?” He asked.

Azazel glanced at him. “Yeah, I came to tell you that me and the other Watchers want to meet with you.” He said.

Lucifer looked sharply at him, tension coiling in his stomach. “What for?” He asked.

Don’t say Maze, don’t say Maze, don’t-

Azazel raised an eyebrow questioningly. “They’ve made a decision regarding the boy from the reevaluations. Ivanna thought you’d want to be involved.”

Relief washed over Lucifer, and the tension left him as he nodded. “She was right. I do.”

“She usually is.” Azazel said, as he turned to leave.

Lucifer hesitated, wondering if he should let Raphael know he was leaving.

A loud crash from inside the laboratory and Raphael’s furious cursing made the decision rather easy.

With a quick glance at the laboratory door, Lucifer followed Azazel out of the infirmary.

He’d let his future self deal with the consequences.

Together, Lucifer and Azazel made their way toward the afterlives.

Upon arriving at the Nephillim’s afterlife, they found all the Watchers—except for Azazel himself—and their spouses gathered around a long oak dining table. Anah and Raziel, Merachiel and Jophiel, Ashtael and Gadriel, Elyana and Ezekiel, Netziah and Cambiel, and finally Ivanna, were all seated, waiting for them.

The Nephillim were nowhere in sight, and Lucifer assumed they were off playing in another section of the afterlife.

He and Azazel took their seats. At once, all eyes turned to them. Lucifer fidgeted under the weight of their gazes.

Ivanna offered him a kind smile, as if sensing his unease. “We’ve decided to take the boy in,” she said. “He can stay for as long as he wishes. We’ve prepared a room for him and told our children to expect him.”

Lucifer’s brow furrowed. “Will he face any hostility from the Nephillim?”

Ashtael shifted in her seat. “Some were… less than thrilled.” She admitted. “You know they don’t trust strangers.”

Ivanna’s voice hardened. “I won’t tolerate cruelty toward him. I’ve already made that clear.” Her expression faltered slightly. “I am worried, though… about his reaction to Naomi. Her deformities can be… startling for newcomers. Especially children. I don’t want her to be hurt.”

Lucifer’s lips curved into a soft smile. “Scars and deformities have never bothered him.” He said, remembering how the boy had looked at his Devil face with wide-eyed fascination and had simply said it looked cool.

Ivanna frowned in concern. Lucifer caught the look and winced inwardly. She didn’t know the full extent of his punishment.

He cleared his throat and steered the conversation away. “He might act strangely sometimes—if something breaks or if he speaks out of turn. It’s… common for children who’ve grown up in abusive households.”

Anah leaned forward, sorrow deep in her eyes. “What kinds of behaviours should we expect?”

Lucifer hesitated, then answered, “He might flinch if someone raises a hand or makes a sudden movement towards him. He’ll go quiet if he thinks he’s in trouble—he’s trying not to make it worse. And… if you want to speak with him, it’s better to go to him. Being called over feels like punishment to him. He’s more likely to run and hide.”

As he spoke, he noticed Jophiel watching him closely, though he pushed the thought aside.

When he finished, Gadriel leaned forward. “We should meet him, then. But… I remember Azrael saying his mother never named him.”

Lucifer’s eyes darkened. “She gave birth at home. Never registered him. Never took him outside. Never enrolled him in school or let him near other children.”

Elyana exhaled. “She was pretending he didn’t exist.”

Lucifer nodded grimly.

Ivanna’s voice was cautious when she spoke next. “How… how did he die? He was so young.”

Lucifer caught the concern in her voice and understood what she feared. “His mother didn’t kill him. Not directly anyway. He had Double Pneumonia. He might have survived if she’d taken him to a doctor. But she didn’t. So…”

Merachiel’s voice was low and hard. “She’s lucky it wasn’t her own abuse that killed him.” He glanced at Lucifer. “We’d like to be present for her reevaluation, if possible.”

Lucifer tilted his head thoughtfully. “You’ll have to ask Dad. I’m not part of the reevaluation process anymore.”

They nodded and returned to discussing practicalities—living arrangements, emotional support, boundaries. Eventually, Ivanna rose to her feet. “It’s time. I’ll go get him.”

Not long after she’d left, the Nephillim trickled in, curious. Naomi ran straight to Lucifer, her tiny feet pattering across the floor as fast as they could carry her. She flung herself into his arms with a delighted squeal.

A while later, the door opened again. Ivanna returned, gently guiding the boy into the room.

The Nephillim immediately tensed.

All except Naomi. Without hesitation, she rushed over to the boy and held out her hand.

“Hi! I’m Naomi!” She said brightly.

The boy blinked at her, before he smiled shyly. “You’re pretty.” Was all he said.

Naomi’s face turned bright red, and she ducked behind her father’s legs.

Azazel looked down at her startled. “Naomi honey, is everything okay?” He asked concerned.

Naomi nodded rapidly, but didn’t move from behind his legs, nor did she say anything in response.

She was shy. The chattiest, most outgoing and trusting of the Nephillim was shy.

Because a boy had called her pretty.

Lucifer chuckled. “That’s a first.” He said amused.

Finally peeking out from behind Azazel’s legs, Naomi asked, “What’s your name?”

The boy looked confused. “I don’t have one.” He said like that should have been obvious.

Naomi gasped. “You don’t have a name?!”

The boy made a strange face. “Names are only for children who don’t ruin their mother’s life. That’s what my momma told me.”

Lucifer’s jaw clenched. “That’s all she ever told you.” He muttered bitterly.

Naomi frowned. “Your mom sounds dumb.” She said bluntly. “Doesn’t she know that everybody has a name?” Then she brightened. “I have a name for you.” She said excitedly.

She grinned and announced, “You’re Ethan!”

The boy’s eyes widened. He glanced at Ivanna, looking scared.

Ivanna only smiled warmly. “Ethan is a lovely name.” She praised.

The boy looked even more confused at her words, but he seemed less weary when he turned back to Naomi and gave her a hesitant smile.

She beamed back at him, then seized his hand and started pulling him toward a door that Lucifer remembered lead to a playroom.

The other Nephillim followed more slowly, clearly unsure, but gradually beginning to relax as they saw Ethan’s quiet demeanor and gentle nature.

As Lucifer watched the tension slowly leave their shoulders, he couldn’t help but smile. Perhaps Ethan’s presence in the Nephillim’s lives could help to heal not just him, but them as well.

———

The coming months were uneventful.

Ethan adapted to his new family quickly and the Nephillim took to him like fish to water.

Lucifer’s injuries healed nicely, though he was still sore.

The number of souls waiting at the pearly gates shrunk every day.

The reevaluations were going smoothly and finally after two months of reevaluations, the last soul was finally sent back to Hell.

Three days later, God called all His Children together for a meeting at the courthouse.

“The reevaluations are finished,” He told them. “But we have six more souls to deal with before we can call it a day.”

The mood around the room immediately darkened at His words.

It was finally time to punish the men who’d started this entire thing.

William Kinley and his men.

Lucifer’s smile could cut steel. “Let’s get to it then.” He said.

Chapter Text

The air hummed with tension as the priests looked around in awe.

They had only been semi-aware of their surroundings during their time in the cells. They had not realised where they were, only that the Earth which they called their home was no longer beneath their feet.

Now, though, as they stood in Heaven’s courtroom in the midst of the entire Heavenly Host, they began to realise where they were.

And God watched their weary caution morph into excited anticipation.

God stood at the center of His Court, the ground beneath His feet thrumming with ancient power, bound by the Will of Creation itself. Above, the sky of the Silver City shimmered with a brilliance mortal eyes could never behold. And yet six pairs of such eyes now squinted against that glow.

Six priests.

Kneeling in the Court of Heaven, expressions expectant. Gratitude, pride, awe—it radiated from them in equal measure. They knelt like saints before His throne, convinced of their righteousness. Blind to the weight behind the silence that surrounded them.

God did not smile. He had changed His appearance for this occasion. He had taken on a form with contradictory features.

Dark skin, broad shoulders, a short stature, blonde hair, green eyes. Each and every one of His Children was present in His features, but most prominently, the white wings at His back represented the one Child He had failed more often than He could make up for.

Today He was not a God, or even a Judge.

Today, He was a Father. One whose Child had been threatened and whose wrath knew no bounds in the face of those who had dared to harm His Son.

He looked first to the eldest, William Kinley. The man bowed his head, not in guilt, but in reverence. They think I’ve summoned them to be praised, God thought, the emotion beneath His stillness hardening.

They were waiting for a blessing.

He would take great pleasure in tearing down their misguided beliefs.

Beside Him, Lucifer stood tall, his wings spread almost defiantly, as though he was actively trying to spite those who had tried to ravage them with their radiance.

But God saw what His Son was trying to hide.

His Lightbringer no longer bore the signs of torment: his form was whole, his wings restored, though the feathers now shimmered with the red glow of Hellfire. There was no limp, no hesitation in his gait—but something quieter lingered. An imperceptible tension. His shoulders never fully relaxed. His eyes flicked briefly to the six men kneeling before them and then just as quickly away.

Not just hate. Not just vengeance. Something older. Weariness.

At his side stood Michael.

Identical. Divine. Silent. One hand resting on Lucifer’s back, the other gently carding through the feathers at the base of his wings.

Kinley saw first Lucifer, and then Michael and his brows knit together, as though confused by the sight of two angels so alike and still so very contradictory.

Up here, in this room, so shrouded in the power of their own divinity, they did not resemble their human appearance.

Lucifer, with eyes like supernovas and skin bright as the sun. Fire burned red across his skin, flickering like the stars in the sky, the only indication of his identity. His wings were an afterimage on a mortal’s retinas, their edges blurred and melting into all the colours of the rainbow.

Michael, with features of obsidian, his eyes so dark that his sockets looked hollow. Violet lightning flashed across his skin, making it thrum with a weak impression of the immeasurable Power that lay beneath the surface. His wings were mere shadows on the wall, intangible and haunting in their inexplicability.

Kinley did not see their faces, did not recognise the beings he’d nearly destroyed with his self-importance.

He did not yet understand.

None of them did.

They bowed lower, murmuring prayers, blessings. One priest wept in gratitude.

They believed this was a reward.

God’s voice boomed like the First Word across the stones.

“William Kinley.”

Kinley looked up eagerly, reverence pouring from every pore of his body. “Yes, my Lord.”

“You and those who stand beside you stand in My Court, within My City, to answer for your crimes against My Son.””

Confusion flickered across their faces. One of the younger priests smiled faintly. Kinley, however, stiffened.

Answer?

This must be a test, Kinley thought, a trick to test our devotion.

Kinley straightened. “My Lord, surely there’s been some mistake. We did Your will. We cast out the Devil himself. We restored your dominion to this Earth.”

Lucifer did not flinch at the title.

But Michael turned his head.

For the first time since arriving, the Archangel’s gaze moved from Lucifer to the men on the floor. He stared. No emotion on his face. Just silent Judgment.

One of the younger priests—Father Thomas—shifted where he knelt. “Lord, we saved souls. We brought You glory. If… if this is a test—”

“There is no test,” God interrupted, His voice a force of nature. “There is only Truth.”

He waited as doubt bloomed and then withered in the hearts of the priests. The youngest one, Thomas, was the first to falter.

“This isn’t… what we were promised,” he whispered, knees buckling.

Another priest turned on him. “Don’t lose faith! The Lord is testing us!”

But the silence was not of a test.

It was Judgment.

Then came the image. God summoned it forth from memory and pain.

It filled the space above them—projected in raw, glowing detail. The chamber dimmed to shadow, and the priests saw what they had done.

Lucifer, strung up by Enochian magic. Blood on his skin. Symbols carved into him by mortal knives. Gagged, silenced, unable to scream. His body spasming with every slash of a blade. His wings—those glorious white wings—shredded with each new chant, each new slash of a blade. His mouth had moved beneath the gag, but not even Michael had heard his cries.

The priests watched in mounting horror. Some turned away.

Kinley did not.

“No,” he said aloud. “This is a trick. A deception! The Beast is a liar! This is not real!”

Michael moved for the first time.

He stepped forward, and the floor beneath him darkened as shadows curled around his feet.

“You dare call this a lie?” he hissed, his voice like cold iron.

Kinley faltered. That voice—it rang with the same power as God’s, yet separate. It belonged to Judgment itself.

“You call this justice?” Michael asked. “To bind and maim what you do not understand? To silence that which you fear?”

The priests recoiled.

All but Kinley.

His lips parted. He blinked. Once. Twice. And then shook his head.

“No,” he whispered again.

The other priests stared at the vision in horror. Father Emmanuel turned away, retching. One began to sob. Another looked to Kinley, eyes wide with dawning horror. “That’s not… that’s Satan. That’s not—”

Kinley snarled. “He lies. He disguises himself as an angel of light, does he not? That is Scripture! This is trickery!”

Lucifer said nothing, his lips curled with disgust.

God could feel his hatred, because William Kinley spoke the truth. His truth, that he believed so thoroughly that even the Light could not detect the lie within those words.

Lucifer wanted to speak up, to put this mortal in his place.

But this was not his time to speak. Only those who were to be damned ever spoke through punishments.

Punishment itself was always quiet. So Lucifer would keep his silence until it was his turn.

God turned His gaze on Kinley.

And for a moment, William Kinley knew—he knew what it was to be seen by something holy. Not adored. Not approved. Just Seen.

“You speak of Scripture, and yet you do not recognize the one who bore My light from the very beginning. The being who formed the Earth beneath his gentle fingers and breathed life and light into your lives.”

Kinley’s head shook faster now. “No. No. That’s the Devil. You gave us signs! You led us to him! This was Your Will!”

“You speak of God’s Will,” Michael said furiously, his voice reverberating through the room like thunder across a valley. “Yet you do not realise that it is God’s Will that you had chained within that circle.”

Kinley shook his head, opened his mouth to speak, but Michael wasn’t done with him yet.

“You gagged him,” Michael went on, his voice rising like a tidal wave seconds before it reached the shore. “You stripped him of his voice. You carved sigils first into the ground and then into his skin to keep his voice from reaching us.”

Kinley turned to him, blinking in disbelief. “You—you speak as if you care for him—”

“I do,” Michael replied. “He is my Twin.”

The revelation hit the priests like a blade of ice.

“No…” one of the priests whispered.

“Yes.” Michael answered coldly. “I am the Archangel Michael, Twin of Lucifer Morningstar. The Shadow of the Lightbringer.”

No, Kinley’s mind insisted, this cannot be real. Michael is the Sword of God. Lucifer is the Adversary. They cannot—

The priests trembled, but Kinley’s eyes flicked up. He clung to his delusions with the tenacity of the damned.

The Devil wears many masks, he thought.
Perhaps Michael had been deceived. Possessed, even.

Kinley looked down, his mind made up, and glanced between the two angels, his expression flickering with disoriented rage. “Impossible. There is only one Morning Star. There is only one Lightbearer! Lucifer is evil incarnate! The Scripture says—!”

“The Scripture says many things,” God said. “Some written by Me. Some written by truth. And you have known only those that were written by man, that have been rewritten and twisted and diluted by people like yourself, who sought to use their faith as a weapon with which to hold power over those less fortunate.”

Kinley was shaking now, not with fear—but with rejection. He could not let this in. Not even as his fellow priests began to crumble.

Father Emmanuel dropped to the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold floor, sobbing, crying out apologies. Father Marchand tried to flee the circle—only to find himself locked in place by the will of the Court. Two others stared at God with trembling horror, realization clawing into them like cold fire.

Another was watching God with a blank face–no repentance, no remorse, not even a hint of fear. His face and posture remained unchanged, unaffected by the brewing storm that whirled around them and threatened to engulf them in its force.

But Kinley was not unmoving.

“No,” he whispered again. “This is a trial. A test of faith. I must not be deceived. I will not be deceived.”

“Then you are already lost,” God said, voice flat.

Lucifer finally looked at Kinley.

His gaze was vindictive, his smile sharp.

Then he turned to the one other priest who showed no sign of repentance.

His gaze turned knowing, recognition flickering behind his eyes.

The other priest looked back at him, face still unmoving, but something calculating flashed across his face for the briefest of seconds.

“You tortured the Lightbringer,” God said. “You exalted yourselves above Angels. You mistook your pride for righteousness, and your violence for holiness.”

Kinley pressed his hands together. “I—please. If he is truly Your son—if he truly is—then I beg You. Why would You let us do this? Why would You remain silent?”

“I did not know,” God replied, His eyes flashing. “And you took advantage of my ignorance and called it permission.”

Silence followed.

And in that silence, Kinley’s mind refused to bend.

Even as the other priests wept, begged, broke—Kinley knelt unmoved. Unyielding. Rigid in belief.

Because if he bent, he would break.

And William Kinley could not break.

So instead, he stayed still.

Even as God passed Judgment on them all.

They had seen the Truth.

And still, Kinley would not move.

The other five were unraveling.

Emmanuel clutched at the hem of his robe, sobbing into his hands. His prayers were not for redemption—they were for erasure. To un-know. To un-see. To undo. Beside him, Father Thomas had fallen to the ground, face pale and body wracked with silent screams. He was too far in shock to speak.

Two others—Fathers Marchand and De Sousa—stared at Lucifer in trembling disbelief. They had never dared imagine the Devil would look back at them with tired eyes. Not cruel. Not accusing. Just… exhausted. Human eyes did not know what to do with that.

Only Kinley remained rigid, as though any movement would be admission.

God regarded them all.

“Judgment is not wrath,” He said. “It is Truth. And Truth reveals.”

Lucifer didn’t move as the priests began to glow, all but one. The same one who had yet to show any outward reaction to the goings on around him. He stood still, wings spread wide, face unreadable.

Michael made to step forward, but Lucifer caught his arm and muttered something to him. Michael glanced at him in confusion, but nodded, then took a step towards the priest nearest to him.

His voice was calm, but it echoed through the room like a tornado warning.

“Father Emmanuel,” he said, turning to the man who wept in fetal position. “You tied a gag across My Twin’s face. You invoked rites older than you understood, called Heaven’s essence down on one who carried it within him already. What have you to say?”

“I didn’t know,” Emmanuel sobbed. “I thought— I thought it was for You! I thought—”

“You thought,” Michael repeated. “But you did not know for sure.”

Emmanuel cried harder, curling into himself.

Michael moved on. “Father De Sousa. You sang hymns as you carved patterns into my Twin’s skin. You praised God while My Twin screamed beneath you.”

De Sousa closed his eyes. “I thought… I thought it was righteous.”

“Was it?” Michael asked.

A pause.

“No.” The priest trembled.

“Would you do it again?” Michael asked.

De Sousa shook his head. “No. God help me—no.”

Michael said nothing more. But the light surrounding De Sousa changed—no longer stark white, but silver. Dimmed. Processing.

It would not erase what he had done. But perhaps… he would not remain lost.

Father Marchand could not speak at all. His mouth opened, but no sound came.

Michael did not need it. “You saw pain and worshiped it. You mistook agony for confirmation.”

Marchand’s light turned pitch black.

He too would have to face what he had done in the name of Heaven.

When Michael turned to Father Desmond, the one who’d been completely silent up until now, he glanced back at Lucifer, before passing him by completely, to confused muttering from the Host.

The priest’s fists clenched, but he said nothing.

When Michael reached Thomas, the youngest of them all, the boy barely older than twenty, he did not plead or question. He simply whispered: “Please… I didn’t know who he was. I was scared. They said… they said he was the Devil.”

“He is,” Michael said. “He is also My Twin.”

Thomas began to weep.

“Will you carry this truth?”

“I don’t know how,” Thomas choked. “I don’t— I don’t think I can bear it.”

“You must.”

The silver light pulsed around Thomas.

There was no comfort in it. But there was clarity.

Then Michael turned to the last.

William Kinley.

Still kneeling. Still proud. Still silent.

“Do you understand?” Michael asked.

Kinley did not respond.

“Do you accept the truth?”

Kinley finally lifted his head and looked, not to Michael– the Judge, but to God– the Lord. His eyes were dry. But there was fury in them. Cold, righteous, bitter fury.

“You’re testing me,” he said. “You’re… You want to see if I’ll turn away. If I’ll forsake You for a lie. But I won’t. I won’t.”

“There is no test,” Michael said. “There is only what is.”

Kinley’s face contorted. “He’s the Deceiver! He must be! How else could this happen? You—You would never let this happen unless—unless—!”

Lucifer met his gaze. No gloating. Just knowing. Lucifer knew his fate already, because he knew Kinley’s desires, and repentance was not one of them.

Kinley would suffer for a lie he alone believed in.

“I did everything right,” Kinley spat. “I gave You everything.”

“You gave Me your image of Me,” God said.

Kinley’s hands clenched. “Then I’ve been faithful to that image.”

God said nothing.

And that silence was a weight heavier than any damnation.

Kinley trembled. But he did not break. Not in the way that would have saved him.

God raised a hand. The light surrounding each man shimmered—silver, black, and white and one, Kinley’s, was neither. It flickered dark. Static. Refusing clarity.

“These men will return,” God said. “Changed. Not vindicated. Not condemned. They will remember.”

Michael’s gaze did not leave Kinley.

“Except this one,” God continued. “This one refuses.”

Kinley’s voice rose. “I refuse to be deceived!”

“And so you shall remain blind.”

A ripple of divine Power flowed from God’s outstretched hand, and Kinley dropped to the floor with a grunt—not in pain, but in limitation. His vision dulled. His senses numbed. His memory fragmented at the edges. His limited belief made physical. He would live the rest of his afterlife in a world that allowed him to experience only what his narrow mind deserved to see.

His vision dulled to muddy, dark colours. His hearing muffled until even the loudest shouts sounded far away. His hands turned numb, only allowing the barest of touches to register in his mind. His sense of smell picked up only the barest hint of scents. His taste dulled until any food he consumed tasted the same.

He would carry the truth in pieces.

Never able to make them whole.

Never able to feel certainty again.

That was his sentence.

Not fire.

Not exile.

Unknowing.

Michael turned, finally, and walked away.

Back toward Lucifer.

The five priests collapsed to the ground as the light released them. They did not speak. They could not. Not yet.

Kinley alone stared upward, no longer blinded by the light of the Morning Star, trembling—not in reverence.

But in rage.

God watched them all. His expression unreadable.

So rarely does man accept truth when it costs him his certainty.

And with that, the priests dissolved. The living returned to Earth, back to where they had been when they’d been taken.

They would walk to the police station and confess their every guilt for all the world to see.

William Kinley would remain in one of Heaven’s afterlives. The most beautiful of them all, knowing it was there, knowing where he was and yet unable to appreciate any of it.

With that done, Lucifer turned to the remaining priest that had not yet been Judged.

His wings shivered with some suppressed emotion that the others didn’t understand but that, inexplicably, made the remaining priest smirk.

When Lucifer spoke, his voice was cold. “Hello Alaric.”

Chapter Text

For a moment there was absolute silence in the courtroom.

Then the priest bolted for the exit, and the Angels exploded.

Ezekiel lunged forward, cutting off the priest’s dash for the door.

The man grinned and held up his hands as Ezekiel swung his glaive at him. He stepped back and Ezekiel stepped forward.

“Hey Zeke.” The man said grinning, and his voice sent chills down the Angels’ spines.

They knew that voice.

God raised His hand, His face thunderous.

Before their very eyes, the man’s face changed. His face melted away to reveal sharper features, dirty blonde hair and calculating hazel eyes. His skin became paler, fading from Father Desmond’s brown tan to stark white, and it was rotted and decomposing, like a corpse infested with maggots.

This was a demon. And the Angels knew him.

This was the same demon who had held Ezekiel’s nine year old son underwater as he drowned. The same demon who had later held Samael’s face in the Lake of Fire as he was burned alive and then proceeded to slit his eye open.

Alaric continued to grin, even as Ezekiel grabbed him by the hair and started dragging him toward the center of the courtroom.

Alaric laughed. “Oh look at that, the birdies are angry.” He grinned up at them all.

“How did you get here?” Azazel demanded.

“I believe Daddy Dearest brought me here.” Alaric said dryly.

Azazel ground his teeth, but Raphael narrowed her eyes at the demon, having recognised the implication. “You were there when they tried to exorcise Lucifer?” She asked.

Alaric’s grin widened. “Lady, who do you think gave Kinley that poison? Who do you think told him the truth about Lucifer Morningstar? Who do you think gave him the Enochian magic they would need to trap the Devil himself?” He gestured widely at himself. “Did you even test to see what was in that poison?”

“Hellbeast blood.” Lucifer said before Raphael could answer.

Alaric smiled. “You would recognise it.” He said, satisfied. “With the amount of times we force-fed it to you.”

Lucifer tensed as his siblings’ eyes snapped to him, questioning, weary.

Alaric either didn’t notice or didn’t care that the tension in the room had skyrocketed. He looked around and whistled appreciatively. “Nice place.” He said. “Too bad imma have to tear it down.”

Cambiel laughed derisively. “You?” He sneered. “What chance do you stand against an Angel?”

Alaric looked right at Lucifer as he answered. “Quite a good one, I’d say.” He said casually.

Remiel grinned as if she thought this was a particularly funny joke. “And what gives you that idea?” She asked condescendingly.

Alaric didn’t take his eyes off Lucifer. “Experience.” He said, eyes hungry for something that hadn’t been this close in eons.

Remiel’s smile faltered as she turned to Lucifer. She had expected him to scoff at the absurd claims.

She was not expecting him to turn green like he was trying not to be sick.

She also wasn’t expecting Michael to be looking at the demon with more hatred than all the Watchers combined.

Alaric finally tore his eyes away from Lucifer and looked around again. “We weren’t expecting you to actually intervene.” He said with a glance at God. “You never have before.”

“Stop talking.” Lucifer hissed suddenly. “Stop talking, now.”

Alaric tsked. “Ordering me around? You’ve lost your manners Hêlêl.”

Lucifer couldn’t help it. He flinched. Father above, he hated that name.

Alaric grinned. “That’s better.” He said smugly.

Michael snarled and lunged at the demon, but Lucifer held him back.

We need him alive. Was all he said when his Twin looked at him in askance. We need to know how the demons play into this.

Michael growled, but he backed down.

“Why did you do this?” Ezekiel demanded. “What could you possibly have to gain from this?”

Alaric grinned. “We’ve discovered there’s a Nephillim on Earth that somehow escaped our attention before.” He said cheerfully. “We want to finish what we started.”

Amenadiel froze. “Don’t you dare!” He snarled.

Alaric sent him a confused look. “What’s got your dick in a twist?” He asked. “Just give her to us, and we’ll never bother you again.”

Amenadiel paused and tilted his head. “Her?”

Alaric looked around at the Host’s confused, suspicious faces, before his gaze landed on Lucifer, who’d gone sheet white.

And then Alaric started to laugh. “Holy shit!” He said in between laughs. “They don’t know!” He continued cackling uncontrollably.

“Know what?” Raziel demanded, glancing between Alaric and Lucifer. “What don’t we know?”

Alaric was gasping for breath now, doubled over in his laughter. “I knew you were good, but I never thought you’d manage to hide a whole kid from them!” He gasped out.

The Host went dead silent as all eyes went to Lucifer, who’d begun to shake. “You weren’t supposed to know.” He croaked, staring at Alaric. “You weren’t-“ He cut off as his knees buckled and Michael lurched forward to steady him.

Alaric had his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath, even as the occasional laugh still escaped him. “I-I’m sorry.” He laughed. “I’m sorry, I just cannot get over how nobody up here knows that you had a kid with Elijah’s daughter.”

Azazel’s eyes snapped to Lucifer.

Michael, who had been focused on Lucifer this entire time, whipped his head toward the demon. “Don’t you dare.” He growled, standing up. “Don’t you dare pretend it was anything other than rape!”

Alaric grinned, even as gasps rippled through the crowd of Angels. “Oh please, he’s an Angel. Actually, he’s the Angel. What chance could I possibly stand against him?”

The Host was looking between Lucifer and Alaric like they couldn’t quite decide who was more real.

Michael narrowed his eyes at the demon. “What chance do a bunch of human priests have against him? Using a poison that you supplied them with, might I add.” He countered and Alaric tilted his head.

“Fair enough.” He said, shrugging. Then he turned back to the room at large. “So, are you going to hand her over, or do we have to take her ourselves?” He asked nonchalantly.

That seemed to bring Lucifer back to life. “How did you find out?” He rasped, his throat completely dry.

Alaric smiled, as though he’d been hoping he’d ask him that. “You did a surprisingly good job of hiding her, but I’m afraid she looks just a little bit too much like you.” He said, then gestured to his eyes. “Especially around here.”

Lucifer trembled, but before he could respond, Azazel spoke up. “What do you want?” He asked tiredly. This was not going how any of them had expected it to go.

Alaric rolled his eyes. “Geez you guys are slow.” He said annoyed. “I want Mazikeen.”

Azazel blinked. “The…demon?” He asked, glancing at Lucifer hesitantly.

The Angel in question still seemed too out of it to pay attention to what was going on around him.

Alaric threw his head back and groaned. “Half. Demon.” He said slowly, enunciating each word like he was speaking to someone particularly stupid. “And half Angel.”

Azazel stared at him. The pieces were chasing themselves around his head, forming a very disturbing picture.

We want to finish what we started.

I want Mazikeen.

Half. Demon.

Don’t you dare pretend it was anything other than rape.

You had a kid with Elijah’s daughter.

We weren’t expecting you to actually intervene.

You never have before.

You’ve lost your manners Hêlêl.

It was terrifying how easily those bits and pieces fit together and made sense.

Azazel could see his siblings drawing the same conclusion he was coming up with.

He could see the revulsion in their eyes as they stared at Alaric in a whole new light.

Camael seemed the least surprised by the revelations. “You’re not getting any of our children.” She said sharply.

Alaric sighed, like he was already sick of them all. “I wasn’t asking, babe. I call grandparents’ rights.”

That seemed to snap Lucifer out of his temporary stasis. “You have no claim over her.” He snarled.

Alaric raised an eyebrow. “Temper, temper little Angel, you wouldn’t want this to get ugly.”

“I would love nothing more.” Michael growled, taking a step forward.

Alaric glanced at him. “So you’re the dumb one. Got it.”

Michael bristled.

Don’t fight him. Lucifer said in his head, cutting off Michael’s response. He likes it when you talk back to him. It means he got to you.

Michael’s eyes burned with hatred as he glared at the demon, but he heeded his Twin and backed down.

Alaric sighed when Michael didn’t rise to his bait, like he was disappointed he wouldn’t get to diss anyone today. “Oh well, I’m out.” He said, turning towards the exit.

“Oh no you don’t.” Ezekiel growled, cutting the demon’s escape short with his glaive.

Alaric looked at it, then up at Ezekiel.

And then he grinned.

Lucifer saw it coming a second before it happened.

He yelled at Ezekiel to look out just as Alaric pulled a small, rounded blade from a holster at his waist and slashed it at the Angel.

Ezekiel, thinking that Alaric couldn’t possibly have the means to harm him, didn’t dodge in time.

The blade cut across his chest, long and deep.

Ezekiel yelled as blood splattered across the courtroom floor.

He stumbled, but Alaric didn’t run towards the door. Instead, he lunged at Ezekiel and clamped his mouth over the open wound.

Before the Angels could do anything other than yell, Alaric’s entire essence began to change.

The rotten flesh of his face knit itself back together, the colour returned to his skin and his eyes glowed golden with divinity.

The seconds before someone finally pulled Alaric off of Ezekiel seemed to drag by far too slowly.

But once Zazel grabbed ahold of the demon, time immediately seemed to speed up.

Alaric elbowed Zazel in the stomach and flipped him onto his back with a strength that no demon should ever possess.

Then he ran.

Before the Host could give chase, God snapped His fingers and Alaric dissolved into nothing.

Raphael didn’t wait for the Host to settle down before she flew to Ezekiel, who’d collapsed the moment Alaric had released him.

“I’m fine.” He reassured her once she’d healed the cut on his chest. “He just took me by surprise, is all.”

Raphael still looked worried, but she nodded in acceptance.

“Did you kill him?” Azazel asked his Father when he was sure that both Ezekiel and Zazel were alright.

God shook His head. “I sent him back to the cells. As much as I would have liked to dispose of him, this situation is too delicate for us to go into blind. We need the demon.” Even as He said it, it was clear God hated the idea of placing any amount of trust in a demon. Especially this one.

As Raziel looked over to the spot where Alaric had disappeared, he said slowly. “He said that it was him and the other demons who’d instigated Kinley’s exorcism attempt. They tried to attack one of our own through humans.”

“Why though?” Raguel questioned. “Why now? What could they possibly have to gain from this?”

Azazel stared down at where the demon had disappeared. “What if this exorcism wasn’t just some harebrained scheme that a fanatical priest came up with spontaneously?” He’s asked, gaining the rest of the Host’s attention. “What if this whole thing was pre-planned ages ago?”

God hesitated. “If that is the case.” He said quietly. “Then this incident is more than just another exorcism.” His voice hardened as he continued. “It’s an act of war.”

Azazel hesitated. “And…what about what Alaric said…about Lucifer?” He asked haltingly, like he was afraid to ask because he knew he wouldn’t like the answer.

God looked over at where Lucifer and Michael had stood earlier.

Lucifer had slipped out during the chaos of Alaric’s attack on Ezekiel and Michael had followed him out immediately.

He closed His eyes.

Rape.

The word had been bouncing around His head ever since Michael had yelled it at Alaric.

Just when He thought He knew of all of His Son’s suffering…

God sighed wearily. “There is absolutely no doubt in My mind that Lucifer did not want us to know about that particular period of time.” He said tiredly. “And I think this entire ordeal took him thoroughly off guard. So for now I’d say we wait for Lucifer to calm down and come talk to us.”

Azazel fiddled with his wedding ring, a nervous habit he’d picked up a couple of centuries ago. “And did You know? About the rape, I mean. And about Mazikeen.”

God frowned. “No.” He said simply. “I did not.”

For some reason this admission unsettled Him. He’d thought He’d looked through all of Samael’s time in Hell, so how had He missed such a horrific part of His Son’s life? How could He have skipped over this one part of Samael’s torment.

He couldn’t explain it to himself and that did not sit right with Him.