Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was snowing the day the princess died.

Pride’s red soil, quietly blanketed in a sheet of white, seeped through like raw wounds upon a seraph’s skin.

Heaven’s glow did not touch the gruesome scene, eclipsed by a pentagram moon. Ever holy, ever bright, destined to shine far from those who needed it’s light.

Not a sound could be heard. The realm held its breath. The very foundation of Hell coiled tight, withholding its mournful cries amidst falling snowflakes. A single note upon a keyboard, suspended in time.

It was waiting for the father of the princess, the Devil himself, to react.

He regarded his hands, blackened with the blood of innumerable sinners past. Watched as her crimson ichor soaked through skin and bone and into his very soul, one he was certain shouldn’t exist.

Lucifer cried silent tears. As the first one slipped from his chin into melting snow, all of Hell trembled.

+++

Several Months Earlier

“Dad, you should really be at this trial.”

Sometimes, Lucifer sincerely wished that everyone could do without him. It was Hell dammit. Shouldn’t all of it’s citizens be itching to exist without his involvement? Stick it to the man an’ all that?

“What trial?” Lucifer had so ludicrously asked. “I didn’t get a-”

Just then, his phone had quacked- a duck themed customization that he’d regretted in that immediate moment. On the screen was the halfhearted, afterthought of a text from Satan that read:

Oh yea, hearing at 6

It was already half past by then.

Charlie had wanted to attend, of course, which he’d discouraged immediately. She’d been thoroughly sheltered from most politics in the past, courtesy of Lilith. And if Charlie hadn’t insisted, Lucifer would be happy to continue avoiding taking care of responsibilities like this. Satan was more than elated to run the show in the courtroom, as was his nature. The Sins were fine without him, and frankly, after that embarrassing legal fight with Mammon over copyright infringement, he wasn’t done giving them the silent treatment. Traitors.

Yes, he would be petty about it for as long as possible, thank you very much.

Unfortunately, as long as possible was not nearly long enough. As he climbed the stairs to the courthouse, he contemplated his entrance. Should he be dramatic? Threatening?

…

Silly?

Ugh

Despite himself, he was anxious. If he had done his job properly and kept a steady presence among the other Sins, this wouldn’t be an issue. Reap what you sew and all that. Lilith would probably laugh in his face and remind him that he was the father of bad decisions. Maybe she’d tell him to suck it up: say something sarcastic about going back to tell Charlie how he couldn’t do what she’d asked because he was shy.

Lilith isn’t here right now.

Gosh, Charlie was probably about to break poor Angel’s phone the longer he didn’t show up. The broadcast had come up on Angel’s phone first, being the only one with a normal, non magically manifested or charmed device. He could picture them now, antsy and crowded together on the lobby couch, waiting for him to fix whatever injustice was unfolding before their eyes.

In reality, pettiness wasn’t the only thing that had him dragging his feet. They had recently learned about the ascension of, uh (Pen- Pennington? Penta? Penny?) ugh, Sir Pen-something, to Heaven. Sera had delivered the news to Charlie so begrudgingly that Lucifer had been certain she was about to demand war for Adam’s death instead.

Somehow, getting good news before any sort of word about Adam’s death was more disturbing to Lucifer than the alternative. Charlie would say that it was a good sign. He wouldn’t believe that.

So, as he pushed the courthouse doors open with the full knowledge that it had been a week and none of the Sins had contacted him yet about the very foundation of the universe being challenged with the redemption of a human soul after the death of many angels- his fragile nerves were wholly unprepared for a tearful-

“Dad!”

Lucifer stopped short, frozen in the mouth of the hallway. It took him much longer than it should have to realize that the voice wasn’t coming from his daughter, but from a shadow down the hall.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again,” Another woman’s voice added, frustrated, “you fuckin’ idiot.”

Adjusting his eyes to the dark, Lucifer narrowed his eyes a few fractions until he spotted a group huddled in front of the doors leading to his destination. The courthouse doors creaked shut behind him, yet the distressed figures didn’t seem to notice.

He kept his approach steady, though his palms began to sweat against the rod of the cane currently held behind his back. The closer he got, the more obvious the echo of his heels became with each step. Were his steps getting louder, or was his blood pressure just shooting through the roof? Oh, he felt guilty now. Maybe Charlie’s insistence that he hurry had been more for his benefit. Whatever these creatures had gone through could have been stopped if he’d gotten there faster. He could have-

“They’re gonna fucking kill him those motherfuckin’ pieces of-” A thin figure had wrenched free of the huddle to bang on the court door, “-shit! Help me get this open! That red bitch is going to-”

“They won’t.”

Lucifer spoke without thinking. Regret quickly set in as four pairs of eyes snapped onto his person. Now that he was closer, he could make out that they were the four on trial not long ago. Just as he’d predicted, it seemed Satan still had Prince Stolas held in contempt of court for interfering with the imp’s execution.

“…kill him, I mean.” He added sheepishly.

“The fuck did you just say?” The lanky imp in question turned grimly to face him, a certain distain in his eyes that reminded Lucifer a bit of Alastor.

The hellhound was the only one to tense up at the imp’s rude phrasing, apparently exclusive in recognizing their king. Fortunately for her, rather than be offended, Lucifer fumbled under the scrutiny and began to ramble.

“Ah, well it’s Prince Stolas right? He’s pretty essential to the Ars Goetia and their grand plan for complete order of-”

“In fuckin’ English pretty boy!” The imp growled, his tone so aggressive that he might as well have flipped him off and spat in his face.

Lucifer cringed in the face of such gruffness, but just sighed wearily. “There’s some aggressive classism going on through those doors and they’ll happily spare the prince over a crime they’d execute you for.” He said bluntly, planting his staff firmly on the marble below with a crack. “Was that English enough for you?”

“Wha- Who in Hell do you think you are-”

“Dad stop!” The hellhound interjected while turning to Lucifer nervously. “I’m uh, sorry Your Majesty. He doesn’t mean anything by it, it’s just how he is.” She looked physically pained to grovel. The feeling was mutual, watching her do it. Like Vaggie, she didn’t seem the kind to apologize much.

“Oh I mean exactly what I sai- wait majesty?”

There was a beat of silence as the taller imp the girl had called ‘Dad’ finally caught up to speed.

“Dammit Blitz, can you stop getting us into deeper and deeper shit!?” The smaller male imp squawked in disbelief. “Go one day. One day without pissing of demon royalty!”

“Uh, I think you misunder-” Lucifer tried.

“Ohhhh ho ho no Moxie I got a thing or two to say to this guy.” Blitz seethed as he stalked up to Lucifer who was, unfortunately, quite a bit shorter. “Where in fucking Hell was this guy when we were in there, huh!? In there, when the few fuckers who bothered to put up a word in our favor needed sugar daddy’s back up!?”

Moxie looked about ready to pass out, held up exclusively by the flabbergasted female imp at his side.

After weighing his options, the echo of Blitz’s outburst reverberating around them, Lucifer decided to be honest.

“Well,” he huffed awkwardly, “truth be told it wouldn’t have made a difference becau-”

“Don’t give me that blue blooded fuckin’ bitch ass bullshit!” Blitz screeched. So much for honesty. “Aren’t you The Devil? The Head Honcho? The King Sugar daddy?” He was rocking side to side like a crooked jack-in-the-box as he patronized the king, looking downright deranged.

Well, he did almost get executed for a crime he didn’t commit…at least, according to Charlie’s insistence.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes up at the imp, unflinching. There wasn’t time for this.

“You know what? Look up how the system works if you want an answer to that. It’s written somewhere. Free.” Lucifer scoffed and pushed Blitz to the side with his cane. Affronted, Blitz moved to grab at Lucifer’s arm as he passed, only to swat air. The devil had teleported a few feet away, out of reach. He smiled slyly at the group, back against the door.

“Now if you don’t mind, I’m only here at my daughter’s insistence. So why don’t you let me go see if I can’t lighten your sugar daddy’s sentence, hm?” He taunted with a tip of the hat. “Tah!”

With that, he was gone in a flourish of glittering flames, leaving four equally disgruntled and enamored witnesses in his wake.

+++

“Considering the heir isn’t yet of age, I’d be happy to volunteer-”

There are a few perks to being The Devil in a tight spot. Actions carry weight when it matters. Words were doctrine when he wished. A single look could mean death if it suited him.

Lucifer didn’t take advantage of most of these things. But something he did revel in, was dramatics.

Therefore, whoever was speaking didn’t get a single syllable further. With a simple snap of his fingers, the entire courtroom was placed under a paralytic spell. The crisp sound echoed about the room like a persistent case of tinnitus. Unable to move their bodies, all eyes angled towards the highest seat in the house, above all Sins. Including Satan.

The king lounged atop the back of his chair, unassuming. His hat rested on the plush pillow of his seat, filling it in his place. At least this way, he wouldn’t technically break his streak of ditching court. Official attendance wasn’t documented unless he actually sat.

The thought made him smile impishly.

“Well, what do we have here?” Lucifer purred. Like a rising lion, he languidly pulled himself up from his comfy position. Briefly, he balanced on the back of the chair before beginning a slow descent through the courtroom on invisible steps. As he walked on air, the king took a bored look around, sizing up the crowd.

He stepped past Asmodeus and Beelzebub, subtly relieving them of paralysis. They took the hint and didn’t make a show of his favoritism by making any sudden moves. Belphagor remained firmly asleep next to them. Classic Bell.

“A little birdie told me we were cutting some corners in here.” Lucifer passed Leviathan and Mammon, giving them both a wink that screamed ’fuck you’ in every sense. Their irritation rolled over him in waves-

More like ripples, actually. It was hilarious that they thought they were intimidating.

“Also, my sixth sense is begging me,” Lucifer stepped around Satan, standing in front of the beast’s face, frozen in boredom, “absolutely insisting that I assume someone was boasting some outlandish propaganda again!” He slapped a dramatic hand on his chest, feigning offense. “Taking advantage of these poor victims to give your status an artificial boost? Why, I thought I knew you better!”

Lucifer crowed, absolutely dripping with contemptuous sarcasm.

A small snort came from Bee’s general direction, which boosted his confidence a little. True, he was masterful at a good performance. That was no different right now. But man was he burning up on the inside. Every single prince, lord, and principal within the Ars Goetia was staring holes through him right now. He was fairly confident that some of them weren’t even old enough to have been at the last social event he attended. That had to be at least 150 years ago by now.

This would be their first impression of him.

One thing was for certain, Prince Stolas fell into that category. Lucifer turned from Satan, ignoring the plume of furious steam exiting the snout of his paralyzed form. A single glance at the young Goetia was enough assurance that they hadn’t formally met. Sure, he was aware of who he was. He’d seen the beginning of the broadcast, after all. The name was familiar, too. Lucifer was duty bound to know the positions of those who held significant roles in Hell. He lamented every day how many Ars Goetia there were- he was awful with names.

But Prince Stolas was the master of prophecies, destined to derive meaning from the very stars Lucifer had created long ago.

Prophecies were messy.

“Now, I didn’t hear your grand defense Prince Stolas.” Approaching the chained Goetia, Lucifer let out a contemplative sound. “But from what I understand, the Imp outside was accused of thieving your grimoir to go to Earth. And your argument is?”

Stolas stumbled as he was released from paralysis, his chains clanking horribly. Without missing a beat, he reiterated a story everyone else’d already heard.

“I did it, Your Majesty. I staged the ruse and ordered the imps to traverse to the world of man on my behalf.” His voice was raw, abused by whatever pleading Lucifer had missed. He really should have gotten here sooner.

“Mhmm,” Lucifer hummed, raising an amused brow, “and what did they do on your behalf?”

“They-” Stolas paused, visibly stumped. Owlish eyes averted from the devil’s as he searched the chopping block at his feet for answers that wouldn’t come. “Well they, um…”

Poor thing, he looked so frustrated. Lucifer took pity on him and tapped the sigil branded cuff binding Stolas’s neck, dispersing his confines in a cloud of gold.

“Yea, I kinda thought so.” He turned to the room. “Alright!” Lucifer announced suddenly, shooting Stolas an apologetic smile over his shoulder before releasing everyone else with another snap. They didn’t miss a beat.

“LUCIFER!” Satan fumed, rising from his oversized throne with a weighty presence. “The court is MY domain. You have NO authority here!”

Lucifer laughed.

“Oh sure, sure. You’re right, I shouldn’t interfere.” He nodded to himself, pretending to reflect on his actions. Then he blinked, as if remembering something, “Although,” an admonishing finger wagged slowly in Satan’s direction while Lucifer stalked in his direction, “it doesn’t follow that I can’t make sure you’re doing your job.”

Lucifer stopped halfway between Satan and Stolas, illuminated by the fiery pit beneath him.

“Don’t tell me you forgot who gave you this station, Satanus.”

Uneasy mumbles broke out amongst the crowd, his words carrying more than one implication. Satan had enough sense to at least pause. Aside from his silence, he looked about ready to explode.

“My station, Lucifer, is to pass judgement. You are just another witness in this room.” Satan declared. He would give the oversized bastard this, he had a good poker face at times.

Lucifer let out a long suffering sigh. “Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. You are incorrectly doing your job.”

“Fool!” Satan grew twice his size in an instant, making his appearance next to Lucifer not unlike a dragon and a mouse. “You don’t know half of what it takes to do this job! You, who has not bothered to attend a single meetin’ for nearly a thousand years!”

“Oh don’t be so dramatic,” Mocking laughter carried on his words, “it was only a couple centuries.” Lucifer smile fell, the air about him turning sinister. “I know what it takes to do this job, Satan. I also know that this demon-” an apple tipped cane gestured at Stolas, “-is taking the fall for nonexistent crimes.”

The doubtful mumbling within the crowd increased in volume as his declaration sunk in. Their willful ignorance boiled his blood. He rolled his eyes and addressed the court.

“Oh, I’m sorry, the only crime committed here was the wrong demon using a tool designed to allow travel into the mortal realm. Is there some confusion here?”

The voices died down a little.

“And did I hear about an assassination attempt too? The imp contracted a killer to take out the prince, except the prince takes the blame for all of his crimes so…Stolas actually hired the assassin who, I might add, admitted to taking the imp’s orders. So if all of this crap is to be believed, then Stolas hired an assassin to, what, get himself murdered for some reason?”

Lucifer glanced down at Stolas, who looked weirdly sheepish.

“And so…” Lucifer drawled, looking to Satan again, “…are we not going to address who really tried to have him killed? I mean, this is your domain Satan, please enlighten us all on your decision-”

“This is ridiculous Your Majesty!” Someone squawked from behind Stolas.

Upon further examination, Lucifer realized it was the Goetia who was speaking when he’d first arrived. He couldn’t decide if the ’Your Majesty’ was directed at himself or Satan.

“Regardless of these baseless claims, Stolas still gave a disgusting im-p his Goetia given grimoire in exchange for Lucifer knows what!” The snowy bird flailed about while he cursed in a desperate attempt to return attention to himself.

“I don’t know, actually.” Lucifer crooned, grinning icily. “Who are you again?” He planted his cane on an invisible floor, leaning on it with both hands in rapt attention.

The bird sputtered. “Prince Andrealphus.”

“And your the accuser?”

“Obviously sire! There is evidence-”

“So what do you get out of the demotion of Prince Stolas?” Lucifer interjected, smile turning positively predatory.

“What-!”

”Enough.” Satan’s tone of finality shook the foundations of the building. Everyone present flinched, stuck in headlights as authority overtook them. Except for Lucifer, of course, who simply tilted his head back to look at the towering Sin.

He was stewing in his seat. Satan was, Lucifer noted, impressively schooled on the outside, despite being close to bursting a blood vessel.

“Uh Satan? Satan, sir?” A little wisp of a creature fluttered about Satan’s head like a gnat. “Your about to overheat there, y’know? Let’s sit down and try some deep breathing~”

The little creature didn’t get to finish as Satan continued, “I will not have this mess in my court. Prince Stolas will answer for the misdemeanor of leaving his Goetia given Grimoire in unintended hands, and for knowingly allowing unauthorized demons to enter the human realm.”

“Fucking what!?” Andrealphus screeched, clearly hoping for a crime befitting a greater punishment.

“However, speakin’ of jobs not well done, Prince Stolas has been holdin’ out on us.” Satan shrunk back to his original state, sitting in his judges’ chair with a resolute huff.

The offhanded smirk he sent Lucifer’s way did not inspire confidence. His stomach sunk further when he looked to Stolas, only to find that the Goetic Prince looked like a child with a hand in the cookie jar.

Lucifer did not like the direction this was taking.

“Prince Stolas,” Satan continued, “you are the reader of the stars and duty bound to translate their meanin’. I have reason to believe you have withheld an essential prophecy from us.”

This was…unexpected. Not that Lucifer hadn’t prepared for Satan to attempt to embarrass him for butting in. That much was an unfortunate side effect of knowing the guy. But a hidden prophecy that Satan believe was important enough to bring up here?

Off to the side, the frazzled Andrealphus smoothed his ruffled feathers as a wicked realization dawned. The weasel smirked something awful.

Damn, Lucifer went and underestimated him. He should have considered that Andrealphus might have a plan B if his first, and frankly ridiculous, plan didn’t fly.

“I may choose to pardon your misdemeanor, and lessen your punishment for withholdin’ essential information…if you recite the prophecy to the court now.”

Well, he sounded way too pleased with himself.

“Hey! Isn’t that coercion or…something?” Bee’s honeyed voice soothed the tense silence. She wasn’t an idiot and, hopefully, knew that such convenient practices such as coercion weren’t banned in Satan’s court. “And anyway, this has nothing to do with what we were called here for!”

She did have a point, however skewed the method was of reaching it.

“Not at all!” Satan answered smoothly, his tone shifting uncomfortably into delighted territory. “It’s all about the grimoire when you get to the bare bones of it. If he gives us some details on what he’s learned with it, then the other charges against him will cause less paperwork for everyone here. So!” His draconian claws clapped together. “How about it Prince Stolas, why don’t you share somethin’ with the class?”

All things considered, it wasn’t the worst deal. Lucifer would understand if Stolas wanted to take it. But this was Satan, and Lucifer would be twice damned if he didn’t suspect that there was more to this than met the eye.

And so, all attention turned to Stolas, awaiting his response. But rather than meet the scrutiny of his peers and talk his way out, the prince just silently fixed his unnerved stare squarely onto Lucifer. There was intention in those owlish, unwavering eyes.

They slipped into determination, and to Lucifer’s discomfort, they spelled out a message. Something dangerously veering on ‘run’.

Lucifer felt something eerily similar to fear in that moment, because what in Hell would he need to run from? He could handle whatever Satan tried to dish out. Always had. And anyway, Stolas hadn’t even met him before, so surely there was no reason he’d try to do anything significantly rash on his behalf. It wasn’t like a flaky prophecy was worth getting worked up over-

Oh…

“I will accept my punishments Lord Satan.” Stolas began grimly, eyes shifting down in customary respect.

This prophecy involves me somehow.

“I will not discuss something as delicate as prophecy on live television.” The prince sealed his own fate admirably. Meanwhile, Lucifer stared at him. He did not move. Didn’t even take a breath as his mind clicked everything into place.

Satan had stopped notifying Lucifer of trials long ago, after he’d skipped the first three times. He should have been suspicious when Satan bothered to invite him. Correction, he would have been if he hadn’t been so focused on how coming here was ‘doing something responsible for Charlie.’ And also, well, to be contradictory to Alastor, who had advised he not come. Ugh, he’d never hear the end of it now. The guy was unendingly annoying and would be undeniably thrilled to point out how he saw this coming before him.

But then, why would Satan summon him if they were ready to end the trial with Stolas’s punishment before his arrival?

No…

Satan knew he would interrupt judgement, because Satan knew Lucifer. He knew that Lucifer would show because Charlie would be seeing the broadcast. And Satan knew Charlie.

Dammit, he was so out of touch. He was, and it was his own fault.

Wait, but why would he bother dragging out the theatrics of pushing Stolas to talk? Unless…

Realization struck him, unforgiving as a holy blade. His eyes widened, watching the poor prince that had just sacrificed himself for naught.

Satan already knew what the prophecy was. This messy, unnecessary, and frankly overblown congregation, was a trap.

And Lucifer had completely fallen for it.

“Oh! Sure, no problem.” Satan chirped, claws thrumming on the arms of his chair. Without much fanfare, rune engraved rings of gold rose from the molten depths below the court. “Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia. For the next one hundred years, I hereby strip you of your power, your status, and your title. Until the heir is of age, your legions and property shall be overseen by the head of your wife’s family, Prince Andrealphus.”

“That’s it!?” Andrealphus screeched. He was ignored.

Watching the prince be viciously stripped of his innate power awoke a long buried disgust in Lucifer’s gut. Disgust and guilt. The surrealism of witnessing a cruel punishment disproportionate to the proceeding crime was a grim reminder of his own. Granted, the two events could barely be compared in scale, but it stuck with him all the same.

He should have stopped this.

“What about my daughter?” Stolas croaked, limp and drained of strength.

Shit

“She will be safe with her mother. The wholesome parent.” Andrealphus mocked his victim, strutting over the fiery pit and back to his seat. The satisfaction on his smug mug nearly had Lucifer pulling some serious rank.

Not yet. Don’t do anything stupid.

Stolas’s face scrunched in distraught panic, telling Lucifer everything he needed to know about the situation. He’d felt similarly when Lilith took Charlie away all those years ago. To protect her from his ‘influence’, whatever she thought that meant.

“Of course, we already know what we need to about the prophecy.” Satan butted in hastily. “I just found it in my heart to give you the chance to redeem yourself. Oh well!”

I knew it, Lucifer thought bitterly. Stolas flinched, and if Lucifer didn’t know any better, he’d think the prince was about to wither up and vanish from the weight of weariness right then and there.

“Now what the fuck was that Satan!” Asmodeus had stood from his seat beside Bee, flames flaring with frustration. “Since when did you add spite to your vices?” The Goetic King and Sin of Lust was nothing other than a concerned friend in that moment. His shoulders tight and unsure, eyes drooped and pooling with rage.

“That was uncalled for.” Lucifer agreed, sounding a bit weaker than he’d intended.

Satan cackled, feeling himself. “You have no place to speak here, just like the other Sins.” His said, sending a warning glare at Asmodeus for good measure.

“Really Satan,” Lucifer’s shoulders drooped with long held tiredness as he began to reiterate a point that had long exhausted itself about six millennia ago, “if you expected me to ever follow rules, then I don’t know what to tell you. Don’t you remember who I am?”

“Yes, actually.” His southern drawl thickened. “You are the Architect of Creation, Lucifer Morningstar. And you know-” Satan stood, hands on hips, “-I’m so glad you brought it up. See, it sheds some light on our prophecy here. Let me make sure I got this right…”

Satan fiddled with his ridiculous vest jacket and pulled out a comically small sheet of paper, dwarfed significantly between his gargantuan fingers. Squinting with effort, he began to read its contents.

“We have here the written testimony of the prince’s wife, Stella, provided by Prince Andrealphus.” He cleared his throat needlessly, “The heir of Prince Stolas, Octavia, was recalled asking if it was, and I quote, ‘possible for the seven rings to collapse’.”

Any and all whispers within the crowed ceased, leaving them all in an unsettling silence. Satan continued slowly.

“When asked where she got that outlandish idea, the girl said that her father had sung her to sleep promising that she’d survive the death of creation, and the destruction of the rings.”

Ah, this was worse than he’d thought.

“Now,” Satan put the paper away, addressing the court, “putting aside whether or not the heir is actually a part of this prophecy, it seems clear to me that it involves the rest of us.” He offered Lucifer a pointed look. “How does it feel to have your death foretold Luci?”

“Hey! What the fuck is up with you Satan?” Bee’s insect wings hummed as she nearly threw herself over her railing. “Prophecies are never obvious and you know it!”

Yes, Lucifer thought, but what better time to claim my death is inevitable than during a live broadcast. The seeds were planted. No matter what Lucifer said now, the damage had been done.

Lucifer was no longer untouchable in the eyes of sinners and demons alike.

“Creation is a choice.” Lucifer started, forcing his voice to remain steady. “It’s an action. Do you realize just how many implications this could have other than literal death?” He took a sharp breath. “My title as Architect of Creation was foresaken long ago. To claim this means what you say it does is reaching Satan, even for you.”

“Forsaken your title?” Satan pushed, “does Heaven see things that way?”

“How dare you.” Lucifer clenched his staff so hard, it audibly creaked. He didn’t elaborate. It wasn’t necessary. Everyone in the room knew exactly what line Satan had crossed. If anyone on the other side of the screen didn’t know, then they didn’t need to.

Satan considered him for a moment before looking to Stolas. “I, Satanus, Sin of Wrath and Prince of War, command you to speak, Stolas of the Ars Goetia. Now that we’ve got some good bits of the prophecy on the table, why don’t you recite it’s entirety to us.”

“Yes, my lord.” Stolas said immediately, voice strained under the force of Satan’s order. The owl demon stood, shoulders back with practiced propriety. “When the stars align, and Pride falls into shadow, the seven rings shall fall under the weight of sin as creation goes to its death.”

Unease spread throughout the crowd. Their quiet speculating grew until it became white noise to Lucifer’s ears. The other Sins exchanged looks of varying flavors. Mammon, predictably, looked as though he were watching the best show of his immortal life.

“It follows,” Stolas continued, “that the fate of our realm was decided upon the arrival of the first child born of mortal and angelic blood.”

The owl’s eyes were wide with shame, his words spilling out by the will of someone other than himself. His gaze waded to Lucifer, boring into him as if trying to translate some kind of apology.

The thing was, Lucifer didn’t blame him. This was bound to happen sooner or later. Armageddon was something the mortals foretold thousands of years ago. Both Heaven and Hell were wary ever since, aware that it was here-say, but incapable of trusting the other regardless.

This was no different from that. He hoped, anyway.

“It does not follow, however, that the prophecy was born with the birth of the princess.” Stolas powered on, words hurried from fear of being silenced. “The stars speak to me as they see fit. It’s relevancy does not correlate with it’s creation. The stars that held this prophecy were ancient, meaning it could be just as old.”

“Are you implying that Princess Charlotte was not the first Nephilim?” Satan chuckled darkly. “Lucifer, were you getting around back in the day?”

Asmodeus let out an offended gasp in the background on Lucifer’s behalf. The latter could only stare at Satan in disbelief. This fucking guy.

“No,” Stolas answered before Lucifer could, “I am saying that we do not know enough about this prophecy to begin making accusations and spreading rumors.” His eyes turned sharp as he regained his nerve.

“Sure, but demons of the court, let me remind you,” Satan spread his arms out wide, wings slowly stretching from his back, “not long ago we received word that a sinner had been redeemed into Heaven. If this is to be believed, then his ascension directly followed the death of the First Man Adam, an many other Heaven spawn besides. Not to mention, that gruesome battle came to pass as the direct result of goading Heaven’s elite!”

Satan’s maw stretched wide in a wicked grin. “And who, may you ask, is the reason for all of this? For provoking frequent exterminations! For entertaining the idea of redemption, which reduces our numbers! For disrupting the way things have been done since time immemorial?” He leaned down, leveling his draconian head with Lucifer as he rumbled, “None other than Princess Charlie Morningstar.”

Lucifer’s eyes darkened the shade of ichor, boring straight back into Satan’s challenging gaze. The flames within the court changed their tune, fluctuating and flickering until they became a blazing gold. No longer did they heed the will of Satan.

“You dare accuse my daughter in this courtroom.” The Devil growled, horns and tail manifesting for all to see. It took his last shred of composure not to allow his wings and hellfire to enter the fray.

“Charlie is trying to create peace with Heaven!” Asmodeus interrupted, tone placating. “And anyway, nothin’ she’s been doin’ has anything to do with our rings. You have no grounds to accuse her of causing our ruin, Satan!”

“Peace with Heaven?” Satan’s voice became more and more beastly by the minute. “The only reason there is violence between Heaven and Hell is because Lucifer allowed it!” A massive claw outstretched to poke Lucifer in the chest, only to be batted away with ease.

“Since when did violence bother the Prince of War?” Lucifer hissed. “You had better watch yourself, before you say something I’ll make you regret.” His voice was layered and unearthly, vibrating through the room and garbling the cameras’ microphones.

“What’d Heaven offer ya, Luci? Hm?” Satan continued, unfazed. “Immunity? Favors?” The Sin pulled out of his space to lean back in his chair.

“…Redemption?”

An ear piercing crash ripped through the courtroom as all the cameras met an explosive demise. Their glass remains fell like crystal rain to their doom within the magma below. Without the cameras watching, the energy in the room shifted instantly.

“What the fuck are you trying to say Satan, huh?” Lucifer spat, each brazier burning white with his fury. “This is an embarrassing attempt at a power play. It always ends the same way, or do I need to remind you? If you want a fight, then you come to me. Don’t you dare drag my family down so that you can crawl out of your pit of insecurity! You dug that hole, you lay in it.”

“The word is ’grave’. And no, no matter what you say, you can’t make the entire realm forget what they witnessed today. The only grave open around here is yours.” Satan huffed a plume of smoke from his nostrils. “Your days are numbered. Just imagine, if you and Lily hadn’t let your pride cloud your judgement and defied Heaven to create Charlie, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Blood drummed in Lucifer’s ears, a searing fire coursing through his veins. He and Satan had always had a petty rivalry between them, but this?

When had things gotten so rotten? Lucifer should have noticed when Satan’s innate wrath had turned malicious. He should have seen the signs. Should have expected a play when that sinner ascended.

But he didn’t, because he hadn’t bothered to pay attention.

“We’re done here.” Lucifer declared, an eerie calm settling over him. “Get. Out.”

“Wait Luci-”

“Luci!”

Ozzie and Bee called out to him, but didn’t get a chance to finish before golden rimmed portals ripped open behind them. Everyone in the room was shoved through portals of their own, straight back to their domains. Satan did not object as he went, laughing triumphantly in his forced retreat.

Then he was alone, mostly. Silence stretched out, spilling into the quiet thrum of lava roiling and fires crackling. Lucifer turned to the two Goetia who had avoided ejection. Stolas, who he’d deliberately left untouched, and another red feathered Goetia whom he did not recognize. The parrot-like demon must have snuck over to Stolas while he was busy with Satan.

The two princes- prince and ex-prince watched him cautiously, the red one helping Stolas get his balance. Behind them, the doors to the courtroom swung open as they were unlocked.

“Stolas!” The imp careened past the threshold and closed the distance within seconds.

“Blitz…” Stolas said dazedly, barely reacting when the imp frantically patted him down in search for injuries.

“What in Hell happened here?” The female imp from earlier turned in a full circle to take in the sight of now empty seats.

“Millie…” Moxie cautioned, hand on her shoulder. The smaller imp was eyeing Lucifer with unfocused eyes.

“What Mox…” Millie trailed off and followed Moxie’s gaze past Blitz and Stolas, eventually finding the king. Her hands folded in front of her, fidgeting. She looked less afraid and more…worried?

Lucifer wasn’t sure if it was worry for him or for them. If it was for him, then he must really look like shit.

Blitz, on the other hand, ignored him, and continued to fuss over Stolas while the other Goetia observed the reunion.

Taking the chance to collect himself, Lucifer released a breath he’d been holding. His lungs heaved anxiously as he moved to join the other demons on solid ground. He made sure to keep his distance, not wanting to alarm them. Instead, he walked over and perched himself on the stand of the accused. Tired fingers rubbed at his temples were his horns had just receded. He felt a headache coming.

“I’m fine, Blitz.” He heard Stolas mumble. “The thing is I’ve- I’ve been banished. They took…everything.”

“I will talk to them all.” The red Goetia insisted. “They have to listen to reason. This is too far. It all could have been talked out!”

“Speaking of-” Blitz said, teeth bared as he rounded on Lucifer, “-you said you’d get him a lighter punishment! What in the shit is this!?”

“Wait, Blitz-” Stolas started, stumbling after the imp as he stalked towards the king.

“Would you believe me if I said his punishment would have been lighter had I not been here?” Lucifer said, a manic chuckle punctuating the confession.

“What-!” “Nonsense.”

Blitz and Stolas spoke over each other. The former bit back his words, growling to himself while his partner continued. “I would not have spoken on the prophecy whether you were there or not, Your Majesty. It was not something to be discussed before all of Hell.”

“Prophecy? What prophecy?” Blitz questioned.

“Look I uh-” Lucifer pulled his hand from his temple to look at them properly, “-I’ll see what I can do to get your station back, Prince Stolas.” He heaved himself off his perch and summoned his hat into his hands. When he looked down, they were shaking horribly.

Everything was going to change from here on, no matter what the truth may be. Every sinner and demon alike had thoughts of the destruction of their world swirling about in their minds. They were thinking, he accepted bitterly, that Charlie was going to be the reason for it.

Worst of all, Charlie would be thinking the same thing. He could already picture her desperately trying not to believe that her actions would lead to his death. Was she okay? No doubt she’d been watching up until he destroyed the cameras. He’d come to save an imp’s life on her behalf, and ended up not only inconsequential in that regard, but made things worse for the imps actual savior. Instead, he’d allowed a prophecy to get recited on the air and left discontent in the hearts of the entire population of demon royalty.

A mess. An absolute damned mess. Talk about incompetent. He could only imagine what Lilith would say.

“Hey…are you, um, alright Your Majesty?” Moxie ventured forward, sympathetic eyes analyzing the state of their king. His demeanor was so soft and open that Lucifer felt too exposed before him. It was then that he realized he’d been clutching at his chest for dear life. The hat brim in his other hand was crunched into a mess of irreparable wrinkles. He blinked out of his trance where he’d been staring blankly into the abyss.

“Y-yea I- Yes.” Lucifer laughed anxiously and stood straighter despite the hammering of his heart. Taking a step away from them all, he cleared his throat and smoothed the front of his vest. “Soooo uh, I guess you guys are good to leave so I’m gonna- I’m just…” He coughed dryly into a fist. “I’ll be in touch.”

Lucifer left them just as he had before, evaporating into glittering flames. He tried to ignore the alarm painted over the group of demons as he departed. It probably wasn’t a great sign to witness the literal Devil completely zone out in front of you. He only felt a little guilty for leaving them that way, though. He just couldn’t face them anymore. Not today.

All he could do was focus on pulling himself together as he ferried himself back to the hotel.

Chapter Text

“What’d Heaven offer ya, Luci?”

Charlie’s shoulders trembled. The end of the broadcast replayed behind her eyes like a broken record.

”Immunity? Favors?”

She clenched Angel’s phone to its near breaking point, the black screen mocking her.

”…Redemption?”

“Hey uh, Charlie?” Angel peered at her from behind the couch. “I know this is upsetting n’ all, but the phone did nothin’ to ya.”

Her grip faltered. When she looked down at the pink device, a crack had already formed along the center of the screen.

“Oh, I’m sorry Angel.” Charlie said, throat dry. “I’ll fix it, I promise.” She said, handing it back to Angel with a weak smile. He took it gently, all eight eyes roaming over her face with concern.

“Hey, no one blames you hon.” Vaggie sat next to Charlie, a supportive hand resting on her shoulder. It had never left during the entire broadcast, and Charlie was convinced that it was the only thing keeping her grounded long enough to finish it. “That was…unsettling.”

“Understatement of the fuckin’ century.” Husk mumbled. He nursed a spiked cup of coffee from a barstool, straight from his Fuck Mondays mug that’d been making more appearances lately.

“Not helpful.” Vaggie said flatly, stroking the small of Charlie’s back. “We’ll handle this, just like everything else. Even if that Wrath bastard was huge asshole.”

“I didn’t know he hated us so much.” Charlie croaked. “I knew him- all of them growing up. I never thought…”

“Are you sure? Cuz it looked like that guy had been stewin’ for a while.” Angel pointed out, looking disappointed. “I know a grudge when I see one. No matter how hot he is, you can’t cover up that kind of junk.”

Vaggie shot him a glare.

“What?” Angel shrugged. “It’s just an observation!”

“Just…don’t give me the image.” Charlie sighed. She gave Vaggie’s hand an appreciative pat before standing. “This is really bad, isn’t it?” She said to no one in particular.

“Quite.” Alastor answered regardless, seated elegantly in an armchair. “If His Majesty had listened to my advice and stayed here, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Don’t even try and pretend you saw all that prophecy bullshit coming Alastor.” Vaggie rose from her seat, sternly crossing her arms. “All we knew was that we needed Lucifer to diffuse a situation. That imp-”

“Wasn’t executed regardless.” Alastor cut her off. He leaned his crooked mic staff against the fireplace and folded two clawed hands in his lap. Charlie hadn’t noticed it was damaged until now. Odd.

“Not a thing changed with the king’s attendance other than Satan getting a chance to rile him up on camera.”

“Al stop.” Charlie demanded, trying to look tough. “There’s no point in regretting it now. Why do you always have to insist that we’re all less competent than you are?”

“Why, because it’s mostly true my dear!” Alastor crooned, shrugging with his hands. Then his smile stretched. “But my point, is that reckless decisions no longer have a place here. Ever since our grand re-opening, we’ve been under the spotlight.”

The Radio Demon stood in one fluid motion, retrieving his staff as he went. “Being the center of attention is not a luxury, my dear.” He said, approaching the two women. “You, Charlie, are up against all the big players now. In order to win the game, you need to start observing them through the proper lens.” As if to emphasize his point, Alastor adjusted his monocle. “That would be the one that sees how they may benefit from tearing you down.”

“But…my dad-”

“Has no doubt realized his mistake. Despite his many flaws,” he prefaced liltingly, “your father is the devil. He’s been around a while.”

Charlie wanted to protest. Spasms wracked at her lungs, begging her to release her frustrations with abandon. But even with all that- with the knowledge that her desire to help another soul had once again landed them all in an impossible situation, she knew Alastor was right.

She wasn’t even allowing herself to touch on the fact that she might be the cause of her dad’s death soon, according to some prophecy what the fu-

Vaggie tensed at her side, always ready to defend her. But Charlie saw something in Alastor’s eyes. Behind his signature grin and overconfident attitude, she found the warning. He’d meant every word he said, and for better or worse, there was no reason for him to be leading her astray right now.

Being honest with herself for a second, Charlie could admit that she hadn’t considered all of this. This whole time, she had been so focused on working on Heaven and getting their support of her project that she’d completely neglected the rest of Hell. In fact, it hadn’t so much as occurred to her that the other rings might have something to say about it if her plan actually worked.

Satan had mentioned that redeeming sinners reduced Hell’s numbers. Was he expecting a fight before now that needed numbers to fight? She’d never heard her parents talk about such a thing. Even when her mother was empowering Hell with her music, there was never an intention to defy Heaven. She was pretty sure.

Did Satan want a fight with Heaven?

…Did he want her father’s death?

No, Charlie shook her head, don’t think that way. If only the Sins had given her a chance to talk to them before broadcasting such a horrible thing live.

“…Do you guys think he’s alright?” Angel asked slowly.

Charlie blinked and turned to him. One of his gloved hands clutched the back of the couch while he gazed distantly at the door.

“I mean,” he continued carefully, “it looked like he was kinda losin’ his grip on the situation, y’know? Short king is charismatic n’ shit but…I dunno.” Two right hands planted on his hip while he considered.

“He’ll be fine.” Vaggie resolved. She grabbed Charlie, who’s face had screwed up with worry again, firmly by the arm. “He is fine. And we will be too. We can’t let this mess with our heads.” With great care, she reached up to brush some hair from Charlie’s eyes. “We can probably expect another round of news stations crowding us for interviews over the next few days, so we need to stay focused.

With a deep breath, Vaggie pull back from Charlie to address the rest of them. “We need to agree on what to say about the prophecy when we’re asked to comment.”

On queue, the fireplace roared to a blaze. It hissed, harmonizing with a swirl of black and gold flames that twisted into existence right in front of it. Then, suddenly, Lucifer was there, hat crunched in hand and brows furrowed.

“Dad!”

+++

Lucifer barely had a chance to brace himself before Charlie had him in a crushing embrace. The king nearly choked on air, not expecting the wave of relief came with it. With the relief that came with her warmth came a million thoughts flying through his mind. For now, Charlie was here with him. She was safe, albeit frazzled. How long was that going to be their reality, really? What he’d allowed to happen today had set something in motion that no force could halt. Lucifer had been around long enough to know what the beginning of the end to an era looked like. He probably should have seen it when Charlie had asked for an audience with Heaven, but he didn’t.

He’d chosen not to.

He hugged her back, holding her close until she let go first. They each stepped back, fidgeting to straighten their ruffled clothes out of habit. Out of the corner of his eye, Lucifer noticed Alastor studying him. By no means did the guy look impressed.

He must look pitiful, then.

Well, he dearly hoped that Alastor wasn’t wasting any energy pitying him. He’d willingly gone to that meeting, completely unaware of the trap he was about to fall into. If he had gone in aware, then Lucifer might have the gall to feel a little justified. That was certainly not the case.

He wouldn’t admit that out loud though.

“Dad, are you okay?” Charlie gave him a once over, stressed tears brimming in her eyes. Lucifer felt his heart drop to his feet at the sight. On impulse, he reached up to swipe those years away with his thumbs. He realized belatedly that he might have made her feel awkward doing so, and pulled away.

“Of course sweetie.” Lucifer clasped both of Charlie’s hands between his. “Don’t worry about a thing. Satan, you know, has always been a little...ah...prickly.”

”Prickly.” Vaggie repeated, unconvinced. “You call that prickly? That was more like-” her hands floundered a little, “-a full on targeted attack. Premeditated. Vicious-”

“Yea, okay I hear you.” Lucifer huffed and gave Charlie’s hands a pat before letting them go. With a snap of the fingers, his hat ironed out perfectly. He placed it securely on his head before summoning his staff. “He’s never liked me much. Probably because his name and mine are interchangeable to most humans and all that evocation went to his head.”

He was no fool. There was something much bigger going on here. It was all so sudden, too. From what he understood, no one knew about the prophecy until shortly before the imp’s trial. Which means, Satan had pulled that whole thing together at a moments notice. It, apparently, was the chance to stir the pot that he’d been waiting for.

Alastor cleared his throat, “If I may, Your Majesty-”

“No, you may not.”

“-are you equipped to handle the situation?” Alastor prodded, head cocked at an odd angle.

Excuse me??

“Oh, here we go.” Lucifer rolled his eyes. “Of course I am. What kind of question is that?”

“Well, if my math serves me, there hasn’t been any unrest in Hell during your wife’s seven year absence.” His smile stretched when Lucifer tensed. “And before that, I believe it was she who handled the populous. Is that not so?”

Lucifer glanced carefully at Charlie, who’s uneasy eyes darted between himself and Alastor. No matter how much he wanted to give the radio demon some snide remark, he wouldn’t do it with this subject on the table. He hadn’t even had a chance to really talk about Lilith with Charlie yet.

“That may be, but we wouldn’t have made it this far if I couldn’t cover her back.” Lucifer stood straight, a wave of false confidence carrying him along.

“Delightfully vague! How about we put it to the test then?” An encouraging clap track played over his radio waves.

“Excuse me-”

“Vaggie dear, why not put your suggestion on the table again, hm?” Alastor turned to her. Lucifer didn’t speak, but made a point to stare blazing daggers into the side of the demon’s ridiculous face.

“What? Oh-!” She blinked in recognition. “uh...” Her single eye studied the three of them before she continued, “well, I thought it would be a good first step to decide what to tell the press when they ask about the prophecy.”

Alastor hummed in acknowledgement before turning to Lucifer in expectation. The latter felt his eye twitch. This guy is testing me, he realized, the absolute nerve.

The devil took a deep breath and offered a shallow shrug.

“We don’t need to give them details. If they ask, we can just tell them that prophecies are usually misleading and that Hell isn’t going anywhere.” He considered a second before adding. “Which sinners might consider bad news, actually. Bummer for them.” Lucifer chuckled nervously, ignoring the way Angel’s disapproving eyes bore into him.

“Very corporate!” Alastor chimed while a demeaning laugh track played distantly.

“Hey,” Lucifer warned, “the fact is, no matter what we say, they will fill in the details themselves. That is the whole reason for what Satan did today. The seeds are sewn, okay? People are gonna think what they want. They always do.” He grumbled.

“Well, I don’t know about the other rings n’ shit, but most of the Pride ring still don’t believe Pen was actually redeemed.” Angel reminded them. “It’s kinda a bad time for everyone to be thinkin’ Charlie’s gonna be the reason for their doom. Can’t we do anything about that?”

“Right, as if most of the new guests aren’t just here because they’re thirstin’ for angel blood.” Husk’s whole body slumped in boredom. “You should hear the shit some of them say in the therapy sessions. If anything, this probably stoked their motivation to be here.”

“But it’s the wrong kind!” Charlie cried, gesticulating widely. “I need to give them some kind of confidence. Maybe a press conference will be a good idea after all! I can reiterate the point and…and maybe we can even get Heaven to let Pentious visit as proof!” Light had begun returning to her eyes. “After all, the best thing to distract from big news is more big news!”

Her idea got optimistic affirmation from Angel and Vaggie, so Lucifer just smiled awkwardly to avoid looking like the downer.

“That’s a...good idea sweetie” Lucifer said stiffly, though luckily it seemed that she didn’t notice his tension.

“Yea, it’s a great start Charlie.” Vaggie patted her on the back softly, whispering something to her. Whatever it was, it made Charlie beam. Angel climbed over the couch to join in on the conversation, but Lucifer didn’t hear what he said, feeling far away.

Lucifer wasn’t looking forward to more press in the first place. He hadn’t handled the grand re-opening of the hotel well. In his defense, the last time he interacted directly with Hell’s citizens was over a century ago, so that was to be expected…right? There was a vague memory of answering some questions- words came out but he had no idea what they were. Charlie had been overwhelmed, but Vaggie had never left her side. He remembered teleporting in and out of the lobby periodically to get his bearings…

Not a great look, Lu

He really needed to get out more often. But it just sounded so awful. Especially when it came to sinners.

Charlie was incredibly naïve too. For that, he and Lilith had no one to blame but themselves. And now that Lily was off somewhere, it was down to Lucifer to make sure their daughter didn’t get eaten alive by this place.

His running thoughts drowned out the murmuring in the lobby to a dull thrum. What he wouldn’t do for a quiet day around here…

“What about you, Al?” Charlie’s boisterous call brought him back to attention.

“Well I don’t know, what does your apple loving parent think?” He said without missing a beat.

Lucifer blinked asynchronously.

“I already said what I think.” Lucifer deadpanned. His fingers played with the apple on his cane unconsciously after being called out. What was everyone’s problem with him liking apples?

“Oh goodness me, apologies.” Alastor’s smile stretched thin. “I tend to tune out your incessant yapping.”

This guy-

“Well I don’t like much of what you have to say eith-”

“Actually,” Alastor interrupted loudly, “I don’t care what you think! I think it’s a marvelous idea Charlie.”

“Oh, really?” She practically squeaked.

“Why yes dear. However, I would consider raising the stakes a little bit. Our good man’s redemption is old news by now.”

“But, how? We don’t really have anything groundbreaking to share besides. Unless…” Charlies smile grew three times as she concocted a plan in real time, “we ask Sir Pentious to bring Emily! There hasn’t been a peaceful visit from an official of Heaven before! That would be a big deal!”

Lucifer’s face blanched alarm. This was going a dangerous direction. He couldn’t let her start diving over this precipice unprepared. It was too soon- too dangerous…She still didn’t know exactly who she was dealing with. Air trapped in his throat as the very idea seeped ice into his bones.

“Now, Charlie? Let’s maybe take baby steps.” Lucifer offered. His hands moved in vaguely placating gestures, unable to decide what to do with them.

“What? Why?” Charlie turned to him. “Emily really helped us out in Heaven! She’s on our side. She helped us get a fairer chance in our meeting! It would have gone better if Adam hadn’t been there.” Her smile lingered a little, hopeful.

“I-I know sweetie but…” Lucifer stalled, searching for the right words, “…you know the potential of sinners, Charlie. But it’s one thing for the Seraphim to hear what your saying and to actually see it.”

“We showed them some things during the meeting though! They didn’t seem to be bothered by the what they saw…too much.” Her grimace spoke a thousand words.

“They were still removed from them.” He felt tired. “Look, I’m not trying to be a jerk here, but they really need to be handled carefully, Charlie. You have to pretend that they think you are a…a murderer if you want to get in the correct mindset to parley with them.”

Charlie stared at him, conflicting beliefs flashing over her eyes so clearly that Lucifer could almost read her thoughts.

“But…Emily wouldn’t-”

“How can you be certain it’ll be this Emily that they’ll decide to send? They want a reason to find you guilty. They’re always looking- waiting for you to make a mistake.” Lucifer clutched the front of his vest for a second as he steadied his heart.

“My my, are you projecting sire?” Alastor poked, voice smooth as silk.

“Don’t-!” Lucifer stopped himself, holding a halting hand out at Alastor. He closed his eyes slowly, his hand following suit as he calmed himself. “Don’t patronize me. And that is definitely not something a normal person says in conversation by the way.” Lucifer opened his eyes in order to give Alastor a blazing glare.

Does he ever stop talking?

“I’m simply pointing out a fact.”

An uncomfortable silence stretched between the motley group. A quiet understanding was there, that they knew Lucifer was speaking from experience. Yet for some reason, no one, not even Alastor, pointed it out.

“Wow, that was awkward!”

Everyone’s head snapped to the bar, where Niffty now sat. Her tiny legs dangled over the counter, an indifferent Baxter perched by her side.

“Wha- Where the fuck did they come from?” Vaggie demanded, looking pointedly at Husk.

He just rolled his eyes and shook his head, grumbling something before rummaging behind the counter.

“I’ve been here for a while.” Niffty giggled, legs swinging cheerfully.

“This place is gettin’ weirder…” Angel commented with a grimace.

“And it’s only going to get worse if we don’t start pulling ourselves together.” Vaggie pinched the bridge of her nose and took a breath. “Let’s start by thinking rationally, shall we?”

She squared her shoulders, facing the audience in the room as if both the actual devil and the radio demon weren’t in it. It was times like these that Lucifer was reminded of just how rooted the woman was in her militaristic mentality. Most of the time, it didn’t come through. When she was around Charlie, Vaggie was gentle and grounding. It kind of reminded him of Lilith.

But also similarly to Lilith, she could pull out an inspiring authority that only those who knew what it was to command in battle were able.

“How big of a deal is this prophecy sir?” Her single, piercing eye honed in on Lucifer. “Do people in Hell take prophecies seriously? I’ve never heard anyone talk about any, and yet you have a whole demon prince in charge of identifying them. So is it something we need to worry about, or not?”

Well, that was a pretty good question, huh? Lucifer, wished he had an answer that was anything other than improvised.

“You know, that’s a good point.” Charlie hugged herself. “You and mom never talked about prophecies.” Her large, curious eyes looked to Lucifer for guidance. She’d never looked at him like that before. Did she look at Lilith that way growing up?

No, Lucifer bit the inside of his cheek, focus. Come on.

“No, we never thought much of them. The Ars Goetia didn’t have a station for reading the stars until fairly recently. I certainly didn’t order it…not sure why Paimon would either-”

“Ya know these names don’t mean much to some of us, right?” Angel plopped down on the barstool next to Husk, intently watching Lucifer although he clearly didn’t understand what he was saying.

“Oh, right well,” He cleared his throat, “what I mean is, they weren’t of much consequence. I mean, the humans came up with Armageddon about two hundred years ago and nothing came of that…” Lucifer trailed off, stomach dropping.

“Right,” Alastor hummed, “Charlie dear, how old are you again?”

Vaggie practically raised her nonexistent hackles, “She never told you that dipshit-”

Alastor lightly rapped the top of his staff on top of Vaggie’s head, “I wasn’t asking you.”

“I’m…uh.” Charlie’s brows scrunched. The poor girl took in the expressions of those around her, obviously noticing that something off but unable to place it. Lucifer hoped she wouldn’t. “I’m two hundred and fourteen. I think? Yea, yea that’s it.”

“Well, well, what a funny coincidence!” Alastor’s claws rapped along the top of his microphone. “I’m sure that doesn’t imply anything significant at all, right sire?”

“Oh you just think you’re real funny don’t you?” Lucifer grumbled.

“I’m hilarious, Your Majesty.” The radio demon’s head snapped in Husk’s direction with an uncomfortable cracking sound. “Now, I must run a little errand. Let me know if those two royal hazards initiate the end days while I’m gone, won’t you Husker?” He ruffled the fur between Husk’s ears as he walked past, earning him a sharp growl.

“W-wait Al!” Charlie pranced after him. If she’d understood what Alastor’d just implied, she didn’t show it. “We could really use your help around here. If the crowds are anything like the re-opening, we’ll need extra hands. Even some security would be nice.”

Alastor paused briefly at the door and feigned a sympathetic smile towards the princess. “I’m afraid it can’t wait my dear.”

“Typical. You’re quite the hypocrite aren’t ya?” Lucifer gave him a nasty grin. “But go on ahead buddy, I’m sure I can do your job and more. We won’t even notice you’re gone.” He sneered.

“Dad come on!” Charlie groaned, dragging her hands down her face.

“You lack the tact to do my job.” Alastor spat through gritted teeth and swung the front door open. “Ta now!”

With that, he slipped into shadow and out of sight.

+++

That evening, Lucifer found himself in a constant state of unease. It was like an invisible force was slowly constricting his airways and fogging up his mind.

The worst part? He couldn’t pinpoint the exact source of the horrible feeling. Surely the prophecy was just words, right? Prophetic magic was something that remained a mystery to this day, so did it hold water?

He’d never been particularly superstitious, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t pay attention when the equilibrium of existence was in danger. There was a huge gap between the two. Even back in Heaven, there were whispers of the end of days that held no weight at the time. Heaven was the ‘perfect’ place in those days. Most angels, no matter their purpose, couldn’t fathom death or destruction of any kind.

It wasn’t until he unknowingly gave the force of decay and despair a window back into the universe that those whispers gained significance.

Come to think of it, that was probably why they were always so afraid of an uprising from him and Lilith. Because of him, the root of all evil took hold, and fear had been the currency of control ever since.

Control. Heaven had always been good at that.

Lucifer excused himself from the huddle in the lobby just in time for Charlie and Vaggie to begin their third attempt at explaining the concept of the Ars Goetia to Angel Dust. By someone’s mercy, barely anyone had asked Lucifer questions after Alastor left. A good thing too, because he was fairly sure that people were talking during dinner…he just didn’t hear a single word.

Now that he was finally by himself, his mind was free to wander without any distractions. Two hundred years since Charlie came to them. Had it really been that long already? It hadn’t occurred to him in the slightest that Armageddon was first brought up by the humans when Charlie was born. If Lilith had picked up on it, she’d definitely done a good job of hiding it.

Combined with this new prophecy that Stolas spoke of, the evidence against Charlie was stacked high. It’s just that, something didn’t add up about it all. Stolas had said that the prophecy was ancient, didn’t he? That would mean that it existed long before Charlie’s birth, and they just hadn’t known because no one had been reading the stars.

In fact, Lucifer knew he was guilty of intentionally ignoring the stars. They were one of his favorite creations from his previous life, and being forced to never see them again for the rest of eternity left him beyond bitter.

Would it have meant anything different if they’d gotten the prophecy back then? He and Lilith had long given up on the prospect of having children after their fall, and wouldn’t consider it again for several millennia. Either the child foretold in the prophecy was predestined- or there was another child altogether.

That was where Lucifer was completely lost. There wasn’t another. None of the other angels would dare, even when they traveled down to Earth every few thousand years to study humanity. And Lucifer was certain that Charlie was their only child.

So what in Hell did any of it mean? The prophecy was so clearly stated and yet so equally confusing.

With a groan, Lucifer leaned heavily on his balcony railing. “You would know what to do, wouldn’t you Lily?”

Silence greeted him, carried along a warm breeze. He didn’t expect her to answer. Not after all this time. And yet, there was still a hopeful tug at his heart every time he spoke to her. Every time his calls went to voicemail or his texts were left unread- against his will, he stayed hoping for something to change.

This time, he would think, this time she’ll answer.

She never did.

Lucifer just wished he knew why. Why did she leave so suddenly? The exterminations…she’d never have allowed them to happen. And yet she didn’t put up a fight when Adam brought them to the table. More importantly, though Lucifer wasn’t certain what Charlie’s relationship with Lilith was like, but he couldn’t imagine her ignoring her daughter when she was in need.

Now that he thought about it, everything about their life no longer made sense. With the prophecy mixed in with the ascension of that sinner, it begged the question if Lilith had known about any of it.

There was no asking her now, he supposed.

Ascension.

“What’d Heaven offer ya Luci?”

“...Redemption?”

Something ugly buried itself in his heart.

If a sinner could be redeemed, then...hm.

Swallowing thickly, he lowered his eyes from the sky until they found their desired target. Since coming to the hotel, Lucifer had taken to the habit of staring at Heaven’s embassy clock tower whenever he was lost. It wasn’t a new habit. Living at the palace had taken that particular comfort away from him, but the craving had stayed. Now, he indulged.

It soothed him, watching the second hand tick on around the face. Each second it continued to move meant that the life force inside continued to beat strong.

A small smile settled on his lips.

I wonder if it’s time to tell Charlie about that? Lucifer wondered distantly, I don’t want to tell her without asking Lily first, but things are getting messy.

His eyes wandered down to the hotel gates. Already, a small caravan of news trucks had lined up, ready to drop off their nosy reporters as if they were guests at some frivolous ball.

Really messy. Lucifer sighed deeply, Lily was always better in front of the camera.

Longing for her was starting to make him sick. Or at the very least, it was giving him a pitiful excuse to be less than useful to Charlie.

Lily would be better at it. Lily would know what to do. Lily always said the right thing.

He tapped his fingers along the railing, growing anxious.

Lily wouldn’t be so pathetic.

Lucifer pushed himself from the rail with a start.

This is ridiculous. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his contacts until he landed on Asmodeus. If any of the Sins would be willing to talk to him after today’s mess, it would be Ozzie.

Conveniently, that was exactly who he needed.

Before he could change his mind, Lucifer dialed the number. When was the last time he called anyone other than Lilith? He couldn’t recall- that couldn’t be good.

Despite himself, his mind slipped right into old habits. It chanted over and over, droning over any other possible train of thought.

Don’t pick up. Don’t pick up. Don’t pick-

“Luci? Ah, shit-” The sound of hurried shuffling came from the other end of the line. ”Lucifer, is that you?”

He mourned the version of himself from twenty-four hours ago that thought he’d never call the Sins again.

A tight smile forced its way onto his face. “Last I checked? Hm, yep I’m pretty sure!” He stared blankly at the clock tower.

”Oh thank Lucifer- wait uh, I mean thank...you I guess. Yea, thank you for being uh...okay?”

Lucifer cringed, sympathizing as Ozzie cursed under his breath. Now where did the Sin of Lust get all that awkwardness from again? Oh, right! Him.

Asmodeus was the first Ars Goetia he’d ever created, and therefore had the unfortunate prototype privilege of getting some of his personality traits. He’d always felt guilty about that.

“What, did you think Satan being a petty horny toad would be enough to do me in?” Lucifer laughed lightly before clearing this throat. “You didn’t...right?”

“...well.”

“Oh come on!”

“Sorry Luci! It’s just that, we all haven’t heard from you in a while. After we saw that you had helped kill Adam we thought you, ya know, finally lost it.” Ozzie at least had the decency to sound apologetic, but that didn’t stop Lucifer from imagining his exact words in Mammon’s grating intonation.

Lucifer sputtered. “No- You all...” He sucked in a sharp breath through his nose. “First off, I did not kill Adam nor help kill Adam. I just kept him from killing my little girl. Big difference. It was more like, um, indirect self defense!” He put on his best convincing smile as if Ozzie could see him. “And if you’re implying that I’m still miserable about Lilith, then you are way off. I’m doing...much better!”

“Uh huh.”

“...”

“So, are you okay? Or should we be worried?”

The king groaned. “Forget it. Listen, I need a quick favor.”

”Skipping straight to the juicy stuff hm? Not gonna ask me to dinner first?” Ozzie teased.

“Fuck off.” Lucifer laughed genuinely for the first time all week. “I need that Prince Stolas’s contact information.”

”Woah.” Ozzie’s surprised pause was audible. ”You know, if this is about that prophecy-”

“It’s not,” He lied, “I told him I’d try to do something about his sentence. I need to follow up before I forget- you know how distracted I get.”

Lucifer heard a deep sigh through the phone. He felt for Ozzie, he really did. It was kind of insane of him to call up out of the blue for a favor after, well, everything. But despite any guilt he might feel towards the Sins, he wasn’t ready to tackle that mess of baggage. Especially now that Satan was apparently orchestrating his downfall-

One step at a time.

“Alright, I’ll text it to you, but take care, okay? I don’t know Stolas that well, but from what I’ve gathered, he’s been through a lot.” There was a pause. Lucifer could almost see the poor Sin fidgeting as he weighed the potential consequences of his next words. ”Listen...Paimon was the on that put him in charge of the stars. You know the other Kings don’t consult me much these days. Luci I...don’t know why he did it.”

The unspoken implication was loud in Lucifer’s mind.

Paimon might be working with Satan.

“Thanks Ozzie, I’ll keep that in mind.” Lucifer loosened his bowtie, feeling a cold sweat building on the back of his neck. “I had better get going.”

”Alright Lu...don’t be a stranger this time, yea?”

“Yea, I’ll do my best.” Lucifer smiled sadly, watching the clocktower strike midnight as he hung up.

Paimon, huh?

It was kind of funny that Lucifer hadn’t considered things might change one day. Since his fall, he’d come to accept that he was nothing more than an angel trapped in a pit of his own creation. He was no Devil...a king in name alone. Wishful thinking had him believing that he could just distract himself for the rest of eternity while Hell continued being it’s awful, chaotic self without him.

Lucifer, The Devil, was just the disciplinary stick the Sins used on the other hell born every now and again. Lucifer, The King of Hell, was who he was to Charlie and her crew, even if they didn’t know exactly what that meant. How little it meant.

Lucifer, The Morningstar, was the the face of the damned to Heaven’s denizens, serving as a cautionary tale. He was the monster they promised if the curious ones flew to close to the sun.

He should have known that defying the laws of creation and bringing Charlie into the world would shake things up a bit. She was so much like himself: naïve and trusting to a fault. The most dangerous trait she inherited, though, was the courage that he’d forgotten he once had.

Apparently, he was a danger to all of existence when he had it. Now, Charlie was prophesied to begin the end times.

It was like she inherited his rancid fate.

Lucifer’s phone blinked to life in his hand, shaking him from his rumination. He let out a shaky sigh as he checked his texts. As promised, there was the number of Stolas. There was no excuse for him to ignore this now.

The clock tower tolled one last time for the night, and fell silent.

Chapter Text

Charlie haunted their room. Her usual, optimistic aura was overrun by dread. Had been, since that afternoon. With a lazy sort of drag, her tired eyes moved to the digital clock by the bedside.

1:00 a.m.

She took a deep breath and carded fingers through her frazzled hair.

“Vaggie, do you think we did too much too fast?” Charlie stared at the pillowy, glowing orb that was Heaven in the distance, dejected.

The labored thuds from the other corner of the room came to a halt at the sound of her voice. Vaggie paused her workout, putting a hand on the training dummy to stop it from wobbling.

“Where did this come from all of the sudden?” Concern was laden in her tone. Through the reflection in the window, Charlie could see her partner watching her with full attention. It was a small thing, but it made her heart swell.

“I just…I don’t know Vaggie.” The princess turned and leaned on the windowsill. “This whole prophecy thing, I can’t help but feel like it’s a bad omen. I know my dad said that prophecies weren’t a big deal, but I can’t get rid of this awful feeling. I can’t describe it.” She hugged herself, focusing her attention on the floor.

“You know, even without the prophecy, Satan would have tried to throw Lucifer off his guard. He said himself, the guy has always been a little bit of a dick.” Vaggie strode across the room, brushing stray strands of hair from her face as she went.

“I know, but the timing feels too perfect to be a coincidence. If I hadn’t gone to Heaven for that meeting, then Adam wouldn’t have attacked us directly, and he might still be alive. Pentious might still be here, and not redeemed.” Charlie looked up when Vaggie approached, a sad smile on her lips. “Everything Satan used as fuel to convince everyone the prophecy could be real were things I did trying to fulfill my dream.”

“Hey, that’s not fair Charlie.” Vaggie leaned against the wall beside her. “Your dream isn’t just for yourself. It’s for all sinners who want something better for themselves. For all of the souls that have guilt in their hearts from their life. It isn’t just you. We’re doing a good thing here, hon.”

“Besides,” Vaggie smiled slyly, “without all of that evidence, you existing would have been enough. That was like…half the point of the prophecy remember?” She chuckled softly when Charlie’s face scrunched in distaste. “No matter what, I will always be thankful that you are here, no matter what Hell thinks.”

“Heh, thanks.” Charlie appreciated Vaggie’s words. Really, she did more than anything. But that sensation of lead in her stomach wasn’t alleviated in the slightest. Something about the prophecy felt like an extension of herself. It was so powerful that she could barely remember what it was like to live without knowing about it. It…scared her.

She wondered if her dad had felt the same. Despite all of his assurances and casual deflection, there was an uncertainty in his eyes that she couldn’t un-see.

He probably hadn’t seen Satan’s vindictive nature coming either. From what Charlie remembered, the other Sins had always been pillars for her dad throughout the years. Even after Lilith had taken her away to the hotel, Ozzie and Bee especially had paid visits to debrief one subject or another. But afterwards, when her mother thought she was in her room, Charlie had overheard the Sins telling Lilith about Lucifer. Usually, they’d just tell her that he was fine. Sometimes, though, she would hear them pleading with her to try and reconnect- she hadn’t understood what those conversations meant at the time.

I wonder, if mom hadn’t left, would I have ever reconnected with dad?

That just left her with more questions. Why did her mother separate them?

“Hey,” Vaggie’t gentle voice pulled her to the present, “let’s get some sleep, alright? Today has been a lot…best to wait until we’re rested to talk more, yea?”

“I guess you’re right.” Charlie yawned, pulling lazily at her bow tie. Vaggie’s hand covered her own, stopping her.

“I need to shower before bed.” Her eyebrow rose mischievously. “Wanna join me~?”

Charlie laughed, despite herself. Her cheeks flushed a powder pink.

“Always.”

+++

It was somewhere around the witching hour by the time Alastor slid back into the hotel. With a subtlety that spoke of many seasoned years, his shadows carried him up the elevator shaft and straight to his room. He climbed from the inky blackness into the space- an ominous, looming sort of figure compared to his surroundings.

A small wall clock ticked a low, hollow tone opposite the door. Deep, maroon curtains blacked out his windows, tastefully tattered and aged against the pristine wallpaper. Damn that small king- did he not know that the straight from the factory look was a sterile eyesore?

Oh well, he’d get to weathering the walls eventually. After all, this room was the one place Alastor felt grounded through the insanity of Hell. It needed to be exactly as he liked it. Don’t get him wrong, he reveled in the misery that Hell offered. From his perspective, everyone here deserved their punishment. They made their choices, and Alastor found joy in watching them wander about the rancid streets, regretting their life with no solace available.

And yet, thanks to a redeemed sinner, Alastor’s life had gotten increasingly more miserable. Could that perhaps be considered an alternative version of divine punishment? Because it was underhanded, if it was.

Since that particular event, meetings with Rosie had become a more frequent occurrence. It wasn’t as if he didn’t enjoy the canibess’s company on a good day, but that was typically when a visit was his idea. Being summoned by an acquaintance on the opposite side of Pentagram City at random during the weeks was slowly chipping away at his patience.

She insisted, of course, that the pleasantry was very much necessary and had to be done. It was a laughable explanation, considering Alastor found that a meeting was typically reserved for the exchange of important information. Rosie consistently had nothing of the sort.

”Oh Alastor,” She would say, ”no updates as of yet. But you know they could drop at any time! We must meet as often as possible. Plus, who else am I going to share my new tea blends with!”

If either of them possessed a phone, Alastor thought grimly, they wouldn’t have to concern themselves with this game of beck and call. Quite a sacrifice he wasn’t willing to make. Perhaps if Rosie could contact him through the radio waves, that would be even better! But no, Rosie may be powerful, but Alastor didn’t trust even her and her discretion not to drop information on the wrong frequency.

The Radio Demon sunk into his favorite armchair by the fireplace. His entire body unwound, releasing the tension of the day’s stresses. Truly, could their little incompetent crew have a couple of days together that featured normalcy? Alastor loved a good mess of chaos and misfortune as much as the next sinner, but ever since Lucifer got involved, it seemed like their messes were getting larger and larger in scale.

Usually, none of this would bother him, but he’d yet to recover from Adam’s attack. Watching the people around you make progressively worse and worse decisions started to lose its charm when you were thinking about a hole in your chest.

With a low growl, Alastor leaned forward to confront the issue. Clawed fingers picked away at the bowtie and buttons constraining him, working until they exposed the root of the issue. The sight of the less than improved wound made his smile shrink.

I suppose it could have been much worse, He thought, Rosie would say that I was lucky to survive at all. The thought made Alastor grimace. Rosie really did like to make fun of him for taking on Adam by himself. However, in his defense, who else was going to do it when Lucifer was nowhere to be found and Charlie hadn’t displayed any traits of competency in battle up to that point?

Additionally, he would admit, he wanted to test how strong he actually was. Whenever he thought back on the fight, Alastor knew that he could have done better. He’d been sloppy, ironically, and that had cut his little experiment short.

Oh, well. Something told him there would be no shortage of battles with higher beings in their future...especially if this new prophecy held any sort of weight.

A low groan vibrated through his chest as twinges of pain strummed his nerves like strings. Could you believe it, relaxing after being tense all day actually made the pain worse.

With a shaky breath, Alastor motioned his claws in front of the wound. They danced like puppeteer’s fingers, pulling invisible threads. The skin of his chest protested as the arcane stitches reacted, synching his wound tight.

This isn’t going to be sustainable. He thought as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his neck. Truly, he wasn’t fond of mess that came with this predicament. Alastor almost missed being clean- a horrifying development.

Mess. Yes, he loved making large displays of bloody messes during a good fight, but he heavily preferred the mess to be the result of another body breaking down. Not his.

Never mind it. You’ve been through worse…I think.

Satisfied with the handiwork, Alastor leaned back. He poured himself a hefty glass of whisky, put smooth jazz on the radio, and allowed an hour to pass. It was a restless stretch of inactivity, considering how it was supposed to help him relax. His mind couldn’t focus on the music and tune out the noise, no matter how acutely he wished for it to flatline.

This state of unrest had happened to him frequently as of late. Every time he tried to sit still while inside the hotel, this odd buzz would tickle the very blood in his veins. Sometimes, he even felt as though he were being watched. But the thing was, he felt all of this, yet experienced it from an outside perspective. That didn’t quite make sense to even himself, but that was the best way he could describe it. A true, out-of-body experience that shook him just enough to keep him from ever getting any rest around here.

It bothered him often enough that he’d started to really pay attention to it, trying to figure out where the horrid feeling was coming from. Alastor knew himself, and only a little focus was needed to realize that this ’anxious’ side effect was, in fact, not coming from within him. It was external- the type of discomfort you get from sitting next to someone that is so furious or miserable that their grungy aura was influencing you as the unwilling victim.

Where is it coming from? Everyone around this sorry place is just as miserable as before, and that never bothered me in the past. Alastor rested his head back, staring at the ceiling. Charlie has enough innate strength to influence the moods of those around her, I suppose. But it’s never caused a problem before. Charlie was careless, but she did make a deliberate choice to keep her power on the low-down. Maybe she had more control over it than Alastor had given her credit for. But if that were the case, then who…?

Unless Lucifer-

“Hey Alastor.” Niffty jarred Alastor out of his personalized sleuthing game. His eyes angled down to where she stood beside his feet, watching. “You look pretty messy,” she observed, “and a little rotten.”

The pleasure she took in pointing out such things was unendingly fascinating. “Why yes dear.” Alastor’s eyes crinkled around the edges. “That is very typical of the wounded. But don’t you fret! I am in wonderful shape regardless.” His smile stretched habitually. “Now, what did I say about breaching my room unannounced, Niffty?”

”At least knock first.” She parroted his past request back to him with an affirmative nod. “But this is the only room I didn’t get to clean this month Alastor! I have to get to every room four times a week and yours has the most wonderful mess.” Her little hands rubbed together like a fly. “The baseboards alone I could-”

“Now Niffty dear?” Alastor chimed in, which granted him merciful silence from the woman. “Do you remember what I said about my crock pot in the kitchen?” He asked, putting on his best counselor’s tone.

”Do not wash the simmering pot, EVER.” Niffty parroted again, invoking an amused chuckle from Alastor.

“Yes. That is no different from my room. Do not tidy up what is mine.” Though his tone was friendly, the order was clear. Niffty didn’t look offended, though she pouted something fierce while she looked longingly about his room. He could see the gears turning in her little head, no doubt mulling over how she’d get to cleaning each and every surface should she get the chance.

“Niffty, darlin’,” Alastor buttoned up his shirt to hide his biggest mistake from the world, “is there something you needed to say to me?”

Her singular eye wandered a bit before understanding sparked within it. “Oh! Yes, you wanted me to let you know if anything changed with Baxter! I keep an eye on him.” Niffty squinted playfully and whipped out her needle blade. “Real close.” Her tiny fingers rapped along its surface. “He’s done a lot of experiments on my victims. And he likes my roach pupped shows even more than the others! He says they have fascinating potential. He’s even got some ideas for new acts.”

Ah, yes, he should have seen that coming. Though he found a mild satisfaction in her unfiltered joy, that wasn’t exactly what he was hoping to hear. “Lovely,” he drawled, “but what about his work for the Vees?”

Niffty’s face scrunched in thought, her leg tapping rapidly against his rug. “Hmmmmm…no I can’t remember anything. Baxter’s been working on science-y stuff in the basement. He hasn’t talked to the Vees at all. He’s pretty open to talking about his job though- you should ask!”

Alastor barked a laugh, immediately regretting it when his stitches strained. “If you say so, my dear. Do keep up the good work.”

“Aye aye Alastor!” Little Niffty gave him a dramatic salute before scuttling for the door. Before he knew it, she had squeezed under the door with unfathomable physics and disappeared. Baxter was one of those sinners that Alastor simply couldn’t ignore on principle. The man worked for Vox in one way or another, and though it appeared as though the tiny demon got a room out of genuine self interest, he had to be sure.

Of course, Baxter posing a threat to Alastor was laughable. What he really wanted to know was if he was any use to them if he wasn’t in league with the Vees. Someone like that could really turn the tide in a bind. He knew for certain that someone like Charlie wouldn’t even think about the usefulness of her guests, but Alastor was obligated to. If Baxter came to hold some sort of loyalty towards Charlie, then perhaps he’d even make a good spy to keep tabs on the Vees as things heated up.

It was always good to know what cards you held before the game started.

The jazz on the radio dimmed to dull background noise. A soft pattering of acid rain rapped rhythmically against the window, adding to an atmosphere that was becoming close to nostalgic. He hadn’t noticed the rain until now- how long had it been storming like that? Really, he needed to get a grip. Being this unaware was not something he could afford making a habit out of, especially while he wasn’t at full capacity.

But…the jazz with rain was nice. It went down nicely with the burn of whiskey. Perhaps, if he didn’t manage sleep tonight, Alastor could at least indulge in the comfort of memory. Just for a little while.

+++

Stolas wasn’t proud of it, but he managed to sleep in way past the early morning hours. His body simply hadn’t allowed him the blessing of consciousness for twelve hours straight. After the fiasco the day before, he knew that he would probably be tired- but oh the ache he felt down to his feeble hollow bones was unbearable. He had no powers, and no places to be. He could do without the responsibilities, as without his medicine, it was already difficult just sitting at the IMP reception desk without wanting to disintegrate.

Even with the medicine it was hard to get much done other than wallow in his own thoughts. But he’d gotten up by seven at least, beckoned by the promise of a sugary cereal. Well, he’d eat that before his staff brought him his actual breakfast. You know, the one deemed appropriate and therefore worthy of someone of his status. It had all become so meaningless and mundane. Looking at the stars didn’t even have the charm that it’d had in his earlier years.

That innocent charm- it hadn’t lasted as long as it ought to have. Stolas vividly remembered that single moment of pure, uninhibited joy when his father had told him of his role amongst the other Ars Goetia. A keeper of the stars, and the one true seeker of prophecies. It was a role never before granted to a royal in Hell. That novelty would have taken longer to wear off if he hadn’t been told he was engaged to a psychopathic, narcissistic, violent freak in the same breath.

Truth be told, he didn’t remember his life much after that. Not including his experience meeting Blitz for the first time of course. After that, Octavia was the one good thing that came of his fractured existence, and now he’d managed to lose even her.

“Are you FUCKING kidding me Moxx!!” A portal ripped open in the lobby with Blitz leading foot first. He might as well have kicked a hole in time and space himself with that vigor. “You had one shot. ONE SHOT !” Blitz strode through, tail flicking and teeth bared in the largest sarcastic grin Stolas had ever seen.

“Well don’t blame me!” Moxxie came through with a much more relaxed posture, looking unbothered. “Listen, I didn’t have a problem with the kid, creature was a demon- but the DOG! Come on, don’t tell me you didn’t think it was cute as fuck.” The little imp’s eyes positively glittered at what could only be the mental image of this dog- puppy- thing.

“Well now guess who’s not getting paid this week!” Blitz crossed his arms, making a point to avoid looking at Moxxie. “That job’s bonus was your salary!”

“What? That’s not how that works!” Moxxie ran a hand down his face in exasperation. Loona and Millie jumped through the portal last, looking relatively unbothered. Millie just gave Moxie a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

“Aw, now don’t worry hon. We’ll get em’ next time. Then Blitz will pay ya double!”

“He fuckin’ wishes.” Blitz dusted off his jacket before finally noticing Stolas at the desk. “Oh! Stolas, we’re back!” He beamed with a genuine enthusiasm that Stolas was sure he used to reserve for the promise of a good fight.

“Yes,” Stolas tilted his head, “so I see.” Though he smiled, the light didn’t reach his eyes. Blitz was kind enough to take him in once he’d lost his home. Since this morning, Stolas had already seen so much of Blitz that he’d never encountered before. He was blunt and impulsive, yet at the same time, handled Stolas with a tenderness and consideration that was unfamiliar.

Before the trial, their relationship was nothing short of untapped. Stolas wanted it to be more like whatever was happening now. Blitz had been convinced that their relationship was based exclusively on status and conditions. To think, all that time that was how Blitz had seen him.

“Alright Blitz!” Millie slung a bag over her shoulder with Moxxie at her side. “We’ll be heading home m’kay? See y’all tomorrow. Hang in there princy boy!”

“Bye Mills!” Blitz gave her an enthusiastic wave as they headed out the door. After that, well, he and Blitz just pulled their things together and made for the apartment.

Something Stolas had come to appreciate from Blitz was his lack of questions. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t expected a barrage of how are you feeling? or do you want to talk about it?- the last one being less likely. Instead, they had fallen into this quiet understanding of their situation. Stolas found solace in the silence they found whenever they were together. Aside from breakfast and walking to the office, the two of them enjoyed simply being close.

The conversations would come, he knew. The implications of what had been done were vast and hard to take. Lucifer had even gotten involved, and Stolas didn’t know what to expect from that part of the equation. It would be irresponsible not to talk about it with everyone, considering they had all crossed paths with the King.

But for now, they all needed to process it. Stolas knew that he would be like this until Octavia came of age, but that wasn’t for another year or so. A year was plenty of time for someone like Andrealphus to make a serious mess of everything Stolas had built. Not to mention, there was Stella to worry about. She may be Via’s mother, but there was never an instance when the two were alone without Stolas that his daughter came back looking happier than when he’d seen her last.

“Y’know, I keep asking myself why you defended that king.” Blitz broke their silence once they were home. Loona had split paths with them on the way there. Something about visiting friends.

The imp scrunched his face in thought as he continued, “I mean, the guy didn’t help you at all. You still gave up everything to try and keep that ridiculous prophecy a secret. The fuckin’ man hasn’t even shown his face since before we were born!”

Stolas pondered those words for a moment. The answer to his question was multileveled and awkward, especially if Blitz couldn’t see from his prospective as a Goetic prince. He decided he should probably start with the personal explanation. He had a strong feeling Blitz wouldn’t accept the ’Lucifer is basically the Ars Goetia personal god’ explanation.

“Well, I don’t really have a reason to spite him, despite his absence.” He began, migrating to the couch. “You see, I’ve heard that he’s a bit of a recluse. The other royals used to talk about how he was weak at heart and didn’t have a sense of duty outside of his family.” A long suffering sigh blew past his beak at the very thought. “I am not much better than him. And from what we saw yesterday, I don’t think he’s necessarily neglecting us for vindictive reasons.”

“But why protect him?” Blitz’s eyes widened with genuine curiosity.

“Why did I protect you?” Stolas said, a small smile forming. “Because I...care for you of course. But also because you don’t deserve to be unjustly punished just because of who or what you are.” The prince brought his knees to his chest. “At the end of the day, Lucifer was an angel who became a victim of circumstances constructed by those whom he thought were trustworthy. He didn’t play their game and now he’s here.”

“Lord Satan looks at what Lucifer is and sees a weakness that has no place in Hell. I guess I...just see a lot of what you and I deal with on the daily within him. Not that I know him personally.”

“But Satan can’t take Lucifer’s power from him. You, on the other hand-”

“Power isn’t the only thing that is important here, Blitz. You should know that more than anyone.”

Blitz stared at him, an unwavering battle for understanding just behind his eyes. Stolas knew he should be touched that this man though it would be worth throwing the king under the bus in order to secure his safety. But there was something in Lucifer that felt all too familiar- something raw that he couldn’t ignore once he’d caught wind of it.

“Plus,” Stolas smile slyly, “Lucifer did create all of us Goetic demons so-”

”What!?” Blitz croaked. “Oh my fuckin’ Satan do I have some logistical questions for that man-”

Stolas cackled, genuinely, for the first time in a while. They both reveled in the morbid humor of the whole thing, filling the small apartment with quiet laughter. It wasn’t until Stolas’s phone buzzed in his pocket that the two of them managed to catch their breath.

“Oh, my. Who could that be.” A small part of Stolas hoped that it would be Octavia. She hadn’t been answering his calls. He pulled the vibrating device from his pocket, and any hope he held dissipated when the number on the screen was unfamiliar.

Blitz peeked at the number from over his shoulder. “636-363-6363...what kind of moron would have a number that stupid- oooooh.”

The two met each other’s gaze, and both realized they’d come to the same conclusion. Stolas cleared his throat before answering the call with a shaky hand.

“...Hello?” Because how is one supposed to answer a call from the King of Hell? If this even was Lucifer. Was he supposed to say something more specific- ’Greetings?’ Hm, that might have been nice-

“Hey! Put that damned thing on speaker. I wanna hear his silly voice again.” Blitz’s tone had gone into dangerous mockery territory. But considering how there wasn’t a single sound coming from the other end of the line, Stolas didn’t bother acknowledging it yet.

“...Um...G-Greetings?” Stolas set the phone on the coffee table, speaker mode on. “Hello...?”

Silence.

“Hey big man, your phone number is stupid.” Blitz crowed.

There was an offended gasp on the other end.“...Now hold on-”

“There he is!” Blitz’s lizard tongue flicked out momentarily, a clear sign that he was quite proud of himself.

“I’m sorry Your Majesty,” Stolas added quickly, “we weren’t sure who was calling-”

“Nah- No I mean, don’t worry about it.” Lucifer’s voice cracked. Each word was unsteady with nervous laughter. The king then cleared his throat and started again. “I just- well I asked Oz- I mean Asmodeus for your number. I knew if I didn’t get in touch, time would...get away from me.”

Stolas cringed inwardly as the most uncomfortable chuckle came through the phone in all it’s tinny glory. He knew that sound. That was the kind of laugh you executed on demand when you thought you were about to get scolded. It was surreal hearing it from the literal Devil- towards people like themselves no less.

“Oh well, that’s quite alright. We were just-” Stolas started. Blitz had other plans.

“Hey feather king, any progress on getting that bullshit sentence rolled back? Or revoked...undid?” Blitz slung an arm over Stolas’s shoulder, leaning his full body weight into the other man while he spoke. “Cuz, y’know the guy Satan turned all his stuff over to is a massive Bitch!”

“...Ah, I see.” There was a beat of nothingness before the king let out a tired sigh. “As you probably have figured out, I can’t just return your power to you myself. Satan has jurisdiction over all of that, so really I need to get him to do it himself.”

“So is that a no?” Blitz gave the phone the biggest, bubbly innocent eyes of sarcasm that he could.

“Blitz, it’s okay just...” Stolas put a hand over Blitz’s on his shoulder. “...is there any way you can make sure my daughter is safe?”

Stolas felt his heart racing in his chest as he waited for the king to answer. The silence that filled the room weighed down his spirit all the way down to the furthest ring. What would he do if Lucifer said no? If he went up to the house now, then Andrealphus would be within his rights to punish him as he saw fit. He didn’t want Octavia to see that. Not his daughter.

“...I will check on her.”

“Oh thank Lucifer-!” The phrase wrenched from his throat out of habit, then he remembered who he was talking to. “Or uh...I mean, thank you.” Heat rushed to his cheeks while Blitz snickered behind his back.

“Heh...Don’t worry about it. Listen, I’ll check on her but the discussion of your station isn’t over. I just need a little time.”

“I understand Your Majesty.” Stolas nodded to no one. “If you would...just let me know about Octavia, my daughter, when you find out. Please?”

”You got it.” Lucifer sounded unsteady, but Stolas decided not to pay it much mind. This was the King of Hell, surely he would be okay. “Alrighty righty then um...I need to be going. I’ll be in touch.” Lucifer didn’t wait for a response before hanging up.

Both Stolas and Blitz could only stare at the phone as the reality of that conversation sunk in.

“That...was the King of Hell, right? The real one?” Blitz asked skeptically. He looked thoroughly unimpressed. “I mean, I know it was. I saw the little freak in person. But still.”

“I’m afraid so. But you believe in me, right?” Stolas tilted his head in order to see Blitz, who was resting against his shoulder.

“Yes.” There was no hesitation, which nearly made Stolas forget what he was saying. Oh.

“Then let’s believe in Lucifer. If I can do a few important things, even while being who I am, then I’m sure he’ll be far better off.”

+++

As Lucifer hung up the phone, he could feel his palms beginning to sweat. Why was that so much more difficult than it should have been? Not that finding phone calls daunting was a rare trait...just that Lucifer distinctly recalled that mundane things like this didn’t used to be an issue for him.

And did he just promise that guy that he’d check up on his daughter? He was supposed to ask about the prophecy! What in Hell are you thinking? What are you going to do once you get there? Oh dear, yet another thing he had to take care of. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten his reason for calling so immediately. That imp guy really had a knack for throwing people off.

Maybe a drink wouldn’t hurt.

Would be nice if they had beelzejuice in the hotel, but that was not something Charlie was equipped to deal with. If the sinners started drinking that...eugh.

Lucifer jumped through a portal to the lobby stairs. After checking to make sure his coat and hair was in mostly the right configuration, he made his way down. The first person he saw was Alastor, sitting ever so confidently at the bar. Husk cleaned a wine glass in front of him, looking entirely uninterested in the conversation the two smaller demons standing on top of his countertop were having. Lucifer couldn’t remember their names for the life of him. Niffy and Barker? Nimph and Barry?

There were way too many names in his head. Adding more at this point was such a struggle that it was becoming an issue.

“Why, look who’s decided to join us!” Alastor waved at him, a jerky motion that did not fill Lucifer with ease.

“Well I didn’t know my absence would have caused you so much grief.” Lucifer pursed his lips as he approached the bar.

“You two had better take your bitching elsewhere if that’s the deal.” Husk warned, hanging up the wine glass he’d been working on. “I’m not in the mood to listen to yet another disturbing back and forth.” His ears pinned back as he shot a pointed look at the two smaller demons. “I’m lookin’ at you Niffty. Baxter, you wanna entertain her whims, be my guest. Do it anywhere other than on my bar.”

Niffty and Baxter. Let’s see if I still remember tomorrow.

“It is no fault of mine that you do not see the benefits of the research put into her unique hobbies.” Baxter took on a professor’s pose, one hand securely behind his back and the other adjusting his glasses. “Do not underestimate the usefulness of critters in numbers. Especially with her influence and my expertise-”

”Off. My. Bar. Now.” Husk’s tail flicked back and forth in clear irritation.

“Fine, whatever you say feline.” Baxter put his hands up in a fake placating gesture. “Come now Niffty! Seems our talents are not appreciated here today.” He ushered her off the counter top.

“That’s strange. They usually love my puppet shows! I’m getting better at them too.” Niffty insisted as the two of them made their way out. Lucifer just watched them, mildly concerned.

“So, Your Majesty, are you done throwing your little tantrum?” Alastor asked suddenly. Now that got his attention.

Lucifer swiveled on the bar stool to look at him, eyebrow raised. “What do you mean tantrum? I don’t recall giving you any grief. Not that you could pick up anyone’s feelings with your limited emotional range.”

“Oh please sire, give yourself more credit!” Alastor’s smile tightened with annoyance. Lucifer, for once, didn’t know why. “Your mood swings practically radiate throughout the place. You could stand to get a better handle on that if you want to keep them private. Alas, as far as I’m concerned, it’s everyone’s problem until you do.”

“I’m- You...excuse me?” Lucifer didn’t know what to say. Was Alastor implying that he could feel Lucifer’s mood swings? Was he supposed to be aware of that?

Alastor’s eyes narrowed when Lucifer didn’t follow up and he, by the Sins, did not know what was going on. The radio demon of all people was currently looking at Lucifer as if he were playing coy.

What the fuck is happening right now.

“Alastor, you’re the one who always makes your moods everyone’s problem.” Husk grumbled, planting a glass of rye in front of the overlord. “Don’t think we’ve forgotten how you sat in that very seat while the princess nearly got trampled by reporters the other week.”

“Ah, ah, ah Husker! She knew what she was getting when she hired me!” Alastor turned to lean both elbows on the bar top. “I haven’t broken any promises. The king, on the other hand-” He waved a hand in Lucifer’s direction, narrowly missing his cheek with a claw, “-promised to be useful! Yet all he’s done is spent whole nights miserizing to himself and saturating us with the fallout.”

“No really, what are you talking-”

“Ohoho, so the two big guys are meetin’ up at night hm?” Angel’s voice cut in from the front door. The lanky demon glided over with an elegant gait and plopped down at the end of the bar.

“Preposterous thinking.” Something spiked in Alastor’s radio filter, sending an uncomfy twinge through Lucifer’s ear.

“I can’t believe I’m about to agree with this guy.” Lucifer swiveled again, this time facing the spider demon. “But yes, preposterous! Come ooon you know me, I can’t stand the guy’s grungy, ugh, aura.”

Angel snorted, “Know you? It took you almost a month to remember my name short king.” Husk chuckled lowly and put a pink martini looking drink in front of Angel. “But I’d be happy to get to know ya more~” He wiggled his brow, a knowing smile backing his tease.

Lucifer threw his head back with a frustrated groan before firmly planting it on the bar top.

“See what I mean? You are prone to tantrums.” Alastor sipped his rye, not even bothering to look at him.

“Says the guy who’s complaining because he thinks I’m effecting him with my mood from a good hundred yards away.” Lucifer mumbled into the counter.

“Sheesh, what a diva. Didn’t know you had it in ya smiles.” Angel said a matter-of-factly before downing half his drink in one go.

“Hey!” Husk slapped the counter. “I’m not makin’ ya another one a’those until tonight. You’d better savor that.”

“Aw, have mercy on me whiskers.” Angel whined, a smirk ghosting the corner of his lips. “I’ve had a rough work day. Gotta take the edge off before having my drink proper.”

The feline looked him up and down before shaking his head, “Nah, you ain’t foolin’ me.” Husk growled, though he looked like he was having a difficult time fighting a smile, Lucifer noted.

“Imbeciles, the lot of you.” Alastor muttered mostly to himself. His eyes were narrow as he finished his drink, glaring at Lucifer outright.

What is his deal? He has to be pulling my leg with the mood thing. I’d know if I were that out of control. I think.

Lucifer eyed him from the bar counter, only sitting up at the sudden sound of feet rapidly descending the stairs.

“Dad!” Charlie cried, not slowing in her momentum at all. Oh, she sounded agitated. He was a little afraid to look. But he did anyway.

He turned, intending to give her an innocent smile as she approached. Except she was already right in front of him, eyes wide and imposing.

“Gyah!” Lucifer jumped, back hitting the bar in the most unpleasant of senses. “C-Charlie! My darling daughter ah-hah.” He chuckled nervously when her expression didn’t change. Vaggie stood behind her at a more respectful distance.

“Where have you been? We couldn’t find you all morning! It’s already 6 in the afternoon!” She whipped out her phone and shoved her call log into his face. “I even called you- twice. You’ve never ignored my calls before.”

“Oh, uh.” Lucifer pulled out his own phone and pulled up messages. Sure enough- two missed calls from Charlie. When had she called him? Was he really that out of it? “I’m sorry sweetie, I was just uh...” hiding on the roof, pathetically working myself up to calling Stolas, “...working?”

He could hear Angel face palm somewhere off to his left.

“Well...dad please pick up the phone. I promise I will too just- at least while this prophecy stuff is still new. I don’t know what to expect. How am I supposed to know if you’re okay?” Charlie hugged her phone to her chest. Her face fell, as though she couldn’t quite understand her own fear.

But Lucifer understood. How could she know, really, if they were in real danger or not? He had never been around to teach her how things really worked in Hell. Not the important details, anyway. There were things that were taught to the Hell born in school, and then there were actual secrets of the trade, so to speak.

There wasn’t any room to get into that now, but one thing he could assure her of was, “Don’t worry, Charlie.” Lucifer smiled softly and placed a hand on the ones clutched over her heart. “Nothing in Hell can hurt me. I promise, okay?” For a moment, none of the sinners existed anymore. He imagined them in the palace. Charlie, small and curious, and him still around to protect her. She would look up at him, eyes as big as they were now, and believe him without any hesitation.

Back then, that was all he needed to feel his spirit lift straight back up to the heavens. Her faith in him gave him strength. That came through in the present, as Charlie’s expression relaxed and all the tension in her shoulders released.

“Okay,” She said, “just pick up the phone.”

Lucifer snickered, “Yea you got it, aucella.” He pulled his hand away while Charlie giggled at the nickname. He hadn’t gotten to call her that in years. “So, what was it that you needed?”

Charlie paused, looking confused until Vaggie gave her a little nudge. The princess blinked, looked at her girlfriend, then visibly jolted into gear. “OH! Crap, that’s right!” Everyone startled at the outburst. “Listen, dad, we need to get into contact with Heaven. Emily didn’t give me a way to contact her, and we really need to talk to them about getting proof of Pen’s redemption before the reporters get too impatient and break through the front gates.”

Husk and Angel exchanged looks when Charlie audibly sucked in a gulp of air after spewing her whole thought in one breath. “Huh, is that all?” Husk added sarcastically.

“Well...I can certainly try.” Lucifer offered, certain that he officially had too many tasks involving checking up on people he didn’t know in his near future.

“What do you mean?” Vaggie asked while Charlie caught her breath. “You were able to get us a meeting with Heaven before. What’s different now?”

“I mean, I don’t have a direct contact with them.” Lucifer admitted. “I have a roundabout way to reach out to them, but usually they’re the ones contacting me. ‘Don’t talk to us unless we talk to you’...that kind of thing.”

“Damn...and I thought Alastor was catty.” Angel swirled his drink, ignoring Alastor’s scathing glare with admirable success.

“I can transmit a message to them and hope they get back with me.” Lucifer continued. “If I had to guess, they responded so quickly before because they hadn’t met you yet. They would have been foolish not to take that chance to get a feel for who you were.”

“Well, okay then.” Vaggie nodded, unbothered by that news. Of course she would expect it, being a fallen angel herself. Charlie, on the other hand, looked properly put off. “They have to say something. Pentious is up there and none of us have a good explanation yet as to why. It would be in their best interest to keep in contact, right?”

“I don’t know, do they actually acknowledge the redemption itself?” Alastor cut in. He leaned back on the stool in order to see past Lucifer to Vaggie.

“What?” Charlie rose a brow. “Of course they do! Sera told me herself that Pentious was...that he, um.” Something in her demeanor shifted as she realized something.

Vaggie seemed to pick up on her train of thought, her eye widening. “She said that Pentious got into Heaven. She didn’t say he was redeemed.”

Lucifer paled and impossibly lighter shade. How could he have been so stupid? He was right behind the portal when Sera came to speak with Charlie. Though she hadn’t seen him, he heard every word she spoke.

And she absolutely did not say that Pentious was redeemed. And oh, she didn’t sound pleased in the slightest.

Fuck.

“Wow, aren’t we just doing a swell job?” Alastor rolled his eyes and leaned back up, crossing his legs. He looked mighty pleased with himself.

“Just...just because she didn’t say he was redeemed doesn’t mean they have any other explanation, right? Dad?” Charlie’s smile was nervous when she looked to him for answers. His head spun with the worst possible implications that this could have.

If they didn’t think Pentious was there as a redeemed sinner, then what were they thinking? Surely they couldn’t believe that he’d sent the snake there. He hadn’t pushed against them so boldly in ten thousand years. Why in Hell would he decide to do something so rash now? Lucifer didn’t think he would even know how to get a sinner into Heaven discretely.

“Um...” He said lamely, “...I’ll reach out to them regardless.” Lucifer scanned the room, taking in the uncertainty in everyone’s eyes. Alastor, of course, smiled wider at the prospect of his misery. Well, that strawberry speaker was in for it if what he said about feeling Lucifer’s mood swings was true. At least he’d have the satisfaction of knowing that Alastor was a suffering byproduct, despite how concerning the question of how was.

“They’ll have to say something. Knowing them, they’re going to try and play the fool until they come to a decision on their own.” Lucifer smirked. “So I’ll just have to be annoying enough that they clue us in before they do that.”

“Oh hell yea baby, that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Angel huffed a laugh, sounding pleasantly surprised by the turn of events.

“We’ll see how long you can hold your nerve.” Alastor hummed. Lucifer whirled on him, his stool creaking from the sudden stress.

“Hey, don’t underestimate me you little prick.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it my good man!”

Lucifer rolled his eyes, “Yea yea, whatever you say.” He turned his attention back to Charlie, expression softening. “I’ll get it done, don’t worry. I’ll come back to help take care of the reporters after I’ve sent the transmission, okay?”

“Alright dad.” Charlie still looked pensive about the whole thing, but that trust held true in her eyes. Lucifer hoped he would never cause her to lose it, because he didn’t know what he’d ever do if he did.

With that, Lucifer stood and prepared to portal back to the palace. He hadn’t brought his equipment to the hotel- in hindsight, he probably should have.

As the bar faded from Lucifer’s view, he belatedly realized that he forgot to order a drink.

Chapter Text

The gardens of Heaven were truly something to behold. Every plant and critter one could think of thrived, no longer threatened by a civilization of beings hellbent on taking and taking without giving back. Unlike Hell, the air here was soft and cool. It danced through the trees and left behind the echoes of ancient choirs.

For now, Lilith called this her home. She spent her days strolling the bush, wondering if eventually, she’d end up somewhere new rather than right back where she started. To her, the gardens might as well be an illusion, tormenting her with a freedom that she never really had. The gardens were vast, until they weren’t. Her confines were slack, until she tugged.

Where she started was a simple clearing. It was decorated tastefully with a rustic, round cast iron table, complete with tea sea set and water that always remained hot. She got to commune with the creatures of Heaven here, those native and those who’s souls traveled from Earth. She got to feel that cool breeze and relish in how it kissed her soft skin. Here, Lilith was never dirty, or unwell.

And yet, when she sat at that table for one, the only view she concerned herself with was the one outside of the garden. Past the it’s false skies and the distant Halos of Heaven’s gates , there was emptiness. Forever, Lilith could see a sea of inky blackness. There were stars and planets- full clouds of space dust and strings of planetoids.

But she didn’t see all of that. Her eyes were always drawn, without fail, to the bottomless depths of black matter. A mysterious substance that neither humans nor the divine quite understood. It was primordial, known only to the embodiments of good and evil that stood strong against the waves of time herself.

When she looked upon those pools of black, she was reminded of the day the pit of Hell first cracked open. She and Lucifer had been so sure of themselves then. Certain that, no matter what came their way, they had made the right decision.

It wasn’t until they were face to face, up close and personal with the endless dark that they realized just how dire things had become. Down in Hell, underneath the crimson crust of what would become the Pride Ring, nothingness stared back at them. Through cracks in the foundation of the new realm they’d created, those hollow eyes of evil watched their every move and taunted them with seditious whispers.

That place they had landed so long ago- it wasn’t meant to be.

Lilith’s phone buzzed on the table, drawing her from mesmerization. Like clockwork, she turned the phone over and scanned the many messages from her husband and Charlie that she would not answer. May it be out of habit, or lingering sentimentality, she hovered her thumb over Lucifer’s texts longer than normal.

No, it was fear. Fear had her longing for Lucifer’s company in a way she hadn’t in thousands of years. She wanted to open his messages and read each and every one, and picture his face while imagining what his voice would sound like. Lucifer was the one being in the entire universe that she’d believed she could trust with her innermost doubts.

Oh, she had believed.

But what could she say to him now? She had no idea how to speak to him, not after what she discovered. What she suspected.

Lilith stood, her gaze turning towards the center of Heaven. If there was any time to make a move, it was now. Adam was dead, which meant that his ridiculous extermination idea had been indefinitely halted. Hell had to be considering it’s next steps by now, and so should she.

The Queen of Hell tucked her phone away, messages unread. These days, the Seraphim didn’t answer her calls, literally or otherwise. Lute hadn’t been by to vent and gloat in a while, which meant that she’d probably been put on a leash.

Finally...

Therefore, the only way to get Sera to come down here and hear her out would be breaking the rules. Yes, she obeyed the rules of the garden and walked in senseless circles for seven years, but breaking out was no issue. Sera knew that, and both monarchs were aware that it was only a matter of time before one of them rocked the boat.

Sera would come, and Lilith intended to offer her the best deal. If Sera didn’t take what was offered, then the queen didn’t intend to take responsibility for the consequences. There was no time to play by the rules anymore. Since Adam’s death, fate had begun to unravel. She could feel it, like a constant chill that never ceased. Whatever was happening between Heaven and Hell, it was unprecedented.

No, she had no more time to wait. She would get into Eden, no matter what it took.

+++

How long had it been since her life had meant something? While she flipped through tomb after tomb and skimmed over every archive, she could only think of how fragile her existence had been. What was an angel, if not a beacon of hope? What was a Seraphim, if not the pinnacle of truth?

Sera didn’t think she fit either category anymore. Heaven was a place where the deserving were supposed to rest, and God’s beings of light were destined to preside. Could anyone tell her how to interpret that truth when the nature of reality had been flipped on its head? There was a soul from Hell currently residing within the golden promenade, and the daughter of evil made it happen. There was no beings of light or purity in that equation.

So…had her purveyance meant anything at all?

The only thing she could hope to do was find a record of redemption in their oldest recorded history. Something, anything to alleviate her burdens…and guilt. But she’d been searching for weeks, and nothing had turned up. Not once did any being at any level consider the possibility of redemption. And, to Sera’s horror, over the course of those weeks researching, she began to wonder if this is what Lucifer had been trying to tell them all along.

”You have to let her choose! If you don’t…then what’s the point of gifting life?”

Choice. A single choice didn’t determine someone’s destiny, for with choice, humans could take fate into their own hands.

That couldn’t be right. Surely it would have been done by now. Why now, after ten millennia, was a sinner redeemed?

No, she needed to get ahold of herself. Sinners don’t want to be redeemed. It hasn’t been done before, because sinners never bothered with bettering themselves. That…that was still true, wasn’t it?

The Seraphim massaged her temples, setting aside the last possible record. She wasn’t getting any answers. Eventually, she was going to have to face the court’s choir. What was she going to tell them? There was no clear answer here, not that she could see. Heaven wasn’t exactly known for not having the answer, so she didn’t imagine such a meeting with the court would go smoothly.

“Sera?” A small voice broke the storm, soothing her ruffled feathers. “You haven’t come out in days.”

Had it been that long already?

“I’m sorry, Emily.” Sera turned to the voice, taking in the sight of her little sister. The younger Seraphim hovered inside the portal she’d made, concern written all over her face. “I lose track of time in here.”

The archives room was a sacred, protected place. It had no doors, or any one true physical location. Only the Seraphim and their superiors were able to enter via magic, and even then, it was reordered by The Watcher.

“I think we should talk.” Emily said, taking Sera’s hand with tender affection. She pulled the older Seraphim through the portal and into their office. Even in her absence, Sera noted, there was not a single thing out of place. All of the surfaces, including the conference desk, were spotless. Each system running along the walls that monitored the wellbeing of Heaven were optimal.

It should be said that Emily was by no means a clean being. She tended towards the creative and bombastic, always scribbling down ideas and taping them to the walls like sticky notes. So the fact that the office was exactly as Sera preferred it spoke volumes of how serious Emily was about this.

“I know what you’re going to say.” Sera sighed and took a seat. “But I’ve already told you, speaking to Pentious is a risk. If you’re wrong, and he isn’t what you think, anything he says could be the whisper of the Devil.”

Emily blinked, “Really? And what exactly do you think the Devil is? His daughter is Charlie. Charlie!” Lavender feathers slowed in mid air as she lowered herself onto the table. She sat cross legged in front of Sera, a stern brow invading her bubbly features. “And anyway, Pentious is not some agent of evil. I’ve been chatting with him and-”

”What!?” The table rattled as the Seraphim slammed her hands upon it, causing Emily to jump. “That was the one thing I asked you not to do! What if he-”

“He isn’t!!” Emily crossed her arms and doubled down. “Not talking to him is what is going to cause a problem, not the alternative. You have left him in a room with something that barely passes as a window for weeks!” She huffed, clearly frustrated. “Now what do you think will really cause a soul to incline towards evil? The place he came from, or the way he’s treated now?”

Sera was silent. There was wisdom in those words but…oh.

I don’t want to talk to him. Sera realized. Why? Well, deep down she knew why. Because what if he actually was just a gentle soul who’d escaped his punishment through redemption? Then how many souls, just like him, had she commanded be vanquished?

When Sera didn’t respond, Emily’s expression softened. “Sera please, just go talk to Pentious. I want him to know that he isn’t going to be abandoned here.” Her eyes drifted off to the side, uncertain. “I think he’s starting to think that I’m just being kind to him to keep him distracted. He feels like prisoner.”

A prisoner?

Sera felt chills roll down her spine. There was only one prisoner in Heaven’s history.

”Sera, please. They listen to you. Please.”

No, there would never be another one. “Alright, I will speak with him.” Sera relented, offering Emily a tired smile. The younger angel barely paused, jumping up with a little squeal.

“Yes! Oh thank you Sera. Thank you!” Her wings flapped as she rose into the air, doing a happy twirl around the room. Even when a knock came at their door, Emily didn’t slow down. Despite herself, Sera smiled at her sister’s antics as she moved to answer it.

Waiting for her was a tall, elegant young angel. His blonde hair fell past his shoulders a good inch, perfectly cared for as usual. Two pairs of beautiful pearly white wings hung relaxed by his sides, golden feathers filling the inner layers like a shimmery coat lining. Another pair of wings circled his temple like a halo, small and functionally useless. His actual halo was vertical, a trait that resembled that of the Elder Virtues, of which he was an honorary member. It was organic, twisting delicate root-like tendrils to a crown where a four pointed star rested.

“Ah…Phanuel. How lovely to see you.” Sera’s voice was a little too tense for her liking. Phanuel’s neutral expression cracked into a grin, blue eyes brightening. “To what do I owe this, um, pleasure?”

“Thank you Sera,” Phanuel began, “I just…” He trailed off as his eyes drifted over Sera’s shoulder to the celebrating Emily. She’d stopped swirling around the room, but had turned to quieter forms of celebration nonetheless, shimmying her shoulders while whispering happy something’s to herself.

Phanuel’s eyes softened at the sight, to which Sera found herself bristling. She wasn’t ready to unpack exactly why.

The doorway darkened in shadow as the Seraphim stepped forward, blocking the angel’s view. “Phanuel, your report?” She asked again, brow raised.

He jolted from his thoughts, shoulders stiff, as he returned his attention to Sera. “Right! Sorry. Your office reported a transmission. They say it’s on your personal system, so they cannot check it.” Phanuel’s hands folded together, a nervous tic of his. “Seems it’s for your eyes only.”

A transmission? Sera’s brow furrowed momentarily before realization dawned, or rather, struck her down from any sound state of mind. She glanced back at Emily, before letting out a long winded sigh.

Undoubtedly, this was a message from Hell. More specifically, Lucifer was trying to contact them. It probably had something to do with Pentious, knowing that spirited daughter of his.

“Very well, thank you for the-”

Sera froze, a tingle crawling up the back of her neck like creeping frost. Shit, she thought before she could stop herself. She felt it more than she sensed it- Lilith had moved.

They had set clear boundaries that Lilith was not to cross under any circumstances. Why in Hell would she dare to break her house arrest now?

“Seraphim?” Phanuel tilted his head, eyes clouded with something not quite worried. Trepidation. Caution.

Sera didn’t blame him. The two of them had never really gotten along.

“-Actually, there is some urgent business I must attend to. I will see to the transmission when I return.” She pushed past the smaller angel and prepared to open a portal before hesitating. Her head turned, unhurried, until sharp eyes landed on Phanuel. “Do not inform Emily of the transmission while I am away. I will take care of it.”

With that last word in, she stepped through a portal, leaving a confused Phanuel behind.

+++

Once Sera was gone, Phanuel released a tense sigh. He hated being around her on the best of days. It wasn’t like Sera was cruel to him, but he could always see the way she looked at him- like he was some sort of sleeper agent that would leap at her any moment.

And so naturally, by extension, the politeness he showed her was not born of respect, but fear. This meant he had absolutely no problem defying her orders behind her back.

Phanuel let out a sharp laugh and turned back to the Seraphim’s meeting room. With the back of his hand, he pushed the door all the way open. Emily continued to mumble happily to herself while looking over the promenade through the window.

“Am I interrupting, miss Emily?” He announced himself, leaning against the doorframe with a certain amusement. The woman lurched and whirled to face him, a smile still plastered on her face. She paused, processing, before squeaking with glee.

“Oh Phanuel!” She cleared the meeting table with one flap of her wings, landing in front of him. “I haven’t seen you in forever! What have you been doing all of this time!” Then she gasped, hands hovering over her lips like she was about to whisper scandal. “You still haven’t told me about your trip to Earth!”

Phanuel laughed, pushing off the doorframe. “All in good time, I promise. You know how I can ramble on once I get started.” He reached out a hand, then paused as if waiting for permission. When Emily didn’t move away, he tapped her shoulder gently. “I’ve missed our conversations. Plus you’re the only one who still has a sense of humor around here.”

“Ugh, I know right!” Emily groaned, eyes filled with mischief. “Everyone is so uptight. It took me weeks to get Sera to agree to even talk to the new Pure Soul- you heard about him right? The redeemed one?”

“Ah, yes.” Phanuel’s smile fell slightly. “It’s left even the Virtues disconcerted. And you know how particular they are around me. They still let it slip.” He gestured for her to walk with him, and she happily fell in step.

“Really? I’m surprised they bothered to pay attention to it. Sera always makes it sound like they’re ‘too consequential’ to bother with the material plane of Heaven.” Her brow raised, “Which is odd, because I thought all of Heaven was maintained at all levels by collaboration.”

Phanuel barked a laugh, “That is true, but their roles are so fundamental to existence that they don’t have room in their minds for anything else.” He shrugged, “As long as they do their jobs, they are collaborating with the other levels of Heaven.”

Emily’s nose scrunched as she tried to work out exactly what his words meant. He decided to rephrase. “If one of them stopped doing their job, Heaven would fall apart.”

“Oh! Okay, I think I get it.” Emily nodded, completely too casual considering the implication that beings with a consciousness were the literal pillars of Heaven.

Phanuel chuckled to himself, then noticed that Emily wasn’t walking anymore. He paused, turning to her.

“But you’re here, Phanuel.” She said suddenly.

He blinked, meeting her wide, violet eyes. They were filled with questions, and unsettled him with their earnestness. An awkward smile plastered onto his lips under her attention. “Ah well, I’m just an honorary member, remember? I’m still young, comparatively.” Phanuel’s hands folded together anxiously, behind his back this time. “Heaven was working just fine before I came along, so I’m considered useful on a need to know basis.”

“Huh…” Emily looked genuinely displeased with that answer. The faith within her trembled right before his eyes. In fact, he could see it all: her desire to help the Princess of Hell. Her devotion to getting to the bottom of the redeemed sinner situation. Her innate compassion pushing her forward, devoid of ulterior motive.

Such was his innate purpose. The truth always revealed itself to him, and therefore he was always compelled to seek it.

Phanuel cleared his throat softly, “Anyway, I came to alert Sera to a transmission that needs her attention. It’s on her personal system, so her assistants can’t access it. But she had a matter to attend to so-”

“Oh gosh!!” Emily exclaimed, planting her hands on her cheeks as if the touch grounded her. “Then it must be from Hell!” She blurted, not even trying to hide it. The Seraphim beamed, reaching behind Phanuel and taking one of his folded hands with a sudden urgency. “Let’s go check it then! I’m sure she won’t mind!”

Without waiting for his reply, Emily waved a bubbly portal open and pulled him through. Next thing he knew, they were in Sera’s tower, surrounded by less than content Ophanim. They all eyed them wearily, though their hands continued to work on tasks regardless. Considering that they had eyes to spare, it wasn’t surprising that they could multitask to such extremes, but Phanuel always found them unnerving.

“Come on let’s go.” Emily hardly noticed them, already leading down the hall. At the end of the hall, she put a hand against an ancient ivory colored door, inlaid with gold. The entrance to Sera’s office, locked to all beings otherwise, yielded to Emily with ease. A dull creak marked their entrance, echoing in a manner reminiscent of within a church. Inside was a room encased entirely in stained glass. Heaven’s rays refracted through it, establishing a haunting atmosphere for the space. Distinctly of the ‘holy’ flavor.

Sera must not have updated her room much since the old ages. Heaven had mostly adapted to the advancements of the mortal realm over time, but certain areas were considered sacred and indestructible against the test of time. That included many older angel’s personal quarters, apparently.

In the center of the room was a desk, covered in papers and golden quills. Messy, but organized chaos. In the middle, a small device emitted a pillar of red light, blinking rapidly. Just as they had stepped in, it buzzed anew, and sputtered before continuing it’s rhythmic flashing.

“Wow, it’s kinda a mess in here.” Emily said, finally releasing Phanuel’s hand. “She hates it messy. But she’s also been in the archives for almost a week. Maybe she forgot to clean before she left?” While she approached the desk, Phanuel lagged behind.

He tilted his head back, allowing himself a moment to absorb the images in the stained glass. They were depictions of historic events, spanning through different epochs. It was obvious that each illustration was crafted with love- especially one of the more recent ones at the bottom that depicted the creation of Emily. It was centered along the wall, behind the desk. It was where a nice window could have been, but instead hosted a loving recreation of what Phanuel figured was Sera’s happiest moment.

When he looked straight up, his breath caught. There, marking the center of the domed room, was a beautiful rendition of Heaven and Hell. It was perfectly circular, reminiscent of the yin and yang. The pieces were jagged and sporadic, somehow making something as rigid as stained glass look painterly. When he looked closer, he could see six silhouettes on Heaven’s golden half, all holding weapons of duty. Those, he assumed, were the six Elder Virtues.

Buried within the blood red glass of Hell’s half, there was a four pointed star. The glass it was made from wasn’t stained glass, he realized, but a mirror. It was shattered, with black veins separating each crack like blood. When he stood directly under it, his own shimmery golden white and grey colors reflected back at him, slicing through his features and turning him into fragments.

”Hah, well hey there, um, so…we really need to discuss that redeemed sinner-” The distorted voice of a man came from the device on Sera’s desk. Emily must have activated it.

“Huh, I don’t recognize that voice. I’ve met Charlie but…” Emily muttered.

Phanuel barely heard her, eyes dilating as he stared at the fallen star. All at once, Sera’s truth crashed over him. Her shame and despair that spanned over millennia. The sensation of her whole world falling out from under her was palpable, though he couldn’t grasp the context. He had a feeling the image on the ceiling was it. This, Phanuel realized, was Sera’s guilt.

“The Morningstar.” Phanuel belatedly answered Emily. The Seraphim turned her attention to him, then followed his gaze upwards. “The King of Hell contacted her.”

Honest to God, he wasn’t certain how he knew that. Between the secretive nature of the transmission, the glass right above him, and Sera’s insistence that he not tell Emily of the message…he could make an inference. But there was also the oddest twinge of familiarity in that voice- he couldn’t tell if he liked how it felt or not. Nevertheless, he was certain it was The Morningstar.

“Oh…” Emily stared at the ceiling. Phanuel wondered how many times she’d contemplated the same image in the past, likely having spent a lot of time with Sera in this office.

”Okay so I promised Charlie I’d get you to respond so…I’m going to keep sending these until either you send me something or I run out of time, m’kay?”

The transmissions continued to play, drilling that unsteady voice straight into Phanuel’s head. His felt something odd while listening to it. It was less nostalgia and more…anemoia. He’d never heard The Morningstar speak before, and yet-

“He wants us to meet with them about Sir Pentious!” Emily’s smile was strained, as if she couldn’t decide whether to be happy or terrified. “Em, how long do you think Sera will be?”

“She didn’t say. Just that it was urgent.” Phanuel bit the inside of his cheek. “…She uh, didn’t want me to tell you about the transmission,” he admitted, “sorry.”

He expected Emily to scold him. Or at the very least, recoil from the device that Sera clearly didn’t want her to touch. But instead, a certain air of defiance settled over her person. She narrowed her eyes and looked down, deep in thought.

”You know what Sera? I don’t give a shit what you think of me, but Charlie deserves more respect than you’ve given her.” He sounded on the verge of tears. Not pathetic. Just frustrated. ”If you’re going to make me contact you this way, the least you can do is respond. What, are you scared?” The voice chuckled dryly. ”Yea, I’ll bet you are. You can’t handle the implications can you? You were always good at willful ignorance, as long as it suited you.”

Phanuel and Emily exchanged a look. The Morningstar wasn’t kidding when he said he wouldn’t stop until she picked up.

”Hey!”

They both jumped.

”I know you’re listening to these Sera. I’m getting a received signal. Don’t you dare...” The voice trailed off. A low, miserable groan filled the silence. Just how long had he been recording these?

“I’m gonna answer it.” Emily said suddenly. Resolutely.

“Really?” Phanuel blinked in surprise.

“I don’t appreciate that Sera was going to hide this from me. And anyway, now he knows we’re listening.” Emily squared her shoulders. “I don’t know Lucifer, but I know Charlie. I will give him the same respect.”

Despite her words, Phanuel saw the slight tremor in her hand as she reached for the device. He shouldn’t have underestimated her resolve.

He came to stand next to her as she pressed on the ‘receive signal’ button.

A fizzle. Click.

”…Sera?”

Phanuel’s mouth ran dry.

”Hello…?”

Emily closed her eyes, biting her lip. After a slow breath, her eyes snapped open, filled with a commendable fierceness.

“Hey! This is Emily, the other Seraphim. You can call me Emi! What should I call you?”

+++

“Lilith!”

Lilith was unflinching when Sera descended upon her. Eyes were wide open along the angel’s hair and abdomen, bearing witness. This was what she had hoped for.

“You violated your side of the deal. You cannot be outside of the rear gardens.” Sera landed in front of the captive queen, studying her. Lilith only smiled, and looked up at her warden through pointed sunglasses.

“We never made a deal, Sera.” Lilith reminded her. “Adam was sloppy with the specifics. The only reason I haven’t caused you more trouble is simply due to the kindness of my own heart.” A splayed hand covered her heart, feigning authenticity.

“You may not be bound by the soul, but you will follow my orders while in this kingdom.”

“Why of course,” Lilith’s blackberry lips curled into a smirk, “as long as you grant me a single request.”

The eyes all over Sera’s body closed, leaving her in her most down-to-Earth form. She scrutinized Lilith, dissecting her with every intention to find hidden motives through sheer power of will. “And what, to the God above, could I possibly afford to give someone like you.”

The queen scowled. Not seriously, of course. “And I thought I held a grudge.” She mumbled, making Sera’s eyes narrow.

“Take me to Eden.”

“…What?”

“Take me to the Garden of Eden, Seraphim.” Lilith stood tall. Her hair curved in the breeze like currents of the sea. Nothing could shake her now. There was no creature in Heaven or Hell that could topple her resolve.

“Why?” In contrast to Lilith’s fluid form, Sera had gone stock still. Guarded.

“If you’re insinuating that my plans will be against the interests of Heaven, perish the thought!” She waved off the words with a delicate hand. “There’s something I need to see with my own eyes.”

The Seraphim closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then folded her hands at her waist with practiced elegance. “Eden is forbidden. No one is authorized to get in or out.”

A cruel chuckle resonated from Lilith, her lips tight. “Forbidden? What an odd choice of words, Seraphim.”

The angel bristled, but remained still. “My word is final. Turn around and return to the rear gardens, or I cannot spare you from the consequences.”

For a moment, Lilith didn’t speak. All things considered, she had expected that this might happen. Sera was a stickler for the rules, and anyone with real authority hadn’t come to the lower Heavens since Hell was born. So really, she suspected that Sera would try to maintain old rules without trying to adapt and make new ones.

However, Eden being forbidden? She didn’t buy that one. If no one had authority to enter, then who was keeping tabs on it? There was no way in Hell that they didn’t keep an eye on the Tree of Knowledge. Not after what happened.

Oh well, all the better. This way, her plan B would be all the more rewarding if all went well.

“Hm, alright then.” Lilith shrugged and turned on her heel. “I will return for now. But don’t think you can keep me here for much longer. What binds me here is just about severed.”

Unable to help herself, Lilith smiled as she retreated. Sera knew so little about the circumstances bringing her to Heaven in the first place. It was almost amusing, watching her pretend to hold control over the situation.

She could feel Sera’s gaze upon her up until she passed through the first wall of trees marking the rear gardens’ borders. Now, it was time to move things along. Without so much as a hitch in her stride, Lilith whipped her phone out and began dialing Lute.

Truly, the very thought that the Lieutenant believed she was in any position to order Lilith around. She’d almost laughed out loud the afternoon Lute had thrown Adam’s halo at her feet and commanded action. But not even Adam could give her an order, she’d made sure of that.

”I will allow you to keep me captive in Heaven.” Lilith had towered over Adam in the Heaven embassy, scathing words burning her throat but never touching her tongue. “During that time, I will not interfere with your plans for Hell. You can have your little extermination. But I want something in return.”

“Oh yea?” Adam scowled, though he was already buzzing with excitement. She had him.

“You will grant me one favor.”

“Yea, okay bitch, but how long can I keep you in Heaven?”

“Until you fulfill my favor.” When he withdrew in a pout, Lilith smirked. “Oh you sorry bastard, don’t worry. I’ll give you plenty of time to have your sick fun.”

In reality, she’d been waiting for a sign. The instant Adam had put forth the exterminations, Lilith had felt a shift. An extermination would shake things up in Hell, and cause an imbalance that might finally change the status quo.

The day Adam died, Lilith knew she’d been right. It was exactly what she’d been waiting for the past seven years. And now, thanks to Lute hanging onto his halo, she could finally call in that favor.

The line rang. Once. Twice. Lute didn’t pick up until the very last moment, clearly to make some kind of power play.

”What?” Her voice was a growl, low and guttural. ”You had better have a fucking good reason for daring to-”

Lilith smiled. “Do me a favor, and come to me.”

”Why would I ever-”

Silence. Lilith could picture it: Adam’s halo activating on the exorcists arm, compelling her to become nothing more than it’s humble host. Not a moment later, a portal opened in the garden clearing just as Lilith reached it, and Lute stepped out.

Her shoulders were sagged, and she stared straight ahead. With unfocused eyes, Lute turned to Lilith, not really seeing her. The queen remained still, relishing in the control she held as the angel began closing the distance with stilted steps.

Once they were within an arm’s length of one another, Lute lifted her prosthetic one. Adam’s halo hummed in agreement, and slowly slid from the exorcist’s person. It glowed a comforting yellow, overall an upgrade on it’s own compared to when it was on the First Man’s head.

Lilith beckoned to it with one finger, and it immediately hovered between them and onto her right arm. A thin smile pulled at her lips as she stared at it. How funny it was, that Adam would one day be reduced to simply a functional cloaking device.

His halo was now her’s, and with it, all its power until she was no longer in need of it. She felt the constrains of her deal with Adam sever, a grip upon her heart relenting. Just like that, Lilith was no longer an official prisoner of Heaven.

“Send her away dear.” Lilith commanded. The halo pulsed, comprehending, and Lute dazedly stepped back through her own portal. Once it was closed, the queen couldn’t help but chuckle. “Good boy.”

She hoped dearly that, wherever Adam was, he could hear her.

“Now, we have some work to do.”
































You can find me on Tumbler here: @umilee-art  and concept art of Phanuel HERE

Chapter Text

“Hey! This is Emily, the other Seraphim. You can call me Emi! What should I call you?”

Lucifer sat at his old desk in the palace, staring at the transmitter as if he’d forgotten what to do with it. When he‘d begun recording transmissions for Sera, he’d expected her to send him a message back. Not have his signal received in real time.

Shit, what do I say? He balked, hands clenching the armrests of his chair. This is Emily? Isn’t that the girl Charlie was talking about?

He didn’t realize Emily was a Seraphim.

“…Lucifer.” He said finally, hoping that they couldn’t hear the tightness in his voice.

”Oh, nice to meet you! You’re Charlie’s dad!” This Emily character sounded unusually happy compared to her other half. Sera had never sounded this relaxed in her life. ”You were right.” Her voice faded a little as she leaned away from her transmitter to speak to someone.

She was with someone else. Why didn’t she introduce them?

The air in his workshop thickened. If anyone else had been there, they would have seen the way his entire demeanor shifted on a dime.

She’s a liar. They all are.

“Charmed, I’m sure. Who’s with you?” He was kind of proud at the stability in his voice, considering how betrayal tightened his chest. It was irrational, he knew. But there were some habits hard lost when you lived forever. He wasn’t ready to let go of this paranoia towards Heaven, for the sake of survival, if nothing else.

There was a beat of silence on Heaven’s end before the girl began again. To her credit, it sounded like she knew she was treading on thin ice.

”...This is a friend of mine! He told Sera about the transmission.”

She didn’t give a name. Lucifer’s mind ran through the many reasons why she would feel the need to hide the identity of this friend. It was either because Lucifer knew the angel, and wouldn’t handle a reintroduction well...or they didn’t want to be known. Both were equally disturbing. He chose to let it go, for now.

“…Does she know you’re talking to me?” Lucifer couldn’t decide which answer would be better or worse.

”Well…I have authority to be here.” She said.

She hesitated.

“So, no then.” His spirits dropped with the revelation. If Sera didn’t know that Emily was talking to him, that meant she was still trying to contain the situation. Emily, from what Charlie had said, was very open to the idea of the hotel and wanted to do everything she could to help make it work. He also knew that Sera was stubborn, and probably disagreed.

“Regardless,” Lucifer pressed on before he could rethink it, “there have been some developments down here, and we now need to make progress with the redemption situation. Charlie’s hoping to have Pen- uh...the snake visit as proof that redemption is possible.”

Silence once again fell over the other end. It lasted just long enough that Lucifer almost thought they’d disconnected.

”...Pure Souls can’t leave Heaven.” Said an unfamiliar male voice. ”Weren’t you a Prince of Heaven? You know, an Elder Virture? Shouldn’t you know that stuff?”

The Virtues.

A violent shiver ran down Lucifer’s spine at the very mention of the title. It was so intense that his knee jerk reaction was to slam his fist into the desk just to ground himself. They didn’t seem to hear the noise, because at the same time he heard the male angel grunt in pain. Lucifer could only assume Emily had elbowed him or something.

“You know nothing, whoever you are.” Lucifer’s guard went up. “It doesn’t matter who I was. Heaven doesn’t keep me updated on the inner workings of the realm. Haven’t in thousands of years.” He stared holes into the transmitter with the mild hope they could feel it’s burn. “Clearly you know your history, so why don’t you fill in the blanks yourself, hm?”

”No! That’s not-” Emily stuttered, ”my friend here is just pragmatic.”

“Uh huh.”

”You said that there have been some developments. Is everything okay?”

He did say that out loud didn’t he? Whoops.

“Everything is fine. But it would be helpful if we could prove redemption worked.” Lucifer repeated. In reality, the sinners didn’t take his or Charlie’s word to mean much. The royal family didn’t hold a lot of sway in everyday politics these days, but he didn’t need Heaven to know that. If anything, he needed to keep up the illusion that he could keep Hell in line.

”Oh...”

”There’s no proof that he was redeemed.” The male voice said. ”Even if we give you visual confirmation that he’s here, the higher Choirs won’t acknowledge it.”

“Visual proof is all we need. As long as we have something to offer other than words.” Lucifer’s hand ran through his hair as he sighed. “In fact, I think seeing is believing as far as the sinners are concerned. Words are kinda reserved for the art of deception down here.” If he could get a video, or even a picture, then he would make sure that the sinners bought it. Frankly, he wasn’t in the mood to care what Heaven thought was true about the sinner’s ascension. He didn’t care what Hell thought either.

But Charlie did, so that was all the motivation he needed.

”That’s...” Emily was noticeably less enthused that a few minutes ago. ”Well I can bring visual proof. I just need a little time! And I’ll have to get Sera to speed up the process of setting his hearing date.”

His stomach flopped. “Hearing?”

”Well, yes. The Choir needs to determine if he was truly redeemed or not. It’s never been done before, after all.”

Emily sounded so innocent, as if this hearing was actually designed to be fair. The hearing would go however Sera wanted it to go, as far as Lucifer was concerned. The Speaker rarely made appearances, and there were more than a few angels who wished for violence. The odds weren’t stacked in their favor. He almost pitied the sinner stuck up there.

It would be nice if The Virtues kept their dogs in check. Lucifer thought bitterly. Then again, they might deserve their own ball and chain.

“We’ll reach out to you when we have the evidence.” Emily crooned, entirely too happy to be aware of how badly this could go.

“No!” Lucifer jumped in his seat, on edge. “I mean...just get ahold of Charlie when you have it.”

”What? Why? I mean, I would love to see Charlie of course. But you seem to know what to do with it and-”

“I can’t have Sera know that you spoke to me behind her back.” Lucifer cut in, frowning. “She’s...paranoid about that sort of thing.”

A distant scoff crackled through, ”Yea, no kidding.” The male angel grumbled. Lucifer found himself smiling reflexively. It was pathetic how quickly his body reacted to any amount of validation, from anyone, apparently.

“...And Adam?” Lucifer heard himself ask.

”He...hasn’t been discussed yet.” She sounded just as confused as Lucifer felt. ”I think they want to talk about it during Sir Pentious’s hearing. In fact, his absence hasn’t been brought up much at all. Except for...”

She stopped, and Lucifer blinked expectantly. “Except for what?”

”It’s nothing serious. I don’t know anything else about it right now. I’m so sorry! But trust me, I’ve been paying close attention since the last extermination. This whole deal has taken over my existence lately.” Nervous laughter flowed through Lucifer’s transmitter, deceptively light. There was a bite beneath it that he knew well.

”Alright then!” Emily continued seamlessly, ”We’ll be in touch. Goodbye Lucifer! It was nice meeting you!”

Lucifer didn’t have it in him to reciprocate as the connection severed.

Emily was strange to him. Not in an eerie way, but in uncomfortably familiar sense. She was optimistic to a fault, and seemed to only thrive when the energy was high. Whenever tension was involved, she floundered around for a way to make it right. The Seraphim was all bubbles and sparkles in a world dead set on contradicting her. Clearly, she’d gotten this far by using the power of unchained childish innocence against the weak willed. It was only a matter of time before that strategy, if he could call it that, failed against someone who didn’t want to see her untarnished view. Someone who belittled her innocence.

Lucifer hated how much she reflected a long dead version of himself. Partially, at least. He couldn’t say that he was ever sunshine and rainbows- but he did love nature and it’s power to create and evolve. Just like himself, once upon a time.

Just like himself, she could lie.

Suddenly, loneliness took hold. The palace around him expanded like a never ending cavern, swallowing his light. In the stillness, his ears could pick up on every creak and clatter that echoed within it. Here, alone in his castle of glass, the reality of what he was felt lucid. Golden blood thrummed just beneath his bone white skin, hot and itching to flow passionate and free as it once did. His very body betrayed him, a stark reminder of who he used to be, and the existence he could never escape. No matter the Devil he tried to become, an angel he remained.

Against his workshop window, the patter of acid rain began a gentle percussion. It tickled his ears, feather light and gentle.

It mocked him.

bzzzzt~

He licked his lips dryly and turned his attention to the phone on the table. It was probably Charlie asking where he was. Lucifer hadn’t intended to be gone long, but he did promise her that he’d get Heaven to respond.

bzzzt~

She needed help with the reporters. Alastor should help her, but it was likely that he’d leave her to the dogs simply because Lucifer said he’d help her himself. The asinine façade on that guy was infuriating. Everyone knew he wasn’t an idiot, yet Alastor still managed to wiggle his way out of responsibility like a fox.

bzzzzzzzzt~

He was stalling. Lucifer sincerely didn’t want to talk to reporters. Even less so did he want to go check on Stolas’s daughter.

bzzzzzt~

But...he did promise Charlie that he’d always answer the phone. So, he swallowed the lump in his throat and picked up. Like clockwork, his posture straightened, and a presentable smile stretched his cheeks.

“Charlie!” Her name came out with the full force of the breath he’d been holding.

“What? No- Ow, move.” Chattering droned on the other end, accompanied by the undignified sounds of shoving. “Sorry. No, it’s Vaggie.”

“Oh! Right.” A sheepish heat turned his ears gold. He should have looked at the caller id. “Um, is everything okay? I was just about to head that way.”

“Yes, Sir, could you please? We were going to just let a couple reporters through to calm the ruckus out there, but Niffty had other plans.” Vaggie grumbled, lowering her voice. “She gets restless when it’s clean around here for too long.”

“Ah...” Lucifer affirmed, as if he understood what she was talking about. “Well, alrighty I’ll be there in a jiffy! M’kay?”

He needed to tell her to stop calling him sir.

“Perfect, thanks!” Vaggie hung up without another word, leaving Lucifer to silently accept his fate.

+++

Vaggie shoved the phone into her pocket and allowed herself a deep, gravely sigh. Niffty came whirling into her field of vision, broom trailing behind her like a yard rake. It simultaneously picked up as much dirt as it left trailing behind, no doubt so she could detail clean later.

At least she’s enjoying herself.

When Vaggie turned, a huddle of sinners marked where her lovely girlfriend was supposed to be. They yammered on and on, so tactically leaving no space for Charlie to answer a single question. The princess’s swoop of golden hair barely peaked over their swaying, misshapen heads.

Off to the side, Alastor stood, unhelpful and composed as ever, watching the scene unfold. Behind him, Husk and Angel might as well have glued themselves to the bar as if it could protect them from the chaos. Even Angel seemed weary, which was saying something considering his energy reserves as of late.

She fought the urge to growl in Alastor’s general direction as she propelled herself over to Charlie with a flap of her wings. Her feathers flared just enough to startle a few reporters back a step or two. The smidge of added space gave Charlie room to breathe, and she did, literally. Her chest heaved as she took in an audible gulp of air, her hand on Vaggie’s shoulder, before announcing,

“Stop talking! Listen up, we don’t have any more comments for you at this time. We-”

“You expect us to just accept something as half assed as ’don’t worry about it?’”

Charlie frowned, “That’s not what I said!”

“Yea! We wanna know how you plan to usurp your father.”

“What? Now your just speculating-” Charlie couldn’t get a single thought out over the layered demands of the mob. Of course, that wouldn’t do. With an authoritative step, Vaggie positioned her body in front of Charlie, and a wing at her back.

“You little opportunists don’t care about the prophecy,” Vaggie hissed, “you just want her to give you a step by step guide to killing the king. Well sorry to break it to you, but that is fantasy! Nothing has changed you sick freaks!”

A ripple of quiet rolled through the reporters, as if they were actually lamenting their actions. Vaggie doubted it.

Then, the air in the room changed, signifying a new presence. Vaggie couldn’t exactly tell where the shift had come from, but she felt compelled to turn to the stairs. The instinct wasn’t exclusive to her, apparently. In an eerie display of unnatural synchronicity, all of the sinners’ bodies squared to face the king, like he was their center of gravity.

And there he was. For someone so small, Lucifer really knew how to command a room. For Vaggie, it was always disorienting. She knew he was old. She knew he was ‘King’. But still, this air of authority he could don like a protective cloak felt wrong. Every. Single. Time.

“Sorry I’m late.” He said a bit too casually. The personification of dichotomy.

Charlie was unaffected. “Dad! Welcome back.” Vaggie watched in horror as her smile stretched into something desperate.

Uh oh.

Before Vaggie could react, Charlie had already pushed past the reporters while they were still stunned. “See everybody?” Her arm was looped around Lucifer’s in and instant, dragging him towards the crowd. “We have a great relationship! There will be no killing!” The twang of her overcompensated cheer grated something fierce.

Lucifer’s face contorted with each new word she spoke, clearly unaware of what he’d walked into. Two royals stood amidst their people, so wholly the same in many ways, yet on vastly different pages of reality. In bewildered silence, sinners stared between the father daughter in question. Slowly but surely, that bewilderment shifted to scrutiny.

Charlie chuckled nervously, her grip on Lucifer tightening. It appeared to knock some awareness into him, because the tiniest flicker of betrayal flashed across his face before he smiled in the most uncomfortable way.

Vaggie figured she was the only one to notice his discomfort. That privilege didn’t make it any less painful to watch.

“That’s right, no problems here! Charlie here is focused on helping you sinners get redeemed. Any opportunity for infighting has passed.” He laughed awkwardly. The crowd did not.

The king’s jaw set, and his expression shifted to something darker. “Oh, now you choose not to have a dark sense of humor.”

Something told Vaggie that he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. But she couldn’t help the scoff that leapt from her throat all the same. And Lucifer, to his credit, took her barely perceptible engagement and sprinted with it. His smile grew more confident, and he barreled forth.

“If this is the kind of drama you want to ask about, then there is nothing left to be said here.” He pulled his arm from Charlie, who had the decency to look apologetic. “I will make a proper comment tonight. So, if you don’t want our resident exterminator to rip you a new one, then go back outside the gates and wait.” He gestured vaguely to where Alastor stood, disinterestedly, out of the fray.

The Radio Demon squinted, and static flared throughout the lobby as he wielded an excess of pride to retort, “Why don’t you take out the trash yourself, Your Majesty.”

It wasn’t a request, and everyone heard it. An open mockery.

The temperature in the room plummeted.

Personally, Vaggie didn’t consider herself very invested in the hierarchy of the realms. Kings and Queens meant little to nothing, and their titles didn’t sway her nerve. In Heaven, heavy handed order was what she responded to. It was fear. That was something she understood, and a language she could speak. Down in Hell, the same kind of fear hadn’t befallen her since before meeting Charlie.

But that look. Vaggie had never seen something so visceral on any demon. Something so familiar.

Lucifer had stilled, impossibly so. For that pocket of time, he was the closest to the otherworldly creature that the legends said he was. Inhuman, surreal, and incomprehensible. And his eyes, they razed their target with a promise. Vaggie wasn’t looking at Alastor, but if his reputation was to be believed, he definitely noticed.

It only lasted a moment, but to Vaggie, it might as well have been several, long minutes.

Then it was gone, and a horrible, wild eyed kind of mask took it’s place. Lucifer’s teeth splayed in a brilliant smile. Predatory, Vaggie thought.

“You sinner’s aren’t worthy of my smite.” The Devil chuckled lowly, “Mere exposure would drive you mad.”

Lucifer had slipped, that much was obvious. But though the comments were general, his stare remained firmly planted on Alastor.

Serves him right, Vaggie indulged herself, Alastor needed to come down a few pegs.

“Okay. Um...” Charlie’s uncertainty cut the tension like a knife. “Anyway, we’ll make a statement tonight! Please wait by the gates everyone!”

At first, the reporters just exchanged muted concern. It wasn’t until Lucifer actually moved his attention from Alastor towards them that they began to trickle out slowly. They herded through the door with Vaggie’s help, giving off the energy of cattle to the slaughter.

The instant the front doors shut, Charlie rounded on her father. “What the fuck was that!?”

Lucifer flinched, but didn’t snap to attention right away.

“We are supposed to accept sinners here, no matter their background, dad! What are you doing, telling them they aren’t worthy?”

He blinked at her with vaguely present eyes. “Of my power? Directed against them?” His lips formed a line. “I thought that was a good thing?”

Charlie huffed, “That wasn’t how you said it, and you know it.”

“Do give him some credit, my dear.” Alastor moved from his post of observation for the first time all morning. “I believe that was the first time he’d ever managed to threaten, well, anyone!”

“You don’t know what you’re messing with, you walking gimmick.” Lucifer snapped, somewhat back to a posture Vaggie was familiar with.

“Whom I’m messing with, you mean.” Alastor insisted, smooth as ever. “I must say, I’ve never heard someone so self important objectify themselves like that.”

“Still thinking you’re funny?” Lucifer’s voice cracked.

Alastor leaned down. Not to the kings level, but just enough to be patronizing.

“Immensely.”

“You-!”

“Alright, shut it!” Vaggie demanded, and by some miracle, the actually did. “Neither of you are helping in the slightest. For being some of the oldest morons here, you certainly are the most CHILDISH!”

Her volume surprised even herself. Charlie, poor thing, looked a good mix between mystified and terrified. But, neither Alastor nor Lucifer snapped back at her. Instead, Vaggie felt her own heart drop with guilt when Lucifer sort of sagged into himself. Why in The Speakers name did he have such an ability to sell the kicked puppy look?

Alastor, however, only regarded her with silent deliberation. Whatever he was thinking behind those unreadable eyes, she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to know. He could be picturing her flesh as a mound of roasted chips for all she knew.

“Thanks, Vaggie.” Charlie said, since no one else seemed interested in speaking. “I’m sorry for putting you on the spot dad. They were spinning some horrible theories. If I didn’t do something, they were going to start taking my lack of response as an answer.”

“They were gonna do more than that!” Angel called from the bar, clutching a martini drink like a shield.

“Wha- when did you grab that?” Husk growled, “It is 10:30 a.m. give it here.”

“What?” Angel raised the glass out of Husk’s reach with ease. “It’s an espresso martini. You supposed ‘ta drink coffee in the morning ain’t ya?”

“Don’t be coy.” Husk’s ears flattened in annoyance when confiscating the beverage was unsuccessful.

“Whiskers, are you tellin’ me that you can have spiked coffee in the morning, but I can’t have an espresso martini?” An elongated set of fingers splayed over his chest fluff in mock offense. “I’m a victim of hypocrisy here.”

“The ratio is different.” Husk mumbled. “You’re the one that asked me to help.”

Angel paused, looked at his drink, then slowly sat it down.

What the fuck?

Vaggie watched the exchange until she started to feel like an intruder. Not my business right now. She gave her full attention to Lucifer instead.

“The point is, stop giving the sinners a reason to doubt our sincerity. Your opinion of sinners still reflects on Charlie, more than you think.” Vaggie explained, unsure how to take the confusion plastered across his face. “You’re staying here, Sir, so you hold some responsibility. If you have some awful opinion of sinners, keep it to yourself in front of reporters.”

It was scary how immediately obvious it was that she’d struck home as Lucifer’s brows scrunched. Visible realization dawned on him as his eyes darted between every sinner in the room. Vaggie rose a brow when he lingered on Husk long enough for the feline to teeter his hand in silent confirmation.

Yea, kinda weaponized some fucked up classism there, Vaggie imagined Husk saying.

Lucifer cleared his throat and straightened his lapels awkwardly. “...Sorry.” He clearly wanted to say something to defend himself, but nothing came. Vaggie almost pitied him, honestly.

Aside form his impressive entrance, she hadn’t missed the way his hair had started to come loose under his hat. There were circles under his eyes, and no shortage of dishevelment in his clothes. His shirt wasn’t even tucked in. Had he been trying to reach Heaven all night?

Speaking of. “Sir, did Heaven respond to your transmission?” Vaggie had mercy on him and changed the subject.

“Ah,” Lucifer straightened, “yes. Your uh, friend actually picked up my signal. She said-”

Charlie squealed and shook his shoulders in delight, her woes forgotten. “You mean Emily!?? Oh that’s wonderful news! What did she say??”

Lucifer smiled a tired reassurance, and continued neutrally. “She said that Pentious was safe, so all we need is some visual proof. She’ll find you, Charlie, when she has it.”

“But...she didn’t say he was redeemed?” Charlie deflated.

“Oh sweetie,” Lucifer brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers, “she believes he was redeemed. The Choirs haven’t convened to come to that conclusion themselves. As far as the authority of Heaven is concerned, the circumstances of his ascension are still ambiguous.”

“Oh, great.” Vaggie blurted. She couldn’t help it. Heaven was shockingly inefficient when it came to making decisions on a higher level. Sera was supposed to be the sole decider for most things on Heaven’s material plane, and yet the moment something important came along, suddenly everyone had to be involved. “It could be ages before they make a decision.”

“Don’t worry,” Lucifer said quickly, “I’ll take care of that.”

“You will?” Vaggie tilted her head.

“The goal is for the sinners to believe that the snake was redeemed right?”

She nodded, not certain she liked the implication.

“Then yes.” He hummed, fiddling with his cufflink. She’d have to remember and ask him to elaborate later.

“Hey dad? Why didn’t you just make the statement now?” Charlie positioned herself next to Vaggie.

“Oh! Right.” Lucifer snapped out of his oddly competent demeanor and clutched his staff sheepishly. “There’s something I need to do first. You remember the Goetic demon from the trial?”

“Oh, Stolas?” Charlie nodded slowly.

“Yes, that guy. Well, his daughter is stuck with his wife and her brother...another prince.” He shrugged, a failed attempt at looking casual. “Apparently the situation is funky so...I’m supposed to, uh, check in on her.”

“Can I come?” Charlie asked, hopeful.

“Really?” Lucifer looked like she’d grown another set of eyes. “I mean, no you don’t need to do that.”

“I would like to.” She insisted. “I’ve been so focused on getting sinners redeemed that I’ve not interacted with the Hell Born at all.”

’Did we do too much too fast?’

Vaggie’s thoughts wandered back to the other night. She knew this had been weighing on Charlie quite a bit, the prophecy. Though she didn’t say it out loud, Vaggie had a hunch that Charlie felt she was neglecting her birthright by focusing solely on the Pride Ring. Vaggie would argue that what happened in the Pride Ring had significant impact on what happened to the rest of Hell. Heaven encroaching on Hell’s freedom with the exterminations was only the beginning.

However, Vaggie also understood that she wasn’t coming from the perspective of a woman who’d grown up with the entirety of Hell and all of the other Hell born demons.

’This whole prophecy thing, I can’t help but feel it’s a bad omen.’ The way Charlie had hugged herself, so insecure and afraid of what was to come. Vaggie hated it. No matter the flaws of the princess, she didn’t deserve to feel like such a burden to her realm. She wouldn’t allow it.

“You know what, I think it’s a good idea sir.” Vaggie spoke up, brushing a hand along Charlie’s arm. “I will come too. Some perspective on how the Hell born are taking all of this would be of good use to us.”

Though Lucifer didn’t speak, Vaggie could see a lingering hesitation behind his eyes. She recognized it well. It was the fear of exposing the innocent to that rotten, imperfect part of yourself you reserved for the captive audience of your chamber walls.

Before Vaggie even thought up the words, she found herself reassuring him.

“We’ll back you up, sir.”

Lucifer’s shoulders relaxed instantly. “Oh, well if you two are curious...” his apple staff tapped upon the carpet a couple times, “sure, I can take you along.” A cautiously optimistic smile settled on his lips.

Alastor rolled his eyes and melted into shadows, making an exit. No one commented on it.

“You guys get some good picture’s or somethin’.” Angel butted in. His drink, Vaggie noted, was missing now. Suspiciously enough, Husk was just hanging up a freshly cleaned martini glass on the glass rack.

“Sure thing Angel!” Charlie agreed with an unnecessarily large wave.

Lucifer snickered and opened a portal to their mysterious destination. It was then that Vaggie remembered how disheveled the king looked.

Oh crap. She scooted closer to Lucifer while Charlie said something to Husk and whispered, “You might want to fix yourself, Sir.”

His reaction was instant, to Vaggie’s mild amusement. The Devil, King of Hell, looked up at the ex-exorcist and flushed to high heaven. It took a second, but he finally jumped into action. While attempting discretion, he snapped subtly near his sternum, and just like that his hair was in place, shirt tucked, and face refreshed like it hadn’t pulled an all nighter.

Lucifer coughed sheepishly into a fist. “Thanks...uh...”

“Vaggie.” She said, forgiving his forgetfulness this time.

Now properly presentable, and probably unprepared, the three of them exited the hotel.

+++

Lucifer’s face continued to burn as they arrived into Imp City. By the Sins, now he was getting his image saved by his daughter’s girlfriend? He could hardly believe he’d allowed himself to get so scattered. Granted, before Charlie invited him to the hotel, he was a disaster. But no one was around to see that! He knew for a fact that he cleaned up a little after moving in. There was no excuse for this...this sloppiness.

I forgot to check in the mirror before I left the palace. What if I had been in my pajamas? He thought with mortification, as if he hadn’t stayed awake and fully dressed all night.

“What is that?” Charlie stuttered, rubbing her arms. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt something even close to this cold aside from visiting Bell’s ring.”

He felt the chill as soon as she said it. Stolas’s palace wasn’t particularly isolated, considering it rested on the outskirts of Imp City. Not many Ars Goetia lived in such a public area. But that was the thing, the Pride Ring was always hot.

“It’s not natural.” Lucifer didn’t elaborate, and chose to seek out the palace first. He led them down a street lined with various high dollar restaurants and boutiques, each one more gaudy than the last. The three of them stood out amongst the plain attire of the Imps in the area, which earned them a couple curious glances and hushed whispers. Mercifully, no one tried to interact with them.

Notably, all of the Imps had warmer clothes on. Whatever had made the area cold, the Imps figured it was here to stay.

As they approached the end of the street, the temperature continued to drop. The trio didn’t have to wait long to find out why, as the culprit revealed itself as soon as they turned the corner.

Centered within the quietest square known to the Pride Ring, an icy palace stood. Flamboyant glacial waves curled around the building, encasing it within a cocoon of frosty feathers. Underneath, there remained hints of it’s former master. Stained glass windows in various shades of fire. Gardens that overflowed with exotic plants, from tropical to floral, all quickly degrading under the weight of false winter. Lucifer noticed right away that all the plants were hardly native to Pride’s natural atmosphere. It was impressive that he’d managed to get them to grow at all, let alone thrive.

Which was why the sight before them was that much more of a travesty. Not to mention, the grounds stretched all the way around the palace itself, as if it were actively pushing the city away from it in all directions. Compared to the architecture of Imp City, Stolas’s home might as well have been plucked right out of Heaven and set down here and left to suffer the the realm’s influence.

What an asshole. Lucifer thought. Andrealphus might be a demon, but this was just petty. Though, based off of their limited interaction during the trial, he couldn’t say that he was surprised.

But really, WHAT kind of demon had no respect for such beautiful craftsmanship and care? The time put into those gardens. The TIME for goodness sake. That alone-

“What an asshole.” Vaggie voiced his thoughts. She let out a violent huff, and a cloud of frost distorted her profile.

He had a feeling she wasn’t referring to the murdered plants. Obviously the chilled Imps were the focus here. Obviously.

Get it together.

Charlie hadn’t spoken a word, but her eyes said it all. She continued to hug herself against the cold and cruelty, a stark contrast to her girlfriend who planted her feet and stood firm on principle.

Right, he needed to focus. Mourning for the beautiful gardens could wait.

“Alright, let’s make ourselves known then.” Lucifer took the lead past the gate, which parted for him like a reverent guard of honor. They rounded the frozen fountain, and made for thee front door in a solemn procession.

They might’ve been different in many ways, but all of them knew a headache when they saw one. This house call was undoubtedly about to be that.

Lucifer’s eyes grazed over the artisanship on the stained glass doors. Frigid murals of the phases of the moon and the sun that held Earth, once warm and welcoming, now cold and hollow.

He‘d barely knocked when a wobbly Imp answered. The Imp wore a tailored suit, not at all suited for this unforgiving temperature. Sunken eyes took in the sight of the three visitors, not quite registering them. If Lucifer had been anyone else, he kind of expected this Imp to say something snarky at them and slam the door. But he did not speak. Didn’t even inquire as to their purpose there. He only shivered.

“Oh my gosh!” Charlie was the first to move, kneeling next to the older man. The poor butler nearly jumped out of his skin. “Are you alright??” She was already conjuring a warm light into her palms when he shook his head violently.

“N-n-n-no I am q-quite al-right.” The Imp stepped away quickly. “Y-You must be h-here to s-s-s-see the new m-master.”

Lucifer’s barely existent smile melted into disappointment. The poor Imp couldn’t stop shaking. He was aware that the lower rings didn’t exactly treat all of their people equally, but this was apathy, plain and simple. Mistreatment in it’s simplest form.

Now he felt bad for mourning the plants, because they were clearly holding up better than the Imps working here.

There was no need to think twice about it. One moment, they were all encased in sub zero temperatures, and the next, embraced by Lucifer’s warmth. It radiated from his body in soft, soothing waves that illuminated his skin like a gentle nightlight.

Slowly, the butler defrosted. His teeth stopped chattering, and he seemed to finally realize who they were, if his wide eyes were anything to go by.

“Yes, we are here to see the new master.” Lucifer clarified. “More specifically, we’re here to speak to the heiress.”

“Oh, the Crown Princess Octavia. Well, that might be...” The Imp shuffled his hooves, eyes darting over his shoulders, “difficult.”

“If you’re worried about the master, don’t be. Let me worry about him.” Lucifer’s eyes softened as the butler struggled to maintain his dignified posture through his unease. He understood that feeling.

“Well, yes that is one of the problems but-” he lowered his voice, “-Princess Octavia is difficult to find these days. She has hidden herself away in the castle. We haven’t been able to find her since the trial.”

“Oh no.” Charlie’s hands shot to her mouth in devastation. “She must be so worried about her dad. And…and the new guy ruined her home!”

Lucifer exchanged a look with Vaggie, who was clearly just as amused. Just another wonderful thing about Charlie- her consistent ability to empathize with anyone, regardless of if she’d ever met them or not.

“What is the racket out here!?” A pompous voice sounded from the end of the hall. The tall, peacock-like silhouette of Andrealphus came floating towards them with a trail of snowflakes falling in his wake that were entirely unnecessary. “I made it very clear that there were to be no visitors-! Oh, Your Majesty! What a…surprise!”

The peacock demon flipped on the brown nosing switch like it was nothing. It would have been quite impressive, if Lucifer hadn’t honed in on the fact that Andrealphus said ’Your Majesty’ with the same contemptuous, sarcastic lilt that Alastor used.

“I’ll bet it is.” He said flatly, “We’re here to talk to Octavia.”

He’d barely finished when Andrealphus erupted into a fit of squawking laughter. All three of them flinched at the awful sound.

“You- HAAAAH -that deviant sent you- EEHEHEHE -to check on his daughter and you- you-” His laughter was uncontained and ugly, much to Lucifer’s distain. He was being mocked…for the third time today.

They all stood there, unamused, while Prince took his time getting his giggles out. A painful sacrifice, to be sure. If Stolas had to deal with this guy on the regular, then Lucifer pitied him just enough to forgive him for not offering a warning about this abomination.

“My my,” Andrealphus wiped an icy tear from his eye and looked down his beak at the king, “running the errands of banished princes are we? How…demoralizing.”

“Hey!” Vaggie planted the butt of her spear firmly into the marble porch. “This has nothing to do with Prince Stolas. It’s official business, and the why shouldn’t concern you. You simply oblige.”

Andrealphus scoffed, “This one’s got some bite. How…charming.” His smirk downturned in disgust. “You don’t have a voice here, filthy sinner.” His eyes narrowed as he gave her a disconcerting up down. “No…angel!” The birds beak stretched into a nasty grin. “Fraternizing with old friends are we Sire? Odd choice for a bodyguard. Or, oh-!” A faux gasp of shock made his whole neck roll, “a pretty little pure souled escort? My, I didn’t think you had it in you!”

Vaggie stood her ground, but behind her, Charlie’s eyes already burned red.

“How dare you!” Charlie stepped up in front of Vaggie. “What makes you think you can treat her like that!”

Andrealphus just cooed. “She has no rank, obviously. What? Don’t tell me the royal family has taken to shacking up with the help too. Oh dear, it’s becoming a pandemic.”

“Choose your next words carefully, Prince Andrealphus.” Lucifer took a step forward.

An eerie calm settled over them, like the air itself had stilled. Charlie blinked, thrown off by the change. The two women took a step back instinctually when Lucifer continued to approach the Prince. “If you feel you know her place so well, then you should be aware of yours.”

A silent stare down commenced between them, one calm and demanding, the other grasping for control. Lucifer wondered if he would need to give the guy a little reminder of who was in charge, until a shrill voice sliced through the stalemate. It rounded the corner, stomping towards the door with a vengeance.

“What are you doing!? We’re supposed to be getting our talons waxed, not entertaining charlatans.” A bundle of pink and white feathers crowded the door. She looked over the visitors, absolutely no recognition to be found, and raged on. “Let’s go Andrealphus! I’ve invited a whole flock of royals over tonight and we need to be properly presentable to gloat!”

“Stella! Can’t you see I am humoring these poor souls?” His fingers wiggled towards them as if they were insects on his floor.

Charlie leaned close to Vaggie, and Lucifer just barely caught her quiet, “I’m going.”

“Wha-” Lucifer had to bite his tongue to stop himself as Charlie slipped past the feathered siblings and into the shadows of the Palace depths.

“You two aren’t subtle, are you?” Vaggie leapt into action, already drawing their attention. “I mean, you’ve been here for two days at most, and you’ve already overcompensated with renovations.”

“Yes! It’s impressive isn’t it?” Andrealphus boasted. “Many things needed to be changed around here. My luscious sister’s pathetic husband had nothing but inefficiencies from floor to ceiling! I mean, those plants. What a waste of resources.”

Vaggie scowled as her comment had the opposite intended effect.

“Uh, and the security!” Andrealphus planted the back of his hand against his forehead melodramatically. “Around so many filthy Imps too! The man was just waiting to get robbed. No wonder he fell victim to that vicious, cloying, vermin!”

“Oh yes,” Stella screeched, “just yesterday our fucking blessing tipped rifle went missing! That pansy Stolas wouldn’t know survival instinct if it slapped him in the face with it’s schlong!”

Lucifer’s lips parted in disbelief. When he created the Ars Goetia so many ages ago, the intent was something beautiful. All the Sins had their own creations: Hellhounds, Loan Sharks, Succubus, Baphomets, and Infester Demons. Meanwhile, all Lucifer had to show for himself were the Sinners. While he was credited with their creation, he didn’t make them intentionally, at least not in the way Heaven thought he did. The Ars Goetia were a love letter to his history; his old home in the clouds where his light and creativity was nurtured. All of this felt hollow in Hell.

But the Goetic demons were based on a beautiful thing. The Wisps in heaven that were created in The Speaker’s image- oh they were such innocent spirits. They had little responsibility in the greater functions of Heaven, but they added love and light, ne’er to be corrupted. Avian angels came later with the Cherubs, and quickly filled roles of maintaining order and assisting Seraphim and Archangels. But the Wisps were ancient and steady.

To create something in their image down here in Hell was Lucifer’s last show of respect to Heaven before he lost his spark entirely.

For those creations to have turned into this over the years, it hurt more than he would ever care to admit.

“Now Stella, what did we say about blabbering on topics we don’t understand?” Andrealphus spoke as if to a child, condescending to her in a way that made her feathery brow twitch.

“Oh, so you admit to having a blessing tipped rifle?” Vaggie’s arms crossed. “You know, evidence from the trial presumed to have been used in the attempted assassination of Prince Stolas?”

“Puh, it’s for protection, obviously.” The peacock grumbled.

“Really? You need a weapon designed to kill demon royalty to protect yourself against a thieving imp or two?” Lucifer tilted his head, apple staff held thoughtfully behind his back.

“What!? How dare-” Andrealphus tripped over his words, fumbling for a good response.

“Oh man, that’s pretty...demoralizing.” Vaggie doubled down, which prompted the demon to flare into a fit of goose adjacent hisses.

Lucifer caught her eye, and the two of them smiled mischievously. If all they needed to do was buy Charlie time, then it was time to have some fun.

+++

Stola’s palace halls twisted and turned into nowhere. Around each corner it was the same: walls adorned with paintings and photographs in lavish frames, all coated with a layer of white frost. No matter how hard Charlie peered a them, she couldn’t make out their contents.

Every now and then she would be startled by the crispy sound of a dead leaf hitting the floor, or the dull crackle of an icicle growing larger upon the ceiling. Otherwise, it was hushed like the dead of mortal winter.

Is this what the palace feels like now? She thought distantly. Her heels crunched atop the icy rug as she came to a stop. The path before her stretched into black, where anything could lurk. No lights were lit, no comforting embers to quell the loneliness. Deep blue and purple hues encased her in a familiar dread.

”Mom? Why are we leaving?” Charlie had been so small then, holding onto her mother’s hand with unconditional trust. “Where’s dad? Is he coming with us? He promised that he would show me how to make ducks out of glitter.” Her tiny voice echoed against sleek palace walls. Those walls used to haunt her nightmares, watching her with strings of eyes and a vile smile from where the light didn’t quite reach.

“He’s not coming Charlie dear.” She remembered her voice being rushed. Her mother never spoke to her that way. “I’ll show you how to make those ducks. Just wait until we get settled in.” Lilith’s pace never slowed, her high heels an ever present beat against stone.

Charlie didn’t understand. “What does that mean? Are we coming back?”

“No.” Her mother never lied to her. Never. “We’re going home.”

Her dad stayed at the palace after that. By the time Charlie had processed exactly what her mother had decided for her, she’d gotten used to living without him around. Never, in all of the chaos of their life on stage, did she find the time to wonder if Lucifer was lonely. The Morningstar Palace was huge. Almost a fortress in it’s construction, but a place of magic at it’s core.

Now, looking at these hollow halls, Charlie’s guilt flourished. It was horrible, and the worst part was the ghost of a time where laughter flowed within these walls. It made the quiet so much louder. Heavier.

She’d not been back to the palace since Lilith took her away. Was this what it was like?

“Hello?” She sent the experimental call forth. It did not echo, trapped by ice. After a moment, her ears began to ring in the silence that met her.

Come on Octavia. Charlie started walking again, setting an urgent pace. “Octavia! You don’t know me, but I’m on your side!” Being honest with herself, she didn’t know if this girl needed saving or not. But she would be damned if she left without making sure she was okay. Though they’d never met, she couldn’t help but latch onto what made them similar.

If she were Octavia, she’d want someone to find her.

...her father had sung her to sleep promising that she’d survive the death of creation...

Charlie nearly tripped over her own hooves. Satan had said that, during the trial. It hadn’t been clear if Octavia had a part to play in the prophecy but-

She really needed to find her. Everyone had flocked to Charlie to ask about the prophecy, but no one had thought to go to the Crown Princess of Prophecies. If reporters had come, Andrealphus most certainly would have put her on display as the precious star in his morbid plot against her father.

“Octavia! My name is Charlie Morningstar!” She opened a large door to no one. Boxes were piled on top of a once luxurious bed, a whole inch of snow on every surface. “Your dad was barred from coming home, so we came to check on you for him!” She continued, closing the door with surprising gentleness, considering the adrenaline induced tremors. She had the feeling that room was important, so far be it for her to disrespect it.

“And...and I also wanted to see how you were.” A vulnerable lump filled her throat. “I know how you feel, with this whole business.” Her voice stretched thin with emotion. Octavia’s situation ripped open scars of loss deep within her heart. On top of the nostalgia this Goetic palace brought, her composure was slowly cracking.

“...I thought you might need a friend.” She choked up a bit, and immediately started to wipe away brimming tears. Stop it! This isn’t about you! Why can’t I just turn it off. Turn it off!

The tears flowed regardless, but she swallowed the sobs and continued her search.

Then, just as she was about to pass the mouth of a branching hallway, she heard a door open at the other end. She had to catch the corner wall to stop her momentum, and back track. Please, please be there.

Slowly, she took a couple steps back, and found herself meeting a pair of owlish eyes at the far end of the hall. Charlie blinked a couple of times, just to be sure it wasn’t her imagination.

“Octavia?” She tested, properly appreciating how small the girl looked in the massive doorway she stood under. Behind the crown princess was a study, seemingly untouched by Andrealphus’s powers. It glowed gold, a window to paradise amidst this wasteland of a home.

Charlie steadied herself as she started forward. “Are you Octavia?” Soft steps crunched against ice crystals, recording her careful approach with melted footprints.

“Yea.” A mellow voice answered her. The closer Charlie got, the clearer it was that the girl was slightly shaking. Ragged breaths exposed themselves through small clouds of fog that dispersed about Octavia’s beak.

She’s been crying. Charlie offered a knowing smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Crown Princess Octavia.” She stopped outside the study, a safe few feet away from the other demon. “But I’m not here as the Princess of Hell...I’m here to be your friend.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” There wasn’t a lot of bite to Octavia’s words, in fact, she sounded tired. “You can’t just show up and tell me you’re my friend. That’s not how that works.”

Charlie’s smile grew, “True, but what I offer is simply to lend an ear to your troubles.”

Octavia’s brows scrunched in growing confusion. “...I heard what you said before.” A fire lit behind her eyes, old and agitated. “Why didn’t my dad come himself? Being banished wouldn’t have stopped him when I was little.”

“I may not have the answer, but I can guess.” Charlie felt her heart waiver. In all the time she spent at the hotel, she’d never actually had to help another demon come out of their shell. Why was that?

“Your uncle out there- He’s looking for more excuses to hurt your dad. I think Prince Stolas knows this and didn’t want to start something with him that might put you in harms way.”

Charlie didn’t consider herself particularly insightful, unfortunately. She still didn’t know how Pentious was redeemed, or how to begin helping anyone else follow in his footsteps. But she was familiar with Octavia’s pain. Her parents were split, with one out of her reach. Given her first impressions of Stella, it was clear that Stolas was Octavia’s rock. Without him, she would have to learn to be something different.

Maybe, as someone who failed to change on her own, Charlie could save Octavia the pain of making that mistake.

“He went to save him...knowing he’d be leaving me one way or the other.” Octavia’s eyes glistened with tears. “Why did he leave? He promised he wouldn’t, he...” She grabbed at her jacket, making herself look small.

“Someone he loved was about to die.” Charlie was unsure of where the words were coming from as they poured out. “If you were in that imp’s position, Stolas would have done the same thing without thinking of the consequences.”

“You don’t know my dad. What, are you hoping I’m gonna just fall into your arms and cry? I thought you were just here to make sure I was alive.” Octavia’s feathers fluffed under her beanie. “Well I’m alive. You can go tell him that, and that’s all he needs to know!”

Charlie cast her eyes to the floor. “I don’t know your dad, but I know my own- at least, I’m trying to.” She nibbled her lip, searching for the right phrasing. “He was gone for most of my life, so I’m just now getting to know him.” She looked up, letting her gaze settle on the carvings of constellations around the doorframe. “My dad is creative and passionate, and pretty distracted all the time. Sometimes I wonder if he’s ever really with us.”

“But, even when we were separated, I now know that he was always thinking of me. I know, in my heart, that if anything had ever happened to me growing up, he would have come to my side, no matter the cost.” Her throat tightened sadly as she recalled earlier that day. Lucifer had been so harsh towards those reporters, and she had no idea why. She didn’t know who he really was, or what made him that way.

“He’s not perfect. He’s impulsive and rash at the worst possible moments.” She chuckled softly, and finally met Octavia’s wet gaze. “Even if he doesn’t always align with me, or understand my dreams, I know he means well.” Charlie swallowed the threat of tears and braved a smile. “So no, I don’t know your dad, Octavia. But I can see that you love him as he does you, and that has power. Don’t give up just yet.”

The heiress searched Charlie’s eyes for something. What it was, she couldn’t quite parse, but at least she had nothing to hide. She watched patiently as the girl’s feathers settled, and tension melted out of her shoulders. In the absence of that guard, the tremor came back with a vengeance.

The dam broke.

“I...because of me.” Octavia’s voice shook, and Charlie’s blood turned to ice. “Because of me, all of you are mixed up in this.” Tears began to stream down her cheeks, and she stood taller to try and hide it. “All because I told my mom about some stupid song my dad used to sing me to sleep! All because I...didn’t know my mom was so angry at him. Why didn’t I see it?!”

Sobs wracked at her chest, shaking her small frame. When standing tall was no longer possible, she bent at the waist, clutching her shirt. “You-” she sobbed, “-your dad and mine...all of Hell is screwed up because I slipped my dad’s secret. He trusted me!”

She cried freely now, a small shivering girl stuck within a violated prison that was once her home. Charlie moved then. She closed the distance between them until she could place a warm hand on Octavia’s shoulder. At first, she flinched under the touch, then leaned into it. An unsteady hand grabbed Charlie’s sleeve, holding on for dear life. Charlie let her, and lowered them both down onto their knees.

“It isn’t your fault.” Her eyes softened as the heiress released her pain. “How could you possibly have known? He didn’t sing you to sleep with a secret. It was a gift to you, and that was his choice.” The back of Charlie’s mind itched with the vaguest memory of a melody she couldn’t quite grasp. A rare memory with her dad. “He made a choice, and that wasn’t on you.”

It wasn’t lost on Charlie that she was a hypocrite. When she heard about the prophecy, her first instinct was to feel responsible somehow. All of Hell heard Satan insist that she would be the one to instigate the beginning of the end times. What that meant, no one knew. Especially not her. But she’d certainly felt like her very existence was a danger to all that she loved. Still did, in a way.

However, right here and now, Charlie could tell Octavia with confidence that she wasn’t to blame. Deep in her gut, she sensed that the heiress, currently coming to terms with undeserved guilt at her side, was a victim in this.

“I don’t know what to do.” Octavia’s voice was ravaged from use. “I hate them- my uncle and...and...” she choked on a sob, unable to voice the tragic truth, “...I can’t be who I need to here.”

“Want to come to my hotel?” Charlie blurted.

Octavia’s head snapped up.

Oh, I spoke without thinking again.

Charlie’s wide eyes mirrored Octavia’s own, and they reflected each other’s hope. Maybe there was something here, not yet identifiable.

“The hotel isn’t open to just sinners, you know.” She blinked slowly. “We could always use some help, and, you know, your dad is welcome to visit there.”

Octavia’s beak hung open, caught between a response and very valid hesitation.

“I’m...not really into crowds.”

“You don’t have to be around them!”

“Most people consider my hobbies really creepy. Taxidermy, among other things. ”

“Well, our Host is pretty into that kind of stuff, so you’ll have loads to talk about.”

“I’m supposed to learn how to read the stars before I come of age next year.”

“Um, well your dad can come whenever he wants and help guide you! And, well, I’m pretty sure my dad invented the stars, so that’s something right?”

The two princesses let the moment settle in silence, appreciating the absurdity of it all. That is, until Octavia huffed a laugh.

“You’re okay.” She said, pulling away to wipe at her eyes. Charlie supposed that was a compliment, so she took it.

“Well, I just want everyone to be alright.” She admitted like it was second nature.

“Oh no,” Octavia grimaced, “you’re one of those.”

Despite herself, Charlie giggled. “Yea, I get that a lot.” When they stood, she opened her arms in question. “So? What do you say?”

Octavia observed her. Really looked at her, and considered her options. Since Charlie’s offer was essentially a one-eighty from the future she thought was set for her, it was a fair deliberation. Regardless, Charlie hoped she’d take it. If she couldn’t help a fellow Hell Born in need, then how could she justify helping souls who came from another realm altogether?

“Alright,” Octavia gave Charlie a little bit of a smirk, “fuck those two. I’m not going to waste my life here.”

“That’s the spirit!” Charlie clapped happily. “Let’s get you out of here!”

“Wait, right now?” Octavia cocked her head. “What about my stuff? This stuff?” She gestured back towards the study. When Charlie looked past her, she could fully appreciate the library of astrological tombs that lined golden bookcases. On the room’s second level, an absolutely massive telescope stood, angled towards the heavens.

“Wow.” She gasped as the beauty of it hit her. “Don’t worry, we have plenty of room for all of this.” A brilliant smile rose to meet Octavia’s trepidation, “My dad can move this, and all of your things to the hotel. No problem!”

“He can?”

“Teleportation is kinda his thing.”

“Oh, if you say so.”

“Yep!”

Octavia rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. “Alright, but I’m leading the way out. I know you got lost on your way in for like, twenty minutes.”

Charlie’s cheeks warmed, “Ah, you saw that?”

“Oh yea, it was pretty bad.” Octavia started back down the hall from which Charlie had come. “But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“You mean it?”

“Yep.”

They fell into a hopeful silence, not quite sure what to say to one another, or if anything needed to be said at all. Charlie could feel a bit of a kindred spirit within Octavia, even if they were pretty different. Just looking at her reminded Charlie of the days when she’d tried to dye her hair black and go to school with a scowl on her face. Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t help her bubbly nature.

So yes, they didn’t have a lot in common. But underneath it all, they could agree on one thing: Hell was their home, and finding their footing within it was a never ending struggle.

In the end, the two of them made their way towards the front of the palace in silence, unaware of how the gears of fate turned with their every step.

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Chapter Text

Brief intermission!

Hey everyone! I’m sorry, but I don’t have a chapter this week. I worked on it on and off and just couldn’t get it right, so I’m going to instead get ahead for next week. Because of this, I’m taking the opportunity to chat with you guys! So if you’re in the mood, feel free to leave a comment talking about what you wanted to see after season 2 finished? When you looked up fanfics, what was that itch you were trying to scratch? My fic is Lucifer centric, so obviously my thoughts were on his struggle this past season.

Thank you guys for all your support and lovely comments thus far! They really help me stay motivated and continue this project.

I think that’s it for me right now! I’m off to hammer away at chapter six, so I’ll see you guys next week!

Stay safe

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Art from chapter 1

Art from chapter 4

Chapter 6 sneak peek:

“Guys!” Charlie beamed, acting like the two Goetic siblings weren’t there. “Octavia is coming to stay with us at the hotel!”

Before either he or Vaggie could respond, Stella exploded.

“WHAT!?” Stella’s scream made all of them wince. “I forbid it! You stay where we can see you young lady. You stay! You hear me?!”

“You can’t go live somewhere else,” Andrealphus smirked, “according to the guidelines set down in the trial, you’re to be with your mother.”

“What?” Charlie’s face fell. “But that’s not fair to Octavia!”

“Don’t worry Charlie,” Lucifer chuckled, causing Andrealphus to raise a brow at him, “she can stay wherever she wants as long as it’s classified as temporary.” He squinted at the Goetic prince, a petty smile behind his words. “And a hotel, by definition, is temporary.”

The glare Andrealphus gave Lucifer could have melted flesh on anyone else. That was the kind of anger that would come back to bite him, he knew. People as vain as Andrealphus tended to get even when others made them look foolish.

It was worth it, though, because despite his shorter stature, Lucifer got to look down his nose at the prince with a shit eating grin without the feathered bastard retorting. Yea, that’s right bitch. You’re gonna have to be more clever than that.