Chapter Text
When Charlie had come into this world, it had been with a scream.
But it was not her own.
Lucifer could still remember charging into the bedroom, shoving the useless nurse aside as Lilith's scream of pain filled the room. The smell of blood and birth-water hung in the air as the doctor tried to tell that they had tried but all he heard was a murmur and Lilith's pain. She was sitting hunched over in their bed, the same one she had been sleeping so calmly in not more than a day ago, smiling as she rubbed her swollen stomach gently, eyes soft but tired from restless nights while he rested his head on her mound, muttering sweet nothings to the child within her.
The proof of their love and another mark of defiance against his father's wrath.
In Hell, Sinners could not have children, but Lilith had become pregnant despite this. For months now, both she and Lucifer had watched and felt the life grow inside her, felt the tiny kicks and turns as the baby moved within. He had watched Lilith suffer through morning sickness, swelling, and cravings all the while remaining the most beautiful creature he had ever laid his eyes on, even more so now than when he first saw her in Eden.
For months they had pondered names, boys and girls alike until the doctor could tell them it was a girl they were expecting to whom they chose the perfect name for the princess to be, Charlotte. And of course, while Lilith dealt with the joys of childbearing as Eve had done with Adam, Lucifer had gone wild in prepping for the baby to come. The nursery was quickly built, a suite worthy of a princess with all the cute little ducks and apples. He had spoken with the other Lords of hell, sharing his excitement with Beelzebub, asked Paimon for advice (which proved about as useful as asking Mammon to donate to the needy), and just bragged about the miracle to Asmodeus who was taking a strange pride in the idea that his lust had resulted with this.
And now...
Kneeling next to Lilith on the bed, Lucifer stared disbelievingly at the limp form that was their child. Ash pale and un-moving, Lucifer took in the baby's appearance that resembled himself so much, hair and all. His child, whom he had felt just last night press her tiny hand against his own that was resting on Lilith's round stomach, was as still as the grave.
“Our greatest condolences, your Majesty,” The doctor quickly moved away from the grieving parents, fearing that one of them would lash out in rage or pain. “She... the child never drew breath.”
'It makes no sense,' Lucifer thought as Lilith's broken wails grew louder as she rocked the tiny body close to her chest. 'We felt her moving. She was active. She was...'
And then he recalled something. He remember back to the day of the Fall, when both he and Lilith had pleaded their case to God and the other angels of Heaven. Even now, millennia after, he could still feel the hateful glares of what he once had believed to be his loving family weight down on him as a cold sweat broke out over his skin. He recalled the rage in his father's eyes as Adam whined about how he had tricked him and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit all the while stealing away Lilith. As if he had stolen her, Adam had never owned her heart to begin with thanks to his arrogance.
Nonetheless, Lucifer had fallen to his knees as his father not only viewed him with disdain but also declared that he was banishing both him and Lilith to a reality where only suffering and depravity would be known. At the time, he hadn't caused it due to the shock but he recalled Lilith trying to plead his case, claiming that it wasn't his fault, when God had angrily grasped her by the neck and placed his hand upon her stomach.
“ Never shall life spring from your womb.”
Lucifer felt his heart cease to beat for a moment as he recalled his father's curse just before both he and Lilith found themselves falling from Heaven's Gate. Was this what he had meant? Had his father truly been so cruel as to allow them to have hope and dream of a child only to tear it from them at its birth? And what of the child? What was his daughter's sin to condemn her to death before she could draw her first breath?
It wasn't fair!
Tears filled his eyes as he embraced Lilith, trying to calm her in her grief while trying to suppress his own. This was his fault. He knew it had to be his fault. Suppose he hadn't angered God. If he hadn't tempted Eve and mocked Adam or fallen for Lilith then none of this would have happened. If he had never gone to Edenfrom the start to see how his own creations were doing-
Another memory suddenly resurfaced for him, one that was far older than of The Fall.
* * * Flash Back * * *
Samael had been young at the time, just old enough so that Sera had foolishly believed she could turn her back on him and his twin Michael without the pair sneaking off to cause mischief, playing childish pranks on their siblings or Father. This sometimes landed them in trouble with a fierce scolding from Sera which often had Michael in tears and Samael rolling his eyes in annoyance and wondering why what they had done was wrong. Sera always said it had to do with the rules, but there were so many of them, Samael had a hard time remembering them and the few he did were just seen as a challenge.
Like how Sera had said that, under no circumstances, were they to bother Father and practice their instruments instead.
Now Samael loved his golden fiddle but after being told Father was busy with something... how could he not sneak off to find out what it was?
And wherever Samael went, Michael followed for as the older twin, it was his job to watch out for his brother.
So that was how to two mischievous cherubs found themselves peeking around a corner as Uriel hurried out of their Father's room, a stack of scrolls in his arms while he muttered about 'nature and balancing', whatever that meant. When he was sure no one else was coming or going, Samael started to head towards the forbidden door, a gleeful childish giggle escaping his lips when a hand grasped his robe.
“ Samael...” Michael whined, looking nervous and slightly close to tears. He had always been the more sensitive of the pair, afraid of annoying his siblings and earning their disapproval or ire. “We should go back. Sera's going to be mad...”
Samael pouted at Michael, annoyed that every time that they even showed a hint of disobedience, Michael would wimp out at the last second. Sure Sera could be scary when she was lecturing them, but that was about it. Give it a century or two and she would forgive them until the next time.
“ Come on Michael. Don't you want to see Father?”
“ But Sera said-”
“ Urgh! Fine...” Samael groaned much to Michael's relief and foolishly released his hold on Samael's robe. “You can go back and I'll go see Father.”
“ What?! No, wait!”
Michael tried to grab hold of his twin but Lucifer had always been a fast little flier, not to mention his shape-shifting abilities made it hard to hold onto him half of the time. Even Gabriel complained that he was near impossible to hold onto when it was time to preen their wings.
With his brother's cry to stop, Samael laughed with glee as he zipped around the corner and threw the open doors into their father's room before his brother could stop him. It was always fun to tease Michael. Unfortunately for Samael, he was so distracted by watching Michael's distressed expression, that he forgot to watch where he was flying until he slammed into an all too familiar back and fell tumbling to the floor.
“ Samael!” Michael rushed to his brother's side, his wings fluttering ever so slightly as he tried to see if his twin was hurt. “Are you okay? Are you hur- Oh!”
Samael shook his head slightly as he recovered from the bump. Thankfully, he was more than a little used to flying into things and others because of his games with his brothers and sisters. He was about to tell his twin he was fine when a looming shadow fell over them.
“ Michael? Samael? What are you two doing here?” God asked calmly, his many eyes swirling about to look at his two youngest fledglings while a few took on a pondering expression. “Wasn't Sera watching you?”
“ Ah-I.... we.. that is...” Michael began stuttering, his eyes already filling with tears as he imagined their father unleashing his wrath upon them for disturbing him in his work. “We're sorry. We were just-”
“ Father, what are you doing?” Samael however cut off his brother as he rose to his feet, a set of large baby blue eyes looking curiously at their father, the bump already forgotten.
“ Ah, are you curious my little Stars?” God however was neither angry nor annoyed by the pair's curiosity. He had to admit to himself he had been neglecting them, a bad habit of his he had when an idea set roots in his head. Gathering the pair into his arms, God calmly brought them over to his work table where it showed them several drawings of a world not too different from Heaven but at the same time it wasn't anything the twins recognized. “What do you think?”
“ What is it?” Samael asked, moving closer to see while Michael looked on more reserved.
“ I call Eden,” God explained as he waved a free hand to call forth some golden dust and formed a few random creatures. “I've been wanting to try and create something new. You're siblings have been helping me fill it with all sorts of wonders like 'deer', 'dogs', and 'trees'.”
With each creation, God waved his hand slowly to morph the dust to take on its shape. It pleased him that all his children had part-taken in designing something to add to Eden. Well, all except the twins now when he thought about it.
“ Can I help!”
Samael's outburst took God by surprise as all his eyes focused solely on his youngest, eyes now sparkly with excitement and hope. It was adorable to see him like this and it had God wondering why he hadn't asked the twins for their input yet. Had it been because Sera had worried they would make something strange? That girl was a bit of a stickler for order.
“ Look, Father! Look!” Once more, God was torn from his musings as Lucifer eagerly moved the dust to form a creature God had never seen before. It was a tiny creature, fitting perfectly in Samael's cupped hands with an elongated mouth and wide wedded feet but instead of the usual extra limbs that his siblings had given their creation, Samael had given his wings much like his own. “Pretty right? Can it be in Eden too?”
“ Interesting, but perhaps not so many wings,” God mused as he removed two sets, leaving it the one. “But what, pray tell, would you call thing creation of your, My little morning star?”
Samael pondered for a moment when Michael finally dared to utter.
“ How about... a duck?”
“ A duck?” Samael cocked his head a little as he pondered the name before a wide smile broke across his face. “I like it. It's a duck! Thank you Michael.”
God chuckled as the twins happily hugged one another, a sight he was certain would never change, even when both of them were fully grown. He's two little stars, one evening, the other morning, would always be together. He was certain of this.
“ But... how do we make it?” Michael asked to which God smiled.
“ Let me show you,” Tucked both closer to him, God gently took the duck from Lucifer's hands and brought it close to his face. With a gentle yet playful smile, he looked at each of his toddler angels and softly said. “Now, all we need... is a little breath of life.”
Taking a slow breath in, Samael and Michael watched in awe as their father gently blew a small glimmer of grace into Samael's creation, creating the first duck of Eden.
* * * Flash Back End * * *
“Lilith,” Lucifer gently shook his weeping wife, easing her face as gently as he could to look at him. And while it was heartbreaking to see her tear-filled red eyes, Lucifer pressed on, knowing that time was of the essence. “Lilith, please. Can I...?”
Confused and hurt, Lilith slowly but surely passed their child over to her husband, another gut-retching sob tearing from her lips. She didn't want to let go of her baby, not yet, but somehow she knew it was important for Lucifer to be allowed to hold her as well. With gentle hands, Lucifer took the tiny body from her, his own heart breaking at the ice-cold feeling it gave. He remembered when Adam was made. He knew there was suppose to be warmth in the tiny body in his grasp but there was none to be found. Not yet...
'Just a breath... That's all I ask.'
With that thought, Lucifer took in a deep calming breath and gently blew out. It wasn't easy, he had only seen Father do it once and when he had done it himself, it had been the only time when he was creating his snake, Sera had caught him and flown into a fit like now he had seen before. Well, none he had seen until the Fall. She had said that while Father had plenty of grace to give as he pleased, creating life was something only God was allowed to do because it was dangerous. At the time he didn't understand it, but it had to do with the fact that as angels, there was a limit to how much grace they had for them to live. Now though, he understood better what his father had meant with “a breath of life”.
“Luci? What are you-?” Lilith asked as she watched the dust of gold leave her husband's mouth and gently fall upon her stillborn child.
'Please... please...' Lucifer thought as he slowly ended his breath. 'If only this once, please. Let it-'
At first, all they heard was a tiny gasp, barely loud enough to hear. It soon followed a tiny 'ah' of discomfort before evolving into a slowly growing infant's cry. Lucifer watched in awe as Charlotte's skin changed from an ashen gray to a more angelic white, the apple-red cheeks flushing with color. The tiny hands fisted and the fragile limbs weakling tried to kick as Charlotte Morningstar tried to let all of Hell know that she had entered this world, dark and twisted as it was. Both parents stared in awe as the once limp body now tightened with her wails and before Lucifer knew it, Lilith had gathered her baby once more in her arms and cried once more, though this time it was with joy.
Lucifer smiled widely too at the sight, though he felt far more tired now than he had when he created his snake, probably because Charlie had needed far more grace. Not that he cared about that. If it had taken every ounce of grace he had in him, Lucifer would gladly given it just to hear the baby's wails. As he leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief, Lucifer looked out his bedroom window towards Heaven and grinned.
'Screw you, old man. I win!'
* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *
It was about an hour later before Lilith finally gave in to the exhaustion of her laborsome birth. The doctor had been shocked at the sound of an infant's cries suddenly calling from the room and while confused, he had given Charlie a clean bill of health, despite her rough start. Now, Lucifer was walking down the halls of his manor, with the most precious cargo he could ever hold in his arms. Charlie had been slightly fussy in her crib and for the sake of her mother recovering from the traumatic birth, Lucifer had decided to take her down with him in the kitchen to warm a bottle for her. He felt equally exhausted as Lilith but for his queen and princess, he would rip the stars from the Heavens if they wished it.
Though for now, it seemed a fussy Charlie once demanded a bottle.
“Shhh.... shhhhh, my little Starfire,” He hushed her gently, bouncing her in his arms as he reached the bottom of the stairs only to find Asmodeus and Beelzebub waiting for him, a bottle in hand. “How long have you been here?”
“Long enough to have this ready for you,” Asmodeus grinned as he handed the warmed bottle to Lucifer while Bee buzzed next to him, cooing at the in fact in the King's arms. “Heard it was a tough start.”
“You have no idea.” Lucifer sighed, easing the nipple into Charlie's mouth so she could suckle.
“Awww, she's so tiny!” Bee squealed loudly only to be hushed by Asmodeus. “Sorry. I'm a little drunk of the love here right now. She's beautiful though, Lu. She looks just like you.”
“Thank you, Beelzebub.” Lucifer smiled as he enjoyed the feeling of Charlie in his arms. She was so warm now. The way she should have been from the start.
“Hello, little princess,” Asmodeus gently cooed as he gently stroked a finger against the baby's cheek. “I'm you're uncle Ozzy. And that's your aunt Bee.”
“Who says you'll be her uncle?” Lucifer raised an eyebrow at this, a slight wave of protectiveness washing over him as he mildly allowed the Demon Lord of Lust to touch his dearest treasure.
“I'd better be. I helped you two make her.”
“Excuse me?!?” Lucifer barked as he felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. The sudden movement and yell made the baby flinch and before any of them knew it, Charlie let out the loudest wail that her tiny lungs could make. “Oh, oh no. I'm sorry Char-Char. Daddy didn't mean to scare you.”
“Wow!” Beelzebub quickly jerked away as she covered her ears. “She certainly has a good set of lungs on her. I didn't know a baby could cry so loud.”
“Yeah,” Lucifer smiled as he gently laid Charlie against his shoulder and patted the infant's back in comfort. He had passed the bottle back to Asmodeus. Breathing in the soft scent of a newborn, Lucifer looked proudly at the two demons with the pride worthy of not only a king but a new father. “It's it the sweetest sound you've ever heard?”