Chapter Text
Lucifer drummed his finger on the armrest of his dark throne. Four months had passed since his return to hell and he was already bored to death. By Dad, he had almost forgotten how dull and tedious ruling hell was. Punishing Dromos and his consorts had only been a short diversion in the daily monotony, as satisfying as her screams for mercy had been. But with the demons back in line there was nothing much left to do for Lucifer.
Sighing he shifted on the hard, uncomfortable throne and glanced across the cloudy sky. Flakes of ash whirled through the air like a macabre never-ending dance. As so many times before his thoughts wandered back to Chloe. If he closed his eyes he could still see her standing on the balcony, saying the words he never thought he would hear from her. I love you. With a groan he shook his head as if it would chase away the bitter-sweet memory. There was no place for sentimentality in hell. In the land of the damned anything but anger and hate was considered weakness.
He had to do something, something that distracted him from the infinite pain of his aching heart. Maybe he could check the new arrivals, see if there were some special nasty souls that were worth his personal attention. After all, there was nothing like some good old torture to sweeten the day.
With a powerful motion he was airborne, unfurled his white wings and took a nosedive to the ground. At the very last moment he spread his wings and slowed down his fall, landing smoothly in front of his palace.
“Astaroth? Astaroth!” he called, but the hyena-like demon, who currently held the position of his personal servant, was nowhere to be seen. Bloody hell, where was the wretched wanker? He was just starting to think up a proper punishment of the demon’s apparent indolence, when suddenly two bright flashes appeared up in the sky, indicating the arrival of two angels in his realm. Splendid. He had hoped to have at least one or two hundred years before one of his self-righteous siblings pestered him with their pesky presence, and now even two of them were coming.
However, his annoyance quickly turned into concern when the two arriving angels turned out to be none other than Amenadiel and Azrael, who both landed gracefully only a few steps away from him.
“Amenadiel? Rae-Rae? Is everything alright back home? Did something happen with Chloe or Charlie?” Lucifer addressed the unexpected visitors.
It was telling that Lucifer’s first concern was his friends and family on earth. Not long ago, Amenadiel would never have imagined that his self-centered brother of all beings would first think of someone other than himself. Folding back his wings Amenadiel gave him a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, everything’s alright. Actually, we’re here because of you.”
Lucifer breathed a sigh of relief, but the feeling was only short-lived as it quickly gave way to a growing irritation, causing him to narrow his eyes in slight annoyance. “I don’t need any welfare visits. I’m perfectly fine as you can see. So off you hop!”
He made a shooing gesture with his hands as if they were some pigeons he wanted to scare away. Azrael snorted and crossed her arms.
“Don’t be silly. Amenadiel told us all what happened, what you did, Lu. And well, you know, we thought, that it’s not fair to you. You shouldn’t have to be alone here. And so we all kinda decided, to keep you – uhm - company.”
“Sorry, but the quota for unannounced pain in the ass angels visits for this millennia has already been used up. So whoever else of my sodding siblings you might have persuaded to this weird kind of hell-sight-seeing can make off right away,” Lucifer scoffed.
Azrael and Amenadiel exchanged a quick, apprehensive look. But before either of them could say anything there was once more a flash in the grey sky, then another and another, until it looked like a strange kind of thunderstorm in the clouds. Before he knew it Lucifer was surrounded by dozens of his siblings. Staring at the growing crowd he spotted Raphael, Gabriel, Raguel, Jophiel, Aziraphale and many other familiar faces.
Just when he thought he couldn't be further surprised, he discovered a certain tall blonde figure who stood partially hidden behind Raphael. Even though he wasn't a twin, the resemblance to Lucifer was striking. The same height, the same posture, and almost the same facial features.
“Michael,” Lucifer gasped, not sure whether he should fight or flight at the sudden sight of his former nemesis. Michael stepped slowly forward, his right hand as usually placed on the hilt of his sheathed sword, and gave him a firm nod.
“Samael.”
By hearing his old name Lucifer winced, hot rage boiling up inside him like a volcano. “Don’t you call me that! It’s not my name anymore,” he snapped with barely veiled anger, his eyes blazing dangerously with hellfire.
Some angels near him gasped and backed away. Aziraphale, who was among them, frowned and muttered, “What’s with all these name changes?” Lucifer, though, didn’t hear him at all and made a threatening step toward Michael, who stiffened and pulled out his sword a bit, his golden wings spreading out all the while.
Amenadiel stepped between them, his hands raised.
“Luci, no need to get all riled up. And Michael, put your sword away. We’re here to support him, not to fight, remember?”
For a moment no one moved, but then Michael relaxed and pushed the sword back.
“Very well, as you say.”
Lucifer gave Michael a wary look, but when the other showed no further sign of attack he straightened his jacket, his eyes slowly returning to their normal color.
“So what’s the plan? Do you want to settle here permanently? Because that’s going to be rather cramped, considering we don't have a Beverly Hills Hotel down here. And I’m not sharing my private quarters, that’s for sure.”
“I’m sure we will find a way. The point is that we’re together, as one family.”
“Lovely.” The prospect that his siblings would keep pestering him from morning till night sent a shiver down his spine. “And Dad? Does he know about your little relocation plans?”
Rae-Rae ducked her head and shifted awkwardly. “Uhm- we haven’t told him yet. You know, we didn’t want to leave you alone any longer, with all the time difference between the Silver City and here.”
“Bloody hell.” Lucifer didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. The whole situation was absurd. Dad was, well, Dad. There was no way in hell – literally spoken – that he wouldn’t find out about this, being the omniscient bastard and all, and it wouldn’t be fun. “What about your obligations? Are you aware of the consequences you all might face? Dad doesn’t do well with insubordination as you should know.”
“We don’t neglect our duties, Lu. We’re just spending our free time with you. It's not against the rules, at least as far as we know.”
“I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve with this, but I strongly advise you to return to the Silver City as long as you’re still able to. You're playing a dangerous game, and -devil or not- even I won't be able to save you if it all blows up.” Lucifer tried to reason with his siblings once more, having the uncomfortable feeling that they were running out of time.
Suddenly, a cloud-like light appeared out of nothing, shining so brightly that everyone was blinded for a moment. The gleaming manifestation pulsated and sparkled in iridescent colors while emanating a power that was sheer overwhelming.
It was Father, the Almighty God in person.
“My Children,” a booming voice rang out, which caused all demons in the vicinity to collapse and scream in terror. The angels, on the other hands, all knelt down in humble devotion. All, but one. Lucifer was the only one who was still standing, proud and unyielding as ever. The sight of the absolute obedience of his siblings made him cringe inwardly.
The light floated above the ground and began to shrink, condensing into a human-like shape. Eventually it disappeared completely, and in its place appeared a middle-age man with a beard and brown, curly hair that looked almost like God Johnson from the psychiatric hospital. He even sported the same plaid shirt and jeans. His eyes, though, hold a ethereal glow that didn’t quite conceal the omnipotence behind the human shell.
“Bollocks,” Lucifer muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes, before he opened his arms and gave his father a smile with far too many teeth.
“Dad, what a surprise to see you here. You're just in time for the big family reunion. Are you only stopping by or do you plan on staying longer? Just so I know if I should fix up the guest room. Maybe I can give you the grand tour through hell afterwards.”
Amenadiel didn’t wait until the end of his ramblings and stepped forward. “Father. Please, let me explain. It’s not what it looks like.”
God raised a hand, silencing them both. He nodded to Lucifer. “Let’s talk somewhere in private.”
It was no question, but an order. Lucifer suppressed a curse and gave Amenadiel a glare which clearly read ‘told you so!’, but the older angel shrugged helplessly and shook his head. Thus, he had no choice but to lead his father into his private rooms.
While the Almighty admired the interior furnishings, which showed a remarkable resemblance to a certain penthouse, Lucifer made a beeline to the small wooden bar on the left side, grabbing a dusty bottle and a tumbler. He needed a drink, even if it was just that awful booze that hell provided. While he was busy filling the tumbler God raised an eyebrow.
“So, I see you’re once again causing a rebellion.”
“What?” Lucifer spun around, almost dropping the tumbler. “No! I have nothing to do with this little celestial walkout. In fact I was just trying to get rid of them. Can’t run this bloody place properly if there are hundreds of angels hanging around.”
“Relax, son,” God snickered, “I know you didn’t instigate them. But you did something else, something so unexpected that it caused quite a commotion back home and convinced your siblings that they have to act and join you in an unprecedented act of solidarity.”
Lucifer rolled his eyes and threw up his arms. “Uh, and here we go again. I knew you’d somehow blame me. So come one, Dad, say what you have to say, punish me as you please and then leave me be. Oh, and don’t forget to take the whole feathered bunch with you when you’re on your way out.”
God couldn’t hide the small smile that tugged at his lips. How he had missed his son. So beautiful, so strong, so full of compassion and desire, and yet so terrible hot-headed, defiant and rebellious. Did he even know that he was the only one who called him Dad instead of Father? The only one who dared to contradict him and constantly challenged him? It was in a strange way comforting to see that even after all these eons in hell he still hadn’t lost the fire within. But now was not the time to dwell on that, and so the Almighty simply shook his head.
“I’m not here to punish you,” he stated frankly.
“You’re not? Well, that’s a new one. Then why, pray tell, are you here? Did you come to watch my final defeat? Do you want to gloat over my misery? Hats off, using my love for Chloe to make me go back to hell was a downright diabolical move, and I should know it, being the devil and all.”
Lucifer raised his tumbler before he downed it in one gulp, grimacing only slightly at the ashen taste. God wagged his finger at him like a father scolding his child.
“Now it’s you who’s blaming me. The decision was yours alone. You could have stayed on earth, let others do the dirty work or try to sneak your way out with another deal. But you didn’t. You sacrificed everything you ever wanted to protect the ones you love. You returned to hell by choice rather than by force. You took responsibility.”
Lucifer scoffed. “You’re giving me far too much credit.”
“Do I? The light-bringer I knew wouldn’t have cared about the consequences of his actions, he wouldn’t have cared for anyone but himself, and he surely wouldn’t have put the well-being of his friends over his own. You have changed.”
“Don’t be too sure of that, Dad!” Lucifer growled, shifting into his full devil form. God let his gaze wander over his red, blistered face, but there was no revulsion or resentment in his look, only a brief flash of sorrow that was gone as fast as it had appeared.
“You know as well as I do that this doesn’t change who you are, or who you have become, and it surely doesn’t change the fact that I am proud of you, son.”
His statement took Lucifer by surprise. He never thought he'd ever hear anything like that from his father again. Without realizing it he transformed back to his human form while staring at him with his mouth agape. Finally, he broke free from his dumbfounded stupor and his face became a guarded mask again.
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you have a crappy way of showing that, like kicking me out of home and letting me rot in hell for millennia. So please excuse when I find this a little bit hard to believe after all you put me through.”
“I understand that you’re hurt. There's just so much we need to talk about. But first, we have to take care of this particular situation here.” God made a vague gesture towards the waiting crowd outside.
“Enlighten me, what do you have in mind?” Lucifer asked, trying to keep his voice relaxed. Despite his father’s assurance that he didn’t want to punish him he somehow dreaded whatever solution his father might have up his sleeve. Especially since he couldn’t think of any possible outcome that didn’t entail him once again being stuck in hell forever.
If God knew of his worries, what was to be assumed given his omniscience, he did not let it show. Instead he crossed his arms and tapped his chin with one hand.
“I think you agree with me that your siblings can't stay in hell. I mean, what would the Silver City be without angels? On the other hand, they're right when they say you no longer deserve to be down here alone. So I see only one solution for this problem- I have to revoke your sentence.”
“I beg your pardon?” Lucifer stopped dead in his tracks.
“Your punishment is annulled. You may leave hell anytime you want. Go back to earth, stay as long as you like. You will be still the ruler of Hell, and as such I expect you to come back here once in a while, check if everything’s running smoothly. But besides you’re free to do as you please.” God shrugged, as if this was no big deal at all.
Once more Lucifer was completely stunned. “Why are you doing this?” he asked, suspicion written all over his face.
“Can't a father just give his son a treat?” God asked back. When Lucifer simply glared at him he added, “As I told you. Your siblings think you’ve earned their respect and support after what you have done, and so do I. Consider it a gift, a peace offer if you will.”
An offer? That was something Lucifer could handle, after all. “You want to make a deal with me?”
“I’d call it more a reward, but- yes.”
“What about the demons? Who's going to keep them from possessing people again if I’m not here?”
“Ah, yes, that. Don’t worry. I’ve fixed the hell gates already. It was a design flaw anyway. From now on demons aren’t able to leave hell on their own. It’s kinda like a one-way street. Souls can enter, but no one gets out without permission.” He gave Lucifer a wide smile. “So, what is it you always say? Do we have a deal?”
God held out his hand, waiting for Lucifer to take it and seal their deal. Lucifer eyed his hand as if it was a viper, ready to attack him.
“Just to be clear. I can leave hell and go wherever I want, as long as I make sure that hell’s running fine. No more dragging me back to hell, no more meddling with my life. That’s it?”
“Yep,” replied God, popping the ‘p’ just as Lucifer often did. He raised his hand, and finally Lucifer took it and gave it a quick shake.
“Deal.” Once the deal was sealed he let out a breath he didn’t knew he had been holding, smiling tentatively. His father grinned no less pleased.
“Well, that wasn't so bad, was it? Now that that's settled, let's go back to the others and announce the good news.”
With Lucifer trailing behind him God returned to the waiting angel crowd outside. Stopping beside Amenadiel the other angel tried to figure out how the conversation had gone, but Lucifer’s facial expression was unreadable. Azrael seemed to share his concern and elbowed him slightly in the side.
“How did it go? Is Father mad at us?” she whispered, but Lucifer didn’t answer, too absorbed in his own thoughts.
Meanwhile, God let his gaze wander over his assembled children. He had said that he was proud of Lucifer, of what he had become, and it was true. But he was also proud of all his other children. For the first time ever, they had stood up for each other. They had held together, even at the risk of arousing his anger. It was still a long way until they were really united, but it was a first step to reconciliation.
“My son Samael, also known as Lucifer, the Morningstar and Light-Bringer, is no longer banished to hell. He will remain King of Hell with all its assets, rights and obligations, but he’s free to live his life however and wherever he wants. This is my word, and as such it shall be done,” God proclaimed eventually.
“So be it,” replied the angel host in unison.
“Now all of you return to the Silver City and resume your duties.”
The angels obeyed without hesitation, their wings stirring up the ever-present ash as they took flight one after the other. Finally, only Amenadiel, Azrael, God and of course Lucifer remained.
Lucifer glanced from God to Amenadiel and Azrael. To stand beside his father just like that, after millennia of yelling and insulting him from the distance, caused a peculiar feeling in him that made his jaw clench and unclench. A part of him wanted to talk with his father, there were so many things he was burning to ask, so much he needed to know. But another part was afraid what such an discussion would bring up, afraid he might ruin the delicate rapprochement they had reached in an argument that would probably escalate quickly. The tension in his body grew up to a point where it was almost unbearable, making him twitch restlessly. Finally he cleared his throat and clasped his hands.
“That was quite the show. Now if you’ll excuse me, I fear the demons were rather terrified from so much divinity at once. The damned souls won’t punish themselves. Well, actually they do, but where would be the fun in that? Dad, brother, Rae-Rae, I’m sure you'll show yourself out.”
Not waiting for a reply he turned around and headed back into his private chambers. His abrupt farewell made Amenadiel pale. He broke out in a sudden sweat at so much disrespect for their father. It would never occur to him to leave Him standing like that, and he couldn’t believe that his brother so recklessly risked His wrath after all they had achieved today.
“Um, I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that, he’s probably just tired,” he stammered, trying his best to save the day, “I think I’ll better go see him and make sure he’s okay.”
“It’s alright, son. I’m sure your brother has just a lot to process. Go check on him, if you want to. You can catch up later if you’re done,” God smiled.
Amenadiel breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed his head in respect before he rushed after Lucifer, leaving only God and Rae-Rae behind.
The small angel peered up at her father for a moment, seemingly unsure whether to say something or not. God knew of course what was bothering her, but he preferred to put not too much emphasis on his omniscience since it made most conversations awfully uncomfortable. Instead he gave his daughter an encouraging smile.
“What is on your mind, little peach?”
“Well, um-“ She scratched her head and made an awkward face. “I know it’s not my business, Father, but what about the ban from heaven? You said Lucifer can live wherever he wants, does that mean he could also return to the Silver City?”
God put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a long look, winking almost unnoticeable in the end. “Let’s go home, Azrael.”
In the twinkling of an eye he changed back into the almighty being of celestial light and vanished. Rae-Rae blinked and stared at the place he had been standing, not sure what to make of this unexpected revelation, before she sighed and followed her father back to the heavenly realm.
In the meanwhile Amenadiel had caught up with Lucifer, finding him in the living room of his private quarter. He’d thought that his brother probably had left hell by now, he surely wanted to return to earth as soon as possible, but to his surprise Lucifer was still there. When he entered, Lucifer turned around from the bar he was lingering at, a full tumbler in his hand.
“Brother. You’d better bugger off like the other did. The stench of brimstone and ash is horrible hard to get out of your clothing, believe me.”
“The same goes for you. I’d thought you’d be topside already, with Chloe. What are you waiting for?”
“Ah, well, you heard Dad. I’m still ruler of hell, can’t risk to break the deal by just leaving without some preparations. My reputation would be ruined for all eternity.”
He turned back to the bar, not wanting to see Amenadiel’s expression given his explanation, which sounded pretty poor even to his own ears. He took a sip from his tumbler, but the stuff still tasted like rotgut and so he put the glass back on the counter. Of course he wanted to return to Chloe as fast as possible, but ever since his siblings had taken off his mind had begun to race. What if Chloe didn’t want him anymore? What if her feelings – her love – had died the moment he left her on the balcony of his penthouse? Surely he had hurt her by his rash departure. Back then he had thought he did the right thing when he returned to hell, but what if he had been wrong and had messed up like so often before?
Amenadiel seemed to sense his unease and stepped beside him. “I don't think there'll be any problems if you take a little time-out. You’ve really earned it.”
When Lucifer still hesitated, he eyed him up and down. Then his face lit up in sudden understanding. “It’s because of Chloe, isn’t it? You’re afraid to see her again.”
“I’m certainly not afraid,” Lucifer huffed indignantly, emptying his tumbler despite its awful taste in one go. “I just think it's best not to rush into anything, I don't want to stress the detective any more after all that's happened.”
“But letting her wait even longer when she clearly misses you isn’t any better, don’t you think?”
Chloe missed him? Hearing that made Lucifer prick up his ears. Maybe Amenadiel was right and he shouldn’t hesitate any longer. They had already wasted so much precious time, time they could have spent together, he’d be a fool to stay in hell any longer than necessary. Slowly a beaming smile spread across his face.
“I guess the demons will get along without me for a while.” He was about to walk away, but then he paused and added, “Thank you, brother.”
Amenadiel knew he was not one to easily thank others, something about his pride and not wanting to be in one other's debt, which made his gratitude all the more valuable. He smiled and patted his shoulder.
“Go, Luci. She’s waiting.”
Lucifer took a deep breath, his eyes still showing a mixture of hope and anxiety. He stepped back, rolled his shoulders and unfurled his white wings. With one last look at Amenadiel he rose into the air and disappeared with a few strong flaps of his wings.