Chapter Text
Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
Such a sentiment never should have applied to Lucifer's desire for Lilith to return, and yet as soon as he heard from an over-excited Charlie that her mother had finally answered her phone calls and intended to come back, an imminent sense of dread settled over the King of Hell.
It felt too convenient, timed too coincidentally alongside everything else that had happened in the past…how long had it been? Weeks? Months? An indeterminate amount of time that had been filled with frustration, then terror and pain.
Stepping inside an enclosed shower still shot cold bolts of dread through Lucifer's body, even if he had mostly recovered from the scary box that the TV head had locked him in. He didn't want to imagine what Lilith would have to say about him falling for such a clear and obvious trap, let alone after making such a fool of himself in front of all of Pride without heed for what it made him look like as the figurehead absentee king…
Oh, he was in for it, wasn't he?
He still felt awkward around Charlie, despite his daughter promising that she forgave him and wasn't angry any longer about him stepping in on the situation with Vox and trying to answer his manipulations with threats of violence. And that was to say nothing about how he felt around the sinners that were far more numerous at the hotel now, knowing that the secret that he couldn't harm them was out for all to see.
None of these feelings would compared to how much he dreaded a face to face meeting with his ex-wife, who had made it clear with her departure that even if she came back, their relationship had been over.
Lucifer hadn't even remembered the last time they'd talked, in the aftermath of the agreed deal for the Exterminations. This had come back to him in a nightmare, the latest in a terrible loop of long-buried dreams coming back and making sleep full of old terrors and horrible reminders of past failure.
Lilith had been beyond angry then, and unlike with Charlie he was quite sure that she still would be. Hopefully there would be somewhere to talk where their impending argument wouldn't leak out to the rest of the hotel staff, or anyone else… Lucifer didn't think he could take another bout of humiliation so soon after the last.
Charlie would surely keep her busy for some time, wanting to show the hotel off. There were many improvements built in compared to what the previous building had held. Hopefully something about their daughter's dream would soften Lilith's heart towards what she was trying to achieve.
Anything but immediate dismissal, or cruel disregard. It had been a long time since their relationship began to sour, so little she said or did would be new or unusual territory to re-tread for him. He was afraid for Charlie, though. After so much time spent struggling without her mother's presence or advice, she was fragile and could be hurt so easily.
Lucifer wouldn't interfere now, not before he felt it was necessary to step in. He still dreaded any sign that Charlie might not recieve the reassurance she needed, since there was little he could do to console her. He didn't care anymore that Lilith had left him, not in any way that really mattered. But Charlie had needed her and she wasn't there. That was a hurt that couldn't be forgotten.
For a few days, he managed to avoid the inevitable. It was quite obvious when Lilith arrived, if only because of the sound of Charlie's voice - excited, but tinged with tears and overwhelm. The other residents were curious, too - talking about the exciting occurrence in hushed voices, not so much as hiding their interest as they supposedly darted around the hotel looking for a sighting of the elusive Queen.
They haunted her steps, while Lucifer avoided them.
The only comfort in not being sought out, even with Lilith being brought to the top floor where he could distantly hear her and Charlie talking, was the time Lucifer had to spend mentally preparing for the inevitable.
Not that anything could have easily prepared Lucifer to come face to face with her again after seven years of complete silence.
There had never been a single 'read' notification on any of his desperate texts. No inkling that she'd ever listened to a single voicemail. Instant call blocking. All of the small, insignificant measures that had added up over time and contributed to the image that not only was he unwanted, but not even worth the direct dismissal of centuries of their marriage.
Lilith would rather ghost him, cut him out completely as if he'd never existed in her life. And apparently, save for the shared existence of their daughter, he didn't exist any more than a backdrop tapestry hiding a flaw in the wall or a forgotten piece of silverware that didn't match the daily set.
Ghosts didn't need to be acknowledged. Ghosts could simply be dismissed, ignored as background noise if any sign of their presence was noticed at all.
Until they were no longer convenient to be ignored, which was finally the case several days after Lilith's arrival.
The lounge space on the upper floor was more comfortable than the communal areas lower down, and had seemed like a place where Lucifer could spend a bit of time to himself. Most of the sinners didn't dare venture to this place, an unspoken rule since he'd remained here after Vox's proclamation of his inability to do anything - he probably wasn't even worth the glimpse, not after being humiliated on live TV.
As long as none of them got brave enough to try anything, he didn't care. Throwing up magic barriers or quickly teleporting away became quite aggravating when he was in the middle of doing something. Even when that 'something' was lying around draped over couches in odd positions. Even fallen angels could get cricks in their neck from moving too quickly!
As the main door clicked open, Lucifer lifted his head to see who had come in - and instantly felt as if a block of ice had fallen onto his chest, winding him.
Lilith was dressed as immaculately as always, her appearance a great point of pride. If not for the deep scowl on her face, she would have looked quite serene. "I was beginning to wonder if I would have to barge past that foolish ward you have set up on your room here, Lucifer. Really? You're staying with our daughter and causing problems for her?"
Not needing to be told what that could possibly be referring to, Lucifer winced and righted himself, sitting properly on the couch and clasping his hands together to try and avoid the nervous habit of spinning the ring on his finger.
It was blatantly obvious that Lilith had removed her own ring, likely when she originally disappeared. Best not to call attention to his.
"Lily, I…that sinner was causing problems for her, calling her a dictator and trying to turn the people against her!"
"Then why wouldn't you handle that the proper way, instead of making an actual fool of yourself at the rally? Or did you want someone to try and kill you again?" Lilith's laugh was normally airy, melodic and floated through the air like a song. Now, it sounded as cold as ice. "You can't even die properly, Lucifer, I don't know how you thought you could make a difference for Charlie's foolhardy dream by pulling a stunt like that. Being a martyr for a cause only worked once, remember?"
It hadn't been like this the last time, had it? Stomach twisting in knots, Lucifer tried to remember their last conversation - vainly. Yes, she had been angry about the exterminations and took that anger out, but had her words been so personal, aimed to pry at every chip in his defenses to flip underneath them and cause maximum emotional damage?
As if seeing how hard she'd stunned him with her words, Lilith stepped closer, flipping her hair over her shoulder so she could sit on the opposite couch in the seating pit. "Oh my poor darling, did you expect me to only have honeyed, comforting words for you after what you did? You could have driven Charlie to get killed by that sinner, when he took that plan of his too far. Because you certainly couldn't have done anything to protect her! You can't even protect yourself from being tricked and used as a living battery for a weapon that could take down the gates of heaven itself!"
"I was…just trying to talk to Charlie after I fucked up," Lucifer whispered, feeling incredibly small in a way he hadn't in a long time. Not since being scolded by Sera, or other Elders. "It wasn't meant to happen like that. I just wanted to fix things."
The way Lilith sighed was familiar. Likely patronizing, the kind of reaction that had once been reserved for incredible stupidity in the courts of Hell. "Yes, and we saw how that went, didn't we? How many sinners do you think were killed because of that weapon being powered by you? Hundreds? Thousands? Have the Goetia even begun to put together a response to that? Because I know you are not active enough politically to do anything about any of it."
Lucifer didn't answer, not having it in his heart to admit that he didn't even know. For all his awareness of the goings on outside of the hotel, now, it could be handled by the Overlords that had taken part in disarming the damn weapon.
Seeing his silence for what it was, Lilith's stare turned even icier. "Just as I thought. You would much rather continue to hide away, feeling wronged. Is that why you're still clinging to that ring? We are no longer married, Lucifer. I know you didn't forget that."
"It's not for you," Lucifer blurted out in a panic, not wanting to hear any more of her mockery towards the bit of sentimentality he'd allowed himself to keep. The ring had remained as a reminder of the love that had once been there.
Now, it felt hollow and cold against his skin.
"Is that so? You expect me to believe that." Staring down at the ring that Lucifer was now fiddling anxiously with, Lilith laughed. "Surely you don't think I'm as foolish as you can be. There is no way that you found someone else while I was gone for the past seven years. You can't even function socially, let alone see to your responsibilities."
It was difficult to avoid squirming in place, or blurting out other half-baked ideas of defense. Lilith's gaze was holding him pinned, like a cornered animal with no easy way out.
Trying to lie to her was even worse, so he'd trapped himself in a hell of a no-win situation. Struggling to find a way to talk himself out of this, he almost missed the prickling sensation of a presence at his back. Whatever it was, he ignored it pointedly. "And what would it matter if I had moved on? What does it concern you any longer? You reminded me we are divorced. If you moved on, I wouldn't have anything to say to you about it."
"I simply find it interesting that you tell me you've moved on, but Charlie said nothing of the sort." Examining her nails in a glowing show of indifference, Lilith didn't even look at him. "Are you lying to our daughter about that, as well? Was it just a convenient excuse?"
"Perhaps it would be wise to ward this room against intrusion. This conversation sounds quite personal!"
The sudden interruption, and hearing that overly chipper filter-tinged voice, made Lucifer tense up reflexively and turn his head to look back at Alastor of all people. Why did it have to be him?
Though he didn't see it, he could also imagine Lilith's head whipping up. She hated being interrupted in private moments, and surely her glare could crack glass. "And who are you, exactly?"
"Alastor, the Radio Demon!" Dipping into a quick bow, Alastor's smile seemed to stretch impossibly wider across his face. "I would have introduced myself sooner to such an…illustrious guest, but it seemed our dear Charlotte was more than content to take over the responsibility of showing her mother around."
"So you're the one that showed up here to help Charlie." Lilith's sneer couldn't be hidden in her words. "A sinner doing a better job of supporting her than her own father."
Barely even flinching, Lucifer tried to avoid visibly sinking back into the couch cushions. Being caught between these two was… quite nerve-wracking, for very different reasons.
"Is that the impression you've gotten, Your Majesty?" Melding into shadow and appearing at the entryway of the seating pit, Alastor planted his radio cane in front of him and leaned on it. "As I see it, at least His Majesty has been present more after the battle that could have killed your daughter. Unlike certain parties who were absent and unwilling to even answer a phone call for seven years."
Jarring and overriding the screech of outrage that Lucifer could barely hear from Lilith was the sound of canned boos, an Alastor special effect he enjoyed using to great effect.
It felt as if his entire world had turned on its head suddenly, never expecting any kind of defense from Alastor.
"How dare you step into this conversation and insult me like-! What business do you even have here?" Lilith demanded, grasping a handful of her dress' fabric as if she was about to jump up and try to attack Alastor for his insolence. "Don't you have work you should be doing in helping my daughter with her hotel?"
"Oh I do, but it's also the responsibility of a good host to ensure that all of the hotel's guests are accommodated and properly comfortable." Affecting an air of nonchalance, Alastor tilted his head, his ears perked forward. "That includes our second longest resident that is not a member of staff. His Majesty has been here for long enough that I consider it important to look after his well-being. A task that, evidently, you failed to consider as important when you left him."
"Are you going to let this sinner continue to speak to me that way?" Lilith hissed, her gaze turning towards Lucifer with the obvious heat of anger in her eyes.
"Why should that be his responsibility when you two are no longer married?" Alastor interrupted, before Lucifer could even think of something to say. "If you have an issue with me, perhaps you should take that up with me without him here as a poor middle-man for such dramatic theatrics."
"Theatrics! It is our business what we were discussing here until you butted him, with no say in-"
"Lilith, stop," Lucifer pleaded. As much as some small, vicious part of him was glad to be defended like this, he didn't want to see something terrible happen to Charlie's hotelier from pushing her mother too far. She was definitely volatile now, wound up after confronting him, and Father only knew what she might do if pushed too hard in her anger.
Lilith was not restrained from harming sinners, unlike him.
"Why should I? I will not stand for being disrespected by this upstart that has no say in-" eyes narrowing suddenly, Lilith looked between them. And then she laughed, the sound even icier than before. "Oh, Lucifer, don't tell me you tangled yourself up with a meager sinner such as this. Is this who you thought you could replace me with? Seriously?"
There was a shriek of radio feedback, sudden and quick to fade. Even as Lucifer felt like his jaw was dropping on its own, he gritted his teeth to fight it and met Alastor's sharp-eyed gaze.
The unspoken question there was one that he didn't even know how to answer. With no space to discuss what had just been implied, he could only shake his head minutely, hoping that the Radio Demon would get the hint to redirect - exactly the kind of thing he was good at doing in tense situations in particular.
He didn't expect to hear Alastor laughing like that, though. Like he was genuinely amused, eyes bugging slightly as he wheezed.
"Oh…oh, Your Majesty, are you offended that a lowly sinner such as myself could replace your position?" Alastor's teeth snapped together, like a wolf snapping at the heels of its prey. "And what if I did replace you? How would you deal with that?"
Inhaling sharply, Lucifer leaned forward, half-tempted to lunge across the couch to reach the sinner and freak him out through unwanted touch by grasping his arm to shake it. What…was he doing?? This was not a plan he'd ever would have considered after panicking and implying to Lilith that she had been replaced. Frankly, it was insane.
They were still at each other's throats with snarky words more often than not, even if they'd found a fragile agreement after the mad TV's taste of trying to take over Hell. And Lucifer was fairly certain that the demon still hated him! Their first impression had not been good, and only continued to color their interactions up until now.
Unknowing of any of this swimming underneath the surface, Lilith seemed highly unamused and unimpressed. "Are you the reason he wears that ring? It's quite pathetic a symbol for someone of his status. And why aren't you wearing a matching ring?"
Holding up a hand when Lucifer opened his mouth, Alastor chuckled softly. "Let me, dear. If you must know, that ring is an engagement ring, and a gift after the ordeal we recently went through that thoroughly interrupted our plans to do this properly. I fully intend to gift him with a more fitting ring as a symbol of our relationship, and we will wear a matching set when the time comes. But until now, I was not aware that I had any need to publicly stake an obvious and garish claim to suit anyone else's tastes. Especially someone with no right to be involved in this affair."
Hand flying up to his mouth, Lucifer's eyes darted to Lilith.
The change in her body language was immediate. If she had been a cat, she would have been physically bristling now. "I see. Well, Lucifer, I expect that you will make a proper show of this marriage when the time comes. But if you intend to hurt Charlie by pulling a stunt like this…"
"He wasn't the one that abandoned Charlie for the last seven years without a word," Alastor sing-songed, still leading the conversation.
Mercifully, because Lucifer couldn't get his thoughts together enough to even try.
"Aren't you fortunate that you have him to hide behind?" Lilith sneered in return, rising smoothly from the couch. "It seems that I'm no longer welcome in this conversation. Perhaps we will talk again later." Giving Lucifer a look full of meaning, she turned from him and gave Alastor a darker look before slipping from the room without a further word.
Only when the door shut a bit harder than normal did Lucifer let out the breath he'd been holding. "…Shit," he whispered eloquently, looking up in time to see Alastor stalking across the floor towards him. "You weren't supposed to overhear any of that-!"
"So I gathered," the demon hissed, eyes twitching at the edges as the pupils twisted into the shape of menacing radio dials and ticked. "And yet I heard every. Word. Of your ex-wife denigrating you as if you've never had a backbone in your life, sire."
"What about it?" Lucifer asked tiredly. He was still rather scared in this moment, knowing full well that Alastor knew his dark little secret - alongside the rest of Hell, now. "It's hard to defend myself against her words. She knows how to go right for the throat…"
Leaning low to get down into his space, Alastor placed his hands on either side of Lucifer's shoulders, bracketing him and gripping the couch with the audible ripping noise of his claws digging in to the fabric. "I've been dragged into this ridiculousness because of her deciding to take her ire out on me, instead.I don't take kindly to anyone insulting me, royalty or not, as you have become aware!"
"You could have said no!" Lucifer protested. "Told her you were just…I don't know, defending me because it's part of your hotel host schtick."
"A point needed to be made to her," Alastor said darkly. "I don't enjoy listening to anyone being bullied in that manner, whether or not they've done something in the past to deserve it. Which I'm sure you have, but now I have made a point of defending you to the point I'm apparently engaged to you."
Swallowing thickly, Lucifer looked down. He was still trapped in the demon's grip, but didn't even think of trying to move. "We'll figure out a way to stop this before it gets to the others. It doesn't have to go anywhere. We can stage a break-up if we have to."
"I will not let that woman defeat me so easily, sire," Alastor hissed, static popping alongside every word. "Vox didn't win against me in the end, and I will not let the Queen of Hell win. If that means pretending to be your fiancé until such time as Lilith sees fit to leave again, so be it."
Straightening up, Alastor reached for his microphone staff and tucked it behind his back. "Now, I believe we have a story to concoct about this…play-acting between us. I need time to gather my thoughts and calm down, and I expect us to work on this when I get back."
"Meet me in my room, then?" Lucifer felt nervous about suggesting that, but it wasn't as if the demon hadn't been in there before… why else was the sign outside of the door?
"In a few hours. Do make sure that you don't tell anyone anything foolish until I get back." Alastor disappeared down into the shadows again.
Leaving Lucifer hyperventilating on the couch before pulling himself together.
This would be… fun.